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The Leonardo is a nice little museum in downtown Salt Lake City. It is located next to the new(ish) Salt Lake City Public Library. If I am understanding things correctly, this was the old SLC Public Library. Anyway, it is a pretty neat little modern museum with several cool displays and like most museums tend to do, has a rolling display. This time it was Pompeii. We both love history, so I thought it would be something we would both enjoy doing,
Quick Note: This is an archive post. For whatever reason I decided not to post this back in 2020, but I keep wanting to refer to it. Not to mention, sadly, the Leonardo shuttered it’s doors in 2025 so it feels important now. - November 2025
Quick Details:
Length: Whatever exploring you do.
Trail Type: Meander.
Difficulty: DR2, indoors, ADA compliant.
Elevation Gain: 3 floors I think.
Restroom: Several.
Dogs? No.
Other Info: Fee area. I forget what we paid, but, not relevant anymore.
To Get Here:
Take i15 to 600 S head east for about 1.2 miles. Turn left onto 200 E. Go about 2/10ths of a mile and it will be on the right. There is a parking garage underneath the Library.
The Adventure:
The old building. Built in 1964, remodeled in 1990. I am happy I got at least 1 image of the outside of the building.
Pompeii The Exhibition.
So…. As I mentioned I am writing this up a bit more than 5 years later. So forgive me if I fail to recall what we are seeing today.
Statues.
Art.
Pottery and glassware.
Statue.
More pottery and art.
Tools.
“Piggy” Bank and coins.
Closer view of the coins.
Pottery.
Charred raisins, pears, and barley. and a Glirarium. which as the sign states was used to raise edible dormice which was a delicacy for wealthy roman families. Yuck!
Picture of a pretty archway.
Jewelry.
The Heart of the City.
Perfume containers, bottles, and a mirror.
Pretty ceiling.
Erotic Imagery.
Some paintings that are pretty mild.
Phalluses were thought to bring good luck and prosperity.
From the side.
Roman Rock Stars.
Gladiator gear.
Horse bits and lamps.
A Bustling Metropolis.
An anchor and some fishing tools.
Salt Cellar, pan (1st Century A.D. it’s design has remained pretty much unchanged over time.) colander, cone shaped bucket (used to dilute wine with water. Romans considered it vulgar to drink undiluted wine, or right out of the container), funnel.
Another photo of the city, I presume.
Statue of Dionysus. The god of wine.
Brazier. Braziers were furnaces that were used to keep food warm, or heat a room.
Furniture handle, Furniture feet, footrest.
Dining in Style.
Table and candelabra.
The table is similar to a folding card table. The frames expands like an accordion and is held open with a pin. The removable top would have been made of wood.
Wild boar attacked by two dogs statue. which was also a fountain.
An Oasis from Public Life,
They called these little courtyards peristylium.
More art.
A Healthy Diet.
Improving the Flavor.
Pompeii was renowned for it’s high quality Garum, a sauce made from fermented fish. It was an essential ingredient in Roman cuisine.
Steelyard balance and weights.
Because steelyard balances were so easy to use they became the most common scale in Pompeii. Goods were suspended from a hook on one side of the fulcrum while weights were placed on the plate on the other side.
It’s like a mix of a standard scale, and like, the scales at doctors offices. Both of which I am sure have a more specific name haha.
Early Healthcare.
Many medical procedures developed by the Romans are still in use today.
Pompeii Wasn’t Built in a Day.
Romans were skilled architects. They built roads, bridges, temples and houses that have stood for thousands of years. The invented the dome, developed concrete, and made extensive use of arches and bricks.
In an impressive feat on engineering they built an aqueduct that carried water 60 miles from it’s source to the city.
Natural Bounty.
The volcanic deposits of Mount Vesuvius provided much more fertile soil than the rest of Southern Italy.
Art.
Gladiator helmets.
Types of Gladiators.
Busts. A male, and Agrippa.
Male.
Honorary statue of a male wearing a toga.
On to the section that I was most interested in...
The Casts:
Yes, I am a little morbid.
Although this one made me a little sad.
Guard Dog.
This dog was found near the front door of the house of Orpheus, presumably to guard the home while the family fled. The bronze studs around the dogs neck are all that remain of a collar.
Again.
Man on side.
The bodies of 4 people were found in an alley in Pompeii - a man on his back, a woman lying on her right side, a young girl with her left arm raised over her head, and a woman lying on her left side with her face covered.
Ash Column.
