5 Reasons Why Families Will Love This Ancient Rome Exhibition

Here’s why you and the kids should get down to WA Maritime Museum for the ‘Ancient Rome: Epic Innovators and Engineers’ this summer.

5 Reasons Why Families Will Love This Ancient Rome Exhibition

Here’s why you and the kids should get down to WA Maritime Museum for the ‘Ancient Rome: Epic Innovators and Engineers’ this summer.
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Here’s why you and the kids should get down to WA Maritime Museum for the ‘Ancient Rome: Epic Innovators and Engineers’ this summer.

Looking for something unique to do with the kids?

Ancient Rome has recently opened at the WA Maritime Museum in Fremantle – an exhibition that pays homage to the ancient Roman times, and the genius inventions that came from it, much of which we still use today! It covers off all of the equipment that was used to build Rome and is full of fun ‘to scale’ replicas of that exact machinery and equipment.

Here’s why you should prioritise this exhibition as one of your school holiday activities (though it runs until April).

This Is A ‘Hands On’ Exhibition

That’s right, hands don’t have to live in pockets here because you and the kids can touch, pull, push, and move the installations in this exhibition.

There are old abacuses, pulley systems, a mosaic station, and even a replica of an Archimedes screw (an ancient spiral-shaped water lifting device) to get interactive with. It wouldn’t be an exhibition about engineering feats without a little bit of play! 

Not all of the exhibition is hands on, but the installations you can and can’t touch are clearly signed. You and the family will learn about ancient technology while also having fun.

You Can Learn About Roman Battle Without Too Much Gore

Some history can be a little sensitive for the little ones, but it doesn’t seem fair to miss out on learning about it just to save the gory details.

At the WA Maritime Museum Roman exhibition, kids can learn all about the Roman republic and empire (and their inventions, key figureheads and battles) in a safe space. Even though there were some bloody times throughout Roman history, there’s nothing sinister in the gladiator outfits, swords, and catapults in this exhibition. 

There Are A Ton Of Familiar Contraptions

Even though the replicas in Ancient Rome are based on originals made some 2,000 years ago, there are a lot of contraptions that look remarkably similar to what we use today.

Heck, some haven’t changed at all (take the pulley system, for example). It’s fun to see what pieces of equipment the kids recognise, and to have conversations about what they think they’re used for.

Bonus: a lot of them they can have a play with!

There’s A ‘Roman Statue’ Dress Up Section 

You’d be hard-pressed to come across a child (or an adult for that matter) that doesn’t get a kick out of throwing on a costume.

Just to the right of the exhibition space you’ll find a complete Roman dress-up kit – wigs, props and all.

Have some fun getting kitted up, before posing in front of the fun backdrop and uploading the results to Instagram or Facebook (use the hashtag #ancientrome). 

Bonus point for those shouting out “Are you not entertained!?!”

Your Ticket Comes With More Than You Think…

Your tickets to Ancient Rome actually serve a dual purpose. Obviously they allow you access to the special exhibit, but they also allow you access to the general exhibits at the Maritime Museum too.

Make a day of it by heading to Ancient Rome, checking out some of the cool maritime installations, and enjoying a coffee/babycino at the museum’s inhouse cafe, Caffissimo.

Pricing

Tickets are from $7.50 with kids under five free! Full ticket details below:

  • Adult: $17.50
  • Concession: $10.00
  • Kids (5-15): $7.50
  • Kids (0-4): Free
  • Family (2 adults, 2 kids): $45

Ancient Rome: Epic Innovators and Engineers details

WA Maritime Museum Ancient Rome Epic Innovators and Engineers exhibition.

Tickets to Ancient Rome can be purchased through  museum.wa.gov.au.

  • Location: WA Maritime Museum, Fremantle
  • Dates: Sat 7 Dec 2019 – Sun 26 Apr 2020
  • Hours: 9:30am – 5:00pm

This article was written in collaboration with the Western Australia Museum. We value your feedback so please contact us with any questions on our sponsored post. Thank you for supporting So Perth and our local partners.