Herculaneum was a smaller town than
Pompeii, but it is no less important to the study of life in Ancient Rome. It was a resort town situated
on the shoreline and had a population of approximately 4-6000 people. The town was
named after the mythological Greek hero, Hercules. It is a stunning testament to the Roman past and is an amazingly, completely preserved museum of life in the 1st Century AD.
 |
| Herculaneum Street |
When Vesuvius erupted, the winds initially blew southeast
toward Pompeii, dropping ash and debris over that area. Herculaneum was only mildly affected at first since it sat to the
west of the volcano. While Pompeii was
buried by falling debris, only a little ash fell in Herculaneum and there was, at first, little damage. Regardless, it was long
thought that most of the people fled the city out of apprehension since early
excavations found only a few skeletons, some of them on the beaches, like the famous Ring Lady. Analysis helped to establish many details about her (and the others found), but, sadly, her name is lost to the ages.
 |
| One of the most famous victims in Herculaneum is the Ring Lady found at the boat docks. Judging by her bone analysis and amount of gold that she wore, she is thought to have been very wealthy. She was about 46 years old. At a height of approximately 5'1'', or 157 cm, she was actually above average for her time period and probably gave birth to two or three children in her lifetime. - Stock photo
In 1981, archaeologists reached the boat houses where they discovered 300 skeletons huddled together under the arches facing the sea. It is speculated that these people gathered
here waiting for rescue, but during the night a fast moving cloud of ash and
debris reached the town. This cloud,
also known as a pyroclastic surge, is what happens when the ash and debris that blew into the air collapses back into itself. It moved up to 100mph and reached a temperature
of over 900 degrees Fahrenheit (500 degrees Celsius) of hot ash and gases. Even though the people
were sheltered from the debris of the cloud in the boat house, the temperature was so intense
that it resulted in instant death. It is even reported that the heat
caused contractions of limbs and fractures of bone. There was no time for thought or terror, death happened that quickly.
Unlike Pompeii, where
the ash that enclosed victims created cavities that could be filled with
plaster and show the shape of the people as they perished, in Herculaneum the
rate of the vaporization of the flesh by the hot cloud did not preserve
anything for the ash to solidify around. It has been found by further
research that, where prior it was thought that people suffocated by air thick
with ash, in Herculaneum, it was the heat that killed everyone who had remained
in the town.
|
 |
| In the boathouse Gianni Cipriano for The New York Times |
There were six such flows and surges over the
course of the eruption that subsequently buried the town, but they caused little damage to
the structures, in places even carbonizing wood frames, doors, and
furniture. Because of the rapid burial of the town, many structures
remained intact, including upper floors. Even tables that had been set for
meals remained upright and buried as if they were just set yesterday.
This was a very different fate than Pompeii
where the gradual buildup of ash and rocks caused upper floors and walls to
collapse.
 |
| Wood partition and upper levels preserved - stock photo |
.jpg) |
| Alcove in the House of Neptune and Amphitrite - stock photo |
The houses in Herculaneum were similar to those
in Pompeii in design and layout (in concurrence with the period). The
most famous of them, however, is the Villa of the Papyri, named so for over a
thousand blackened, carbonized papyrus scrolls found in a library there. It is considered the only intact library from antiquity to have survived into recent years. Some of the scrolls have been unrolled with some success, revealing works of Greek
philosophers. Researchers are hoping that using x-rays and computer processing
may help them read them more easily and also potentially with those that have
yet to be unrolled (thus eliminating the risk of damage to them). No one
knows for certain who owned the villa with its extensive library, but speculation
is that it may have been originally owned by Julius Caesar’s father in law,
Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesonius.
 |
| Carbonized scroll and Greek writing on unscrolled papyri - stock photo |
Like Pompeii and other cities affected by the eruption, Herculaneum seemed destined to be forgotten forever. Then in the 18th century, a farmer digging a well discovered the town. It was the first recorded discovery of the city in 1700 years, although it is speculated that over the years people may have found things here and there while digging wells, etc. In 1738 excavations began, and shortly thereafter, Pompeii was discovered as well. Excavations were concentrated mostly on Pompeii at that time, which buried under less stone than Herculaneum. Still, frescoes and "treasure" were taken from the city and shown in private collections for years until proper archaeology (still a developing science) took over and museums were established as public opinion leaned more toward conservation and research rather than displaying for private pleasures. To this day, it is estimated that 75% of Herculaneum still remains covered. Like Pompeii, these areas that are still buried are guaranteed full of future archaeological treasures - not of gold, but of timeless history and stories from beyond the grave. ~S.A. Edwards
For further reading, we found these articles interesting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_of_the_Papyri
We recommend these books as well:
Herculaneum, Italy's Buried Treasure, by Joseph Jay Deiss
Herculaneum: Past and Future, by Andrew Wallace-Hadrill
Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum, by Mary Beard, Michael Grant
No comments:
Post a Comment