Herculaneum is an ancient Roman town, located in the modern-day Ercolano within the metropolitan city of Naples, Italy. Herculaneum was buried under a massive pyroclastic flow in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Like the nearby city of Pompeii, Herculaneum is famous as one of the few ancient cities to be preserved nearly intact, as the solidified material from the volcano that blanketed the town protected it against looting and the elements.
Although less known than Pompeii today, it was the first and, for a long time, the only discovered Vesuvian city (in 1709). Pompeii was revealed in 1748 and identified in 1763. Unlike Pompeii, the mainly pyroclastic material that covered Herculaneum carbonized and preserved more wooden objects such as roofs, beds, and doors, as well as other organic-based materials such as food and papyrus.
Smaller than Pompeii with a population of circa 5,000, Herculaneum was a wealthier town. It was a seaside retreat for the Roman elite, as reflected by the extraordinary density of luxurious houses featuring lavish use of colored marble cladding. Buildings of the ancient city include the Villa of the Papyri and the so-called “boat houses”, where the skeletal remains of at least 300 people were found.
Herculaneum archaeological park can be accessed via car from the highway connecting Naples, Pompeii and nearby Sorrento and Amalfi coast towns. However, traffic in metro naples can be often challenging and time consuming to navigate through. A better option is to take the “Vesuvio Loop” metro line which connects Napoli Centrale station to Herculaneum, Pompeii and other stops around Naples. The site is about 10 mins walk from the metro stop.
The adjacent archaeological museum and boat museum tells the story of this extraordinary historic site with the well preserved artifacts documenting Roman life style almost 2000 years ago.
Watch the podcast video below to learn more of the historic sites around Naples and Mount Vesuvius.
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