Herculaneum: History and Excavation

Herculaneum Overview

• Herculaneum, like Pompeii, faced destruction from Mount Vesuvius's eruption in 79 AD.
• It is smaller than Pompeii however has superior building preservation.
• Carbonized wooden doors and furniture remain in some of Herculaneum's buildings.
• Before the eruption, Herculaneum sat on a promontory extending into the bay, with water reaching the city's walls.
• Pyroclastic surges from the eruption buried the city under 20 meters of volcanic debris.
• The eruption extended the shoreline by 400 meters.

Excavation Challenges and Progress

• Excavation is difficult due to the volcanic debris hardening into a rock-like substance.
• About a quarter of the site has been uncovered so far.
• The site's exploration began in the 18th century.

City Layout and Key Areas

• Herculaneum, like many Roman cities, followed a grid plan.
• The Decumanus Maximus was the city's main street.
• The Decumanus Maximus was intersected by a series of narrower cardi.
• The ancient port area is now paved over.
• The eruption significantly changed the area's topography.
• Boat sheds, marked by a line of doors, faced the beach and were likely used for storage.

Victims of the Eruption

• Around 300 people sought shelter in the boat sheds during the eruption.
• The pyroclastic surge instantly killed them.
• Replicas of the skeletons are now placed inside each of the doors.
• Forensic anthropological studies showed the people of Herculaneum were remarkably healthy.
• They had few cavities, consumed plenty of fish, and were taller than the 20th-century population of Naples on average.

Terrace of Marcus Nonius Balbus

• It includes a funerary altar and a replica statue honoring Marcus Nonius Balbus.
• Balbus, Herculaneum's most distinguished citizen, died nearly a century before the eruption.
• He was cremated just outside the city walls.
• Balbus, a former praetor and provincial governor, retired to Herculaneum and invested his wealth in the town.
• He funded the construction of the town's basilica and the rebuilding of its walls.
• Hundreds of Herculaneum residents were descended from his freedmen and carried his name.

House of the Relief of Telephus

• This house is located just above the Terrace of Marcus Nonius Balbus.
• It gets its name from a relief depicting the Greek hero Telephus.
• It features L-shaped columns, a rebuilt roof, and marble Oscilla (decorative discs).
• This opulent residence may have been commissioned for Marcus Nonius Balbus or one of his wealthiest peers.

Palaestra

• A largely buried exercise yard.
• Excavators discovered carbonized tree trunks swept into a corner by the eruption.
• A tunnel provides access to the network of tunnels carved out by Bourbon excavators during the 18th century.
• The fountain at its center was shaped like a Hydra, likely referencing Hercules.

Cardo V and Thermopolia

• Well-preserved thermopolia (fast food establishments) are located along Cardo V toward the Decumanus Maximus.
• One thermopolium features a marble counter where patrons received their orders.

Decumanus Maximus

• Herculaneum's main street.
• It was a busy street with a portico full of shoppers.
• Buildings with reconstructed second stories line the sides of the street.
• Reconstituted carbonized wooden beams have been reset in place in certain areas.
• The town's public center was likely situated around an arch at the far end of the street.