Herculaneum

Ok, here’s your history lesson for today. When Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, at least 2 cities were destroyed. We’ve all heard of Pompeii. Pompeii was a large city that was 5 miles from Vesuvius and was pounded with falling rocks and debris from the eruption. The other city, Herculaneum, which had approximately 5,000 inhabitants was the city that we visited today. Herculaneum was the summer home of rich Romans. It was on the beach and the wealthy Romans spent their summers there. The eruption took place in October so most of the 1%ers were in Rome but their servants were still in the small city taking care of the homes. Mt. Vesuvius erupted and the servants were not able to escape. However, the city was not pelted with rocks but rather a 500 degree pyroclastic flow ( wave of hot gas) killed them instantly and then mud slides buried the city. It wasn’t until 1709 that the city was accidentally discovered. The mud had turned to granite and had to be cut away to uncover the town. Today only 60% of it has been excavated. The murals, art work and mosaics are just stunning. 300 people were taking cover in the boat houses when the gas killed them and their skeletons are still in the boat houses. The site is unbelievable to see. We had an excellent guide and even though it was the hottest day of the year in Italy, it was worth experiencing the heat to see it.

Scholars believe this was the home of a doctor/lawyer. There was a waiting room for clients. Notice how vibrant the paints are.

These are the boat houses where people tried to shelter from the eruption.

More frescos that survived.

The spa. The mosaic of Trident’s son and various sea creatures. There were 3 different baths.