An Even Better Ruin (13 of 14)

Our last stop in Europe was Herculeaneum, another ancient Roman town that was destroyed in 79 AD. It was one of five cities along with Pompeii lost to the eruption of 79 AD.

This town was about 700 years old before it was buried under 75 feet of boiling mud.

It was famous as one of the few ancient cities that can be seen in almost its original splendor because unlike Pompeii, its burial was deep enough to ensure the upper stories of buildings remained intact and the boiling mud (vs. ash and molten rock) preserved wooden household objects such as beds and doors and even food.

Herculaneum was a wealthier town than Pompeii. Herculaneum was known as a resort town and vacation place. Wealthy Romans who were known for lavish spending on their homes would be the typical resident. They came to enjoy the baths, spas and food.  It had more fine houses and far more lavish use of colored marble cladding. There were about 6,500 people in this city but most of them escaped except around 300.

These arches were part of the pier welcoming guests traveling to Herculaneum by boat. This was the previous coastline so the green grass you see used to be the ocean. The hill in the background shows how deep the city was buried.

Boats were available for residents to board and escape once the volcano started erupting. They were so focused on collecting their belongings that they didn't make it through the doors.

During excavation, their belongings were found on board their ships.

Herculaneum was a very developed city. Compared to Pompeii they had a more advanced water and sewage system. 

Water flowed along the narrow trench into the fountains.

Water fountain depicting Poseidon with dolphins around his face

Homes and shops that have benches in front.. unlike Pompeii

Benches were located in front for frequent socializing.. no sewage running in these streets!

  A restaurant/tavern to patronize..

Large vats to keep food and sauces hot (coals on the bottom)

A 'toilet' behind the tavern: apparently you just squat and go; toilet paper did not exist then. Instead they used a sponge mounted on a stick. The sponge could be dipped into a running water channel or a bucket of salt or vinegar water will be used.

Just one sponge though.. just one... it was a community sponge!!

 Interiors...

The deep red paint still evident after 1,900+ years

People were short back then I guess!

The House of Neptune and Amphitrite had beautiful mosaics.

Mosaics of Poseidon and his wife Amphitrite the sea goddes

Marble frescos

Detailed mosaics of the floors

white tiles were included on the floors to help illuminate the interiors at night with the moonlight

The Baths (both male and female) were located next to each other and were well preserved. The baths were fed by a large well which brought water from a depth of 8.25m heated by a large furnace and distributed around the baths by a network of pipes that also served to provide central heating.

This is the waiting room where your 'slave' or 'handmaid' puts all your belongings on the shelf and sits on the bench waiting to give you any assistance.

The bath

Our expert guide, Jose, showed us some skeletal remains of probably a watchman/ guard who was lying on his cot when the disaster happened. This is just one of many examples of how inadequate the conservation and excavation process has been at Herculaneum.

These bones were not easily accessible nor viewable. It was hidden behind a boarded up door which our guide had to crack open for us to see.

Unfortunately, due to minimal funding, many of Italy's historical ruins have not been properly preserved and conserved. (As you can see from the skeletal remains that are open and exposed.) Today tourism and vandalism have damaged many areas open to the public, along with water damage from the current city of Ercolano. Excavation have been temporarily discontinued and all funding is to be directed to help conserve the current ruins.

Once a seaside resort, the former town became inland and is now surrounded by the modern city of Ercolano. Unfortunately what was excavated was only 1/2 of Herculaneum. It has been said that the other half of the city is still under those modern buildings in the background.

You see, excavation did not start until 1738 and stopped when Pompeii was discovered. It was only in 1981 that bones were found (the seafront arch doors skeletons) that excavation continued.

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