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Herculaneum
is most famous for having been lost,
along with Pompeii, Stabiae and
Oplontis, in the eruption of Mount
Vesuvius beginning on August 24, 79
AD, which buried them in superheated
pyroclastic material that has
solidified into volcanic tuff. Since
the discovery of bones in 1981, some
150 skeletons have been found.
Herculaneum was a smaller town with
a wealthier population than Pompeii
at the time of its destruction.
After the eruption of Mount Vesuvius
in 79 AD, the town of Herculaneum
was buried under approximately 20
meters (50-60 feet) of lava, mud and
ash. It lay hidden and nearly intact
for more than 1600 years until it
was accidentally discovered by some
workers digging a well in 1709. From
there, the excavation process began
but is still incomplete. |
