MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The world-renowned traveling exhibition Pompeii: The Exhibition is set to arrive in Memphis this November. The acclaimed exhibition allows guests to step back in time and experience one of nature's most powerful moments through the amalgamation of a plethora of priceless artifacts and hands-on multimedia productions. The collections are staged in 79 A.D., just hours before life in Pompeii was simultaneously fixed and lost in time for centuries by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
The exhibition’s opening day is scheduled for November 15th, 2024 at the Graceland Exhibition Center, located at Elvis Presley’s Graceland. Patrons from across the region are invited to access presale tickets for the blockbuster exhibition at PompeiiTheExhibition.com.
“We built the Graceland Exhibition Center with the goal of bringing high-quality exhibitions to Memphis, and this is the perfect opportunity to showcase an incredible piece of history here at Graceland,” says Graceland’s Vice President of Archives and Exhibits, Angie Marchese. “We are excited to work with NEON, who provide their guests with a unique experience with the ability to travel through time and immerse themselves in Pompeii with breathtaking, real-life examples of archeology, geology, earth-science, art history, culture, and more.”
On August 24, 79 A.D., the city of Pompeii, a thriving port of the Roman Empire, was frozen in time by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius, burying the city and its people. Remarkably, the same ash and debris from Vesuvius’ unexpected eruption that destroyed the city also preserved it until archaeologists stumbled upon the lost city more than 1,700 years later. The conservation of the city has provided our world with a rare and unique record of Pompeii’s daily life – roads, buildings, municipal services, paintings, mosaics, and more – encapsulated in pristine condition and highlighted in this exhibition.
POMPEII: The Exhibition tells the tale of a city hidden from view and forgotten for centuries through an incredible combination of artifacts and ground-breaking immersive technology. Guests can expect to see over 150 irreplaceable artifacts ranging from gladiator armor and weapons to vibrant murals and hand-crafted furniture, alongside beautiful jewelry, medical instruments, cooking ware, and statues. Perhaps the most breathtaking artifacts are the full body casts of those who perished during this incredible volcanic event. Each of these objects provide a comprehensive view of how the people of Pompeii lived, loved, worked, worshipped, and found entertainment before disaster struck. These artifacts are on loan from the unparalleled collection at The Naples National Archaeological Museum in Italy and the Archaeological Park of Pompeii. They are supplemented by projections, audio, video, and photographic murals, which put guests in the middle of this lively hub on its most historic day.
Upon entering the exhibition, guests will be transported back to an idyllic Roman city with dramatic reconstructions of Pompeii and the nearby volcano through a stunning video recreation. They will then view the artifact gallery before witnessing thrilling gladiatorial combat through a holographic display. Following this, patrons are completely immersed in a brand-new 4D theater that takes them through the different stages of Mount Vesuvius’ eruption and simulates the massive impact on this ancient city. This all culminates with the reveal of full-body casts of twisted human forms, asphyxiated by extreme heat and noxious gases, forever frozen in time.
John Norman, President of NEON’s Creative Division, producer of POMPEII: The Exhibition, spoke to the exhibition's fusion of history and technology saying, “The story of Pompeii’s destruction and preservation is well-known around the world for providing a perfect encapsulation of life during the Roman time. It is a remarkable story that exists as both ancient legend and archaeological treasure, providing a one-of-a-kind snapshot of ancient history that we rarely ever see. The exhibition's blend of groundbreaking scientific discoveries, with a media-rich way of retelling history, allows visitors to experience the awe of nature and human ingenuity.”
Pompeii: The Exhibition opens on November 15th, 2024 for a limited time. The exhibition requires a timed-entry ticket. Advance reservations are highly recommended. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit PompeiiTheExhibition.com.
About Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.:
Elvis Presley’s Graceland, in Memphis, is music’s most important and beloved landmark, with hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world visiting the historic home each year. Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) manages the operations of Graceland and its related properties, including Elvis Presley's Memphis, Graceland's entertainment and exhibition complex over 200,000 square feet in size; the new 80,000 square feet Graceland Exhibition Center featuring rotating exhibits; the AAA Four Diamond Guest House at Graceland 450-room resort hotel; and the Graceland Archives, featuring thousands of artifacts from Elvis’ home and career. EPE also produces and licenses Elvis-themed live events, tours, and attractions worldwide. Graceland Holdings LLC, led by managing partner Joel Weinshanker, is the majority owner of EPE. Graceland is the only attraction worldwide to ever receive 11 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, including “Best Holiday Historic Home Tour,” “Best Tennessee Attraction and Iconic Landmark,” “Best Musical Attraction,” “Best Historic Southern Attraction,” and the #1 “Iconic American Attraction.” The TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards named Graceland the most popular attraction in Tennessee and one of the top 25 landmarks in the world. Rolling Stone named it one of 10 Great American Music Landmarks. For more information on EPE and Graceland, visit www.graceland.com.
About NEON:
NEON is a global leader in creating and producing experiential entertainment. NEON enjoys worldwide partnerships with The Walt Disney Company and Marvel Entertainment for Marvel Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. and Marvel Avengers Station: Evolution, 20th Century Studios for AVATAR: The Exhibition, Hasbro for Transformers: The Experience, NBCUniversal for Jurassic World: The Exhibition, and Lionsgate for The Hunger Games: The Exhibition. It also has a partnership with Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment to produce two brand-new, unique global touring themed art experiences namely Harry Potter: Visions of Magic, and a DC inspired experience slated to debut in 2025. The Company also partners with the governments of Egypt and Peru for their original artefact IP experiences, Ramses the Great & the Gold of the Pharaohs and Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru, respectively, plus authentic artefact tours Pompeii: The Exhibition, Mummies of the World: The Exhibition, and Victoria the T. Rex.
The Group’s IP experiences are powered by ANIMAX, a fully owned subsidiary and a world-class creative animatronics powerhouse that specializes in research and development, engineering and entertainment robotics, with state-of-the-art facilities located in Nashville, US, Wuxi, China and the Middle East.
NEON’s global partnerships have enabled the Group to bring compelling experiences that leave lasting memories to millions of visitors in more than 80 cities to date globally. For more information, please visit www.neonglobal.com.
About Naples National Archaeological Museum:
A world-class museum located in the heart of the city, the National Archaeological Museum of Naples houses one of the most important collections of classical archaeology in the world. Set in the massive 16th-century palace Palazzo degli Studi, the museum was founded by Ferdinand IV in 1777. Formed from the discoveries from the Vesuvian Excavations, which were at the time exhibited in Museo Herculanese in the Royal Palace at Portici, and his family’s extensive collection of art and Roman antiquities, the Farnese collection, today the museum holds over three million objects of archaeological and historic importance.
MANN is certainly the essence of Pompeii, and its important and vast collection of Vesuvian antiquities shows it. It is the museum of the capital of the kingdom of the Bourbons, the place where all the attention to Western values of classical culture begins. The museum includes an incredible patrimony: the world’s most important collection of classical sculpture, brought to Naples by the Farnese family and representing the evolution of Western sculpture; furthermore, MANN is the gate of the Italian culture and of Ancient Greece thanks to the discoveries made in the Kingdom of Two Sicilies; it has the second largest Egyptian section - after the one in Turin - with the peculiarity of having a lot of objects that appeared in Italy before the Napoleonic expedition, where you can discover the taste of the pre-Napoleon’s Egyptian culture and owns a collection of nearly 2,500 documents written in Latin, Greek, and dialects of the Italic peoples. MANN boasts the richest and most valuable collection of artworks and artifacts of archaeological interest in Italy and is considered one of the most important archaeological museums in the world, if not the most important, concerning Pompeii’s history.
