In case you somehow missed it, a couple of years ago there was a trend online where women asked men how often they thought of the Roman Empire and were met with bizarrely high frequencies. First off, I would like to say that I don’t think gender has anything to do with thinking about the Roman Empire. I, for one, identify as a woman—and also identify as someone probably in the upper quartile of Roman Empire ponderers. In any case, the fact that people were thinking of the Roman Empire so often led to a discussion about what else occupies this much brain space. Princess Diana, the Titanic and that time that Kanye interrupted Taylor Swift at the 2011 VMAs were strong contenders, but nothing has proven as universal as the actual Roman Empire. In the same way that Rome conquered many countries, it has appeared to conquer our minds. So, if you are already thinking of the Roman Empire seven times a day like me, why not visit the Rome exhibition and give those thoughts a dedicated space to roam around (pun intended)?

Before entering the exhibition, my friends and I took advantage of the free concession entry into the general museum. We went straight to the big dinosaur bones and marvelled at their size. Despite three years of exams held in the Royal Exhibition Building, I hadn’t been inside the Melbourne Museum since primary school. It is a great place for young kids to get an appreciation of what came before us, but it was also epic from my adult perspective. In day-to-day life, despite my recurring thoughts of the Roman Empire, I don’t get that much time to contemplate the past. Remembering we exist on a planet that once housed dinosaurs, extinct megaflora and gigantic bugs added what felt like a bit of magic to my day (even if that magic is just science and history). After saying hi to the dinos, we went down to the Roman Empire exhibition. 

The installation is remarkable: the scenography created by projections, lighting and music facilitated an immersive sensory experience (and some very Instagrammable photos!)—it feels more like an art exhibition to me than a museum one. Each room is styled in a way that honours the artefacts on display. In the section dedicated to private life in Rome, you are transported to a bathhouse via calming music and dappled blue lighting. In the room exploring spirituality, the theme is more minimalist with poignant music, black walls and geometric bright white LED light fixtures. As we walked through, my friend Noah and I shared the bits and pieces we each knew about the empire. I would see a statue of Nero and ask Noah, “he was one of the bad ones, wasn’t he?” Noah would respond and tell me a diverting anecdote about how he tried to kill his poor mother TWICE! My contributions came more in the room dedicated to mythology, where I was able to play a fun game trying to recall the Greek god equivalent for each of the Roman ones. My favourite was a full-sized statue of Venus, perfectly framed by an arch and a peachy pink backdrop. 

There are many fun games like this you can play at the exhibition, like looking for all the emperors mentioned in Gladiator and Gladiator II. I won’t tell you where, but you can find all four (Geta, Caracalla, Marcus Aurelius and Commodus). While a lot of Gladiator is obviously fictional, the sheer magnitude and grandeur of the empire is not made up and really comes through in the exhibition. One room projects iconic Roman buildings like the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the Domus Aurea as they would have looked back then, while on the other wall, you can see them in their present form. You can read about the extravagant baths of Caracalla, who was (according to the information presented alongside the artifacts) as much of a terror as Gladiator II would have you think. There are even tiny gladiator figurines that look like something I would use for Dungeons & Dragons—if you’d told me it was from a modern-day games shop, I would have believed you. It was honestly those little figurines that finally made me realise that the ancient Romans were just people like us, not extras from a Hollywood blockbuster.

That being said, I got very excited when I saw some gladiator armour and, although neither Russel Crowe nor Paul Mescal were present (very sad), I would say I was very much entertained. 

The statues and artefacts in this exhibition transport you to ancient Italy. This time of year, I think we all start fantasising about a Euro-summer getaway. If, like me, you won’t be doing any intercontinental travel any time soon, I highly recommend going to this exhibition to get a taste of Italy from Carlton. Conveniently located only a fifteen-minute walk from Uni, the exhibition is the perfect place to switch up your usual after-class hangout. If you go before the weather turns, you could even pair your museum visit with a picnic at the Carlton Gardens, or head down Lygon Street for some Italian food to stay on-theme. The museum is a magical place that reminds us of all the unfathomable things that came before us, and how unfathomable it is that we exist as we do today. Carpe diem and go to the museum!

Photography by Evelyn Patterson.