When the coronavirus lockdown kicked in, the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture was in the midst of hosting the stunning touring exhibit Pompeii: The Immortal City, a collection of artifacts and multimedia features that took visitors back to when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. and buried the city in ash.
The museum can no longer welcome people to see some of the remarkably preserved artifacts and educational displays in person — despite the fact that the show is currently "trapped" in Spokane due to the statewide closure of non-essential businesses. But the MAC still wants people to learn about Pompeii and its remarkable history, and the Spokane Chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America stepped in to host a free five-week live "webinar" series on Thursday evenings at 6:30 pm starting this Thursday, April 2.
Each event can welcome up to 300 people, and there will be a live Q&A via the Zoom app after each lecturer conducted online. You do need to register in advance for each one, so be sure to visit the MAC's website. (You can go here to register for the first lecture, "Prostitution in the Immor(t)al City: Investigating Pompeii's Brothel".)
Here's the schedule, along with the speakers for each:
April 2: Prostitution in the Immor(t)al City: Investigating Pompeii's Brothel, featuring Dr. Sarah Levin-Richardson from the University of Washington.
April 9: Roman Gladiators: Killing Machines? Fact and Fiction, featuring classical archaeologist and historian Dr. Andrew Goldman from Gonzaga.
MAC
Explore the fact and fiction of body casts made from preserved victims of the volcanic blast from Mount Vesuvius on April 30.
April 16: Street Theater: A Pompeian Neighborhood in Five Acts, featuring Dr. Jeremy Hartnett from Wabash College in Indiana.
April 23: Kitchens, Dining Rooms and Latrines: Routines in a Roman House, featuring Dr. Mira Green from the University of Washington.
April 30: Humans as Artifacts: Inventing & Displaying Pomeiian Body Casts, featuring Dr. Kevin Dicus from the University of Oregon.