Meh… I am picking up it was about 12 feet deep.
Man on stairs.
Plaster cast of a man lying at the foot of a staircase Four people met their fate in this house. Three of them died huddled together on this staircase.
Photo of the original site.
Boy with Sandals.
This young boy was found lying on his side in the house of the Cryptoporticus? along with other members of his family. Traces of his sandals with iron studs in the sole were revealed once a mold of his body form was made.
It is super morbid, but super fascinating at the same time.
Young Mother.
Using high resolution images and x-rays scientists are unlocking many new details about the victims. This woman is now thought to have been pregnant.
Man on elbow.
As excavators continued to unearth human remains, they noticed that skeletons were surrounded by voids in the compacted ash. By carefully pouring plaster of Paris into the spaces, the final poses, clothing, and faces of the last residents of Pompeii came to life. This man was found near a few other bodies.
As found.
Crouched man.
Found on the grounds of the Grand Palaestria, or exercise grounds, in the eastern part of Pompeii, this cast is also known as the “muleteer” for the mule or donkey that was found nearby. Through the casting process, we know that this man crouched low to the ground and pulled his cloak over his mouth to shield himself from the vapors of Vesuvius.
Again.
Child.
This child was found in the House of the Golden Bracelet alongside it’s mother, father, and sibling. At perhaps three or four years old, the folds in it’s tunic and facial expression were preserved, making it one of the best preserved casts in Pompeii.
Closer view of the face.
A Snapshot of Life Forever Saved.
Within 48 hours Pompeii was transformed forever by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Thousands lost their lives lives as hot air, mud, lava, ash, and toxic gases poured from the volcano, burying streets, homes, gardens, temples, and workspaces.
The sudden disaster that destroyed Pompeii in 79 A.D. also preserved it. In the 1740’’s, the city was rediscovered. Over time archeologists at the site discovered a unique record of an entire ancient civilization, sealed in a perfect time capsule. Much of what we know and understand about life at the height of the Roman Empire comes from the ruins of Pompeii.
Well, that was absolutely fascinating!!! I am so glad we got to explore this fine exhibit. It is one of those traveling exhibits and is only here for a limited engagement though.
Now, on to the rest of the museum.
Fun tunnel.
Old TV. I forget what they were going for with this one.
We moved into an Aviation exhibit it would seem.
Landis flying.
Flight.
Again.
Neat old plane.
Whisper dishes.
Little plane.
Fun flight simulator.
I gave it a go. I was not very good.
Another plane.
Wooden bird cutouts.
Inside one of the airplanes.
Cockpit.
Lots of instruments.
Wing.
Propeller.
Underneath another plane.
From the side.
From the top.
Inside again.
Fun slide down. I’m not too old too slide down a slide yet!
I can see that.
X-rays.
Concave mirror.
Just me.
Jacob’s Ladder.
Neat decorations in the main central area.
I don’t remember exactly what the exhibit was for this but it looks like probably cat scan.
Cute piano.
Standing long jump.
I almost made it to 5 feet.
Landis was closer to 6 feet.
I love these neat art pieces that seem like nonsense until you align the metal cylinder in the right spot. I’m not an expert or anything but it looks like it is a type of Anamorphosis.
Super neat.
Memorial for the homeless.
BONUS CONTENT: A previous visit from 2015
We had a random work event that took us to the Leonardo while they were doing a Body Worlds exhibit. That exhibit they asked for no photography, so just a quick set of extra pictures I haven’t shared before.
A triacontahedron dome.
Inside.
The neat decoration in the central area again.
View of the City County Building from the top floor.
The valley.
Mountains from the other side.
Fun optical illusion. I couldn’t make out Gandalf here with my naked eye, by my camera caught it.
Between the main exhibit, and whatever work related stuff we had to do we didn’t get to explore much more.
The neat art in the main area.
The Body Worlds Exhibit.
As I said, we were asked not to take pictures through this exhibit due to it being actual human bodies.
We went to an earlier version of Body Worlds that was mostly animals and did allow pictures.
The Salt Lake City Library.
The City County Building again.
The top all lit up.
Well, that was super fun! I really enjoyed the Pompeii Exhibition. I also really enjoyed the other exhibits today. I don’t recall what we payed. The work event was free though so that was a nice perk. Anyway, this is a really neat museum, I am sad to see it go. 10 out of 10 squirrels.
As for difficulty, it is ADA compliant DR2.
Dogs are not allowed, so be sure to leave Fido home for this.
