In Roman times, a patrician resort situated near Mt Vesuvius in SW Italy. It was destroyed in the volcanic eruption of AD 79 and lay under 23 m/75 ft of rock and ash until its rediscovery in 1709. First excavated in 1738, large-scale digging began in 1927 followed by attempts in the 1930s to turn the site into a showpiece. Now a world heritage site, two thirds of it is still buried. A 10-year restoration project began in 2004.
Herculaneum (in modern Italian Ercolano) was an ancient Roman town, located in the territory of the current commune of Ercolano it's ruins can be found at these co-ordinates 40°48′21″N, 14°20′51″E, in the Italian region of Campania.
It is most famous for having been destroyed, along with Pompeii, in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius beginning on August 24, AD 79, which buried them in superheated pyroclastic material that has solidified into volcanic [[tuff].
Name
Herculaneum lies at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. Mount Vesuvius was a sacred spot to the god Hercules and because it is at the foot of Mount Vesuvius it was named after Hercules (not to mention that Hercules was the legendary founder of the town).
Myth
Hercules had come back from killing the monster Geryon and had stopped in Rome. On the location where he killed Cacus, Hercules was supposed to have built Herculaneum.
History
Ancient tradition connected Herculaneum with the name of the Greek hero Heracles (a.k.a. In actuality, it seems that some primitive forefathers of the Samnite tribes of the Italian mainland founded the first civilization on the site of Herculaneum at the end of the 6th century BCE. It is the Greeks who named the city Herculaneum. In the 4th century BCE Herculaneum again came under the domination of the Samnites. After the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79CE, the town of Herculaneum was buried under 50-60 feet (approx. Today, the Italian towns of Resina and Portici lie on the approximate site of Herculaneum but no town has gone by the name of Herculaneum in that area since 79CE.
The Eruption
The catastrophic eruption of Mt.
Based on the archaeological excavations on the one hand and two letters of Pliny the Younger to the Roman historian Tacitus on the other hand, the course of the eruption can be reconstructed.
At around 1 PM on August 24, 79 CE, Vesuvius began spewing ash and volcanic stone thousands of meters into the sky. Since Herculaneum lay to the west of Vesuvius, it was only mildly affected by the first phase of the eruption. Whereas the roofs in Pompeii collapsed under the weight of the falling debris, only a few centimeters of ash fell on Herculaneum causing little damage.
It was long thought that nearly all of the inhabitants managed to escape because initial excavations revealed only a few skeletons.
During the night, the column of volcanic debris which had risen into the stratosphere, began falling back down onto Vesuvius. A pyroclastic flow formed that sent a mixture of 400°C (750°F) gas, ash, and rock racing down toward Herculaneum at 100 mph.
The amazingly good state of preservation of the structures and their contents is due to three factors:
By the time the wind changed and ash began to fall on Herculaneum, the structures were already filled up. The deep (up to 25 meters), dense tuff formed an airtight seal over Herculaneum for 1700 yearsExcavation
Excavation began at modern Ercolano in 1738. in the later 18th century, motifs from Herculaneum began to appear on stylish furnishings from decorative wall-paintings and tripod tables to perfume burners and teacups. However, once the nearby town of Pompeii was discovered, which was significantly easier to excavate due to the reduced amount of debris covering the site (four metres as opposed to Herculaneum's twenty metres).
Skeletal remains
The pyroclastic flow instantly killed all residents who had not escaped before it struck. In contrast to Pompeii, the bodies of those killed at Herculaneum are not preserved in casts; Herculaneum was a smaller town with a wealthier population than Pompeii at the time of its destruction.
The first major discovery of 1st century AD Roman skeletal materials took place in Herculaneum. Excavation during the 1990s in the port area of Herculaneum turned up the skeletons of more than 200 individuals of varied age, sex, and class.
Specific buildings
To expand this section, translate it:Ercolano#Scavi archeologici di Ercolano.
College of the Augustales
Temple of the augustales or priests of the imperial cult
Villa of the Papyri
The most famous of the luxurious villas at Herculaneum is the "Villa of the Papyri" now identified as the magnificent seafront retreat for Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, Julius Caesar's father-in-law.
Issues of Conservation
The volcanic mud, ash and debris covering Herculaneum, along with the extreme heat, left it in a remarkable state of preservation for over 1500 years.
Today, tourism and vandalism has damaged many of the areas open to the public, and water damage coming from the modern Ercolano has undermined many of the foundations of the buildings.
Photos
The 'house of Neptune and Amphitrite' is an elegant two-storey house.
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The house is noted for this outstanding summer triclinium with a nymphaeum decorated with coloured mosaics |
Herculaneum, Neptune und Amphitrite, Wall Mosaic in House Number 22 |
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Street Paving Stones in Herculaneum |
Residential water pipe made of lead in Herculaneum |
Wall paintings in the first style |
Inlaid Marble Floor |
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