Pompeii and Herculaneum

by Theodor Krauss

Herculaneum was an ancient Roman town destroyed by volcanic pyroclastic flows AD 79 located in the territory of the current commune of Ercolano, in the Italian region of Campania in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius. It is most famous for having been lost, along with Pompeii, Stabiae and Oplontis in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius beginning on August 24 AD 79, which buried them in superheated pyroclastic material that has solidified into volcanic tuff. It also became famous as the source of the first Roman skeletal and physical remains available for study that were located by science, for the Romans almost universally burned their dead. Since the discovery of bones in 1981, some 300 skeletons have been found, most along the sea shore - the town itself having been effectively evacuated. Herculaneum was a smaller town with a wealthier population than Pompeii at the time of the destruction. The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. According to Theodor Kraus, "The root of the word Pompeii would appear to be the Oscan word for the number five, pompe, which suggests that either the community consisted of five hamlets or, perhaps, it was settled by a family group. Along with Herculaneum, its sister city, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning two days in 79 AD. The eruption buried Pompeii under 4 to 6 meters of ash and pumice, and it was lost for over 1,500 years before its accidental rediscovery in 1599. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire. Three sheets of sediment have been found on top of the lava that lies below the city and, mixed in with the sediment, archaeologists have found bits of animal bone, pottery shards and plants. The oldest layer has been dated to the 8th-6th centuries BC

Genres: Reference, Art

230 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1975

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book about the archaelogy of the area, it is a little dated though. I really enjoyed reading it.

[Barbara]

archaeology