Museums are usually buildings where historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural objects are exhibited. However, museums can be a place itself, not only buildings. Pompeii is a great example of an open-air museum. Pompeii is an ancient Roman city in Italy that was covered in ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in AC 79. The whole city was destroyed including the buildings and all the living things were cloaked under the ashes and pumice. As time passed, the city was rediscovered by architects and archaeologists in the 16th century. Through excavations, lots of remains were revealed under the four meters of ash. Moreover, the discoveries themselves explained the history of Pompeii at that time. This openair museum provided many thoughts to the people and new relics from the city are still being found. By analyzing the excavations, it became possible to understand the life pattern of Roman people 2,000 years ago, which might not be that different from modern people.

The uncovered sight of Pompeii showed the well-preserved relics. Thus, the new discoveries could explain the life of ancient Romans. Due to the active commercial life, there were water fountains, fast-food stores, large theaters, public baths, and so on, all being exposed. Realizing the fact that there are still places like these days, it shows the unique and splendid culture of Pompeii residents. The excavators even found tableware, a menu, and coinage on the table. Their passion for food seems like the same as today. Recently, experts have found a thermopolium1), with the painting of chickens and ducks on one side of the counter. The vestiges of pork, fish, snail, and beef made it possible to guess what Pompeii residents ate back in the days. Also, several paintings were seen in the buildings. Especially, the stories of paintings originated from Greek and Roman mythology. Moreover, as Pompeii used to be known as the City of Hedonic, there were lots of erotic paintings on the walls. The number of fancy paintings and sculptures shows how wealthy and affluent lives they lived in ancient Pompeii.

In the city, it was easy to find the buildings, roads, and even small dishes since they were well preserved under the ash. However, during the excavation, some people wondered about the whereabouts of dead people. In October 2020, an undamaged brain cell was found in the skull of a dead man in Pompeii. This brain cell was melted in the volcanic ash and rapidly cooled, but not damaged because of vitrification2). The researchers were surprised at how perfectly the cell was preserved since this case has no precedent. This new investigation broadened the field of research on humanity.