Herculaneum, Forever in 79 AD

Herculaneum is an archaeological site located south of Naples—about 20 minutes by train, and about halfway between the city and Pompeii.

When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, it covered Herculaneum in as much as 75 feet of ash (roughly 5 times the amount of ash as Pompeii). This essentially vacuum-sealed Herculaneum, whose building interiors were much better preserved than in Pompeii.

Vibrantly colored frescoes, mosaics and marble reliefs are preserved in place, though clearly damaged. A great deal of papyrus records of daily life survived the catastrophe, allowing us to know such details as the price of services at the bath/spa, menu items, residence and business ownership and so on.

The audio guide was excellent, and it was wonderful to be able to walk freely among these ancient ruins.

Back in Naples in the late afternoon, a trip to the National Archeological Museum allowed us to see many household artifacts that were not on site in Herculaneum, as well as building decorations (mosaics, frescoes, etc.) that had been removed from Pompeii.

We almost didn’t make it back to Naples in time for the museum because the trains were either on strike for a few hours, or just closed temporarily for the Easter holiday. We heard both stories. But an enterprising bus company that usually takes people to see Vesuvius, told the assembled, forlorn crowd that they would take us back to Naples for €5 per person. Once in Naples, we couldn’t get a metro to the museum for the same reason (or some other), but at least the taxis weren’t on strike at the same time.Read more