Explorations of one of the other ancient cities buried by Vesuvius.
Herculaneum suffered the same fate as it’s sister city Pompeii. Smaller than Pompeii, Herculaneum was an elite Roman seaside resort on the Bay of Naples. Although far from the modern coastline, the city would have been right on the water when Vesuvius erupted.
Herculaneum was buried faster than Pompeii. A pyroclastic flow preserved more objects here, leaving behind papyrus scrolls, roofs, food and wooden furniture. However, Herculaneum was looted with many frescoes, mosaics and other artifacts removed. Herculaneum was all but forgotten about until a man was digging a well in 1709 and found artifacts at the bottom. Herculaneum was first excavated by digging tunnels, since the ancient city was far below modern ground level. Once Pompeii was found, efforts were relocated to that sight since they didn’t have to dig so deep to reach the ruins. The parts of Herculaneum visible today were excavated from 1927-1942. Over 75% of ancient Herculaneum still remains buried beneath modern Ercolano.
Jana Irving The ancient city of Herculaneum and the modern city of Ercolano.
Jana Irving The bottom of the structure with all the arches was the Boat House at sea level. Hundreds of people took refuge in them during the eruption while trying to escape by sea. The residents of Herculaneum had more time to escape the city than Pompeii. However, hundreds of skeletons were still found in the boat houses. It’s hard to see in this picture, but many are still there.
Jana Irving This picture really shows how much lower the old city was. Lava and ash from other eruptions also helped bury the city more.
Jana Irving Headed down to the city. I think this house was the Casa d’Argo.
Jana Irving A bedroom in what I think is still the Casa d’Argo. A bunch of insulae (multi-use buildings) no longer have walls dividing them.
Jana Irving The current entrance to the city.
Jana Irving A thermopolium on the edge of the excavation area.
Jana Irving Casa dei Due Atri (House of the Two Atrium). Many second stories were preserved in Herculaneum due it’s deep burial.
Jana Irving One atrium.
Jana Irving Two atria.
Jana Irving Sede degli Augustali, a religious school for priests of Augustus.
Jana Irving Carbonized wooden beams.
Jana Irving Some sort of shop.
Jana Irving Carbonized wooden door frame.
Jana Irving The back street of the current excavation.
Jana Irving My pictures are all over the place. I was avoiding school groups. March is apparently Italian field trip month.
Jana Irving Casa del Salone Nero.
Jana Irving The two story Casa del Bel Cortile across the street. The second story even has a ceiling!
Jana Irving The Casa del Salone Nero also has an amazing partially restored ceiling.
Jana Irving Casa del Bicentenario. Most urban Ancient Roman houses had shops along the street and a long passageway leading to the interior of the house.
Jana Irving The second story was also frescoed!
Jana Irving What could have been a three or more story building.
Jana Irving A shop on the first floor and living space for the family above.
Jana Irving It’s amazing how much of the buildings survived.
Jana Irving Casa Sannitica. I love that columned portico on the second floor.
Jana Irving The columns continue even on walls without second story access.
Jana Irving Amazing mosaic.
Jana Irving The so called “First Pompeian Style,” traditionally dated to 200 BCE until 80 BCE. This house was built in the late 2nd century BCE. The style faked masonry with colored plaster.
Jana Irving Changing room at the one of the bath houses.
Jana Irving Casa di Nettuno e Anfitrite. This house had a lovely mosaic in their dining room. The small pipe coming out from the middle of that feature in the center of the room probably once held a fountain.
Jana Irving On the other wall is a Nymphaeum, which was a shrine to Nymphs.
Jana Irving Back to the Casa del Bel Cortile. This atrium, stairway looks very modern.
Jana Irving Casa del Tramezzo di Legno. Bedroom complete with a bed.
Jana Irving It took me so long to get this picture without a bunch of kids in it. On the left are a set of preserved carbonized doors.
Jana Irving Casa del Rilievo di Telefo. It had a very colorful atrium.
Jana Irving Casa della Gemma. This house isn’t even on the site map.
Jana Irving Gorgeous mosaics in this one.
Jana Irving Casa dei Cervi. I wish I could have gone upstairs.
Jana Irving Garden in the middle of the house.
Jana Irving I would not be surprised if that hole in the wall was created by early tunneling.
Jana Irving A bit of mosaic around a doorway in the garden.
Jana Irving Casa dello Scheletro. I believe this is a fancy larium for household deities.
This is only a small fraction of what there is to see in Herculaneum. Unfortunately. most of the really fine mosaics and frescoes and other art are now in the National Museum of Archaeology in Naples. Luckily, the king of the area liked to collect ancient art so a lot of Herculaneum made it into that museum.
Herculaneum is only a short distance from Central Naples and can usually be covered in a few hours.
Tune in for my next update where I head north to Orvieto!
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Start at the beginning of this adventure.
