Smaller but wealthier than Pompeii, Herculaneum suffered the same fate: “destroyed” by the 79 AD eruption of Mt Vesuvius.
Whilst the volcano really did extinguish all human life in both places, its ash – which buried them – in fact made them the two best-preserved of all ancient Roman towns.
Their “secrets” are still being uncovered.
In Italy, even working archeologists can display an uncommon amount of “style”/ “attitude”/“flair”.
Photo is copyright Doug Spencer, taken in Herculaneum at 12.38 pm on 06 September 2023.
Herculaneum is entirely surrounded by modern-day Ercolano – a suburb of Naples which sits between Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples.
As a future post will show, Herculaneum is less crowded than Pompeii, but an equally rewarding destination.
One of its mosaics is really astonishing.