National Geographic: In the Shadow of Vesuvius Page #2

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Eight miles northwest of Pompeii

is the modern-day town of Ercolano.

It is built atop a buried ancient town

Herculaneum,

which was silenced in the same

eruption as Pompeii.

The earliest part of Herculaneum

to be discovered

still remains hidden underground

because occupied homes and

stores lie above it.

All traces of Herculaneum

had been lost until 1709.

Even writings about the once elegant

town had disappeared or been destroyed

The rebirth of Herculaneum

began with its accidental discovery

by a well digger.

Searching for water, he struck instead

what turned out to be a Roman theater.

Later, excavators knew they

had found ancient Herculaneum

when they uncovered marble inscribed

with its name in Latin.

In one of the dark tunnels a haunting

image from the past

an impression left in

the volcanic debris

by a statue toppled from its pedestal.

Magnificent treasures were uncovered,

and when word of them spread,

the ruling nobility of Naples

recklessly looted the theater.

Tunnels were ordered dug and searched.

And a massive hole was cut to

haul out the exquisite marble

and priceless bronze statues.

Then, except for sporadic digging,

Herculaneum was all

but forgotten once again.

More than 100 years later

excavating begins in earnest

when the Fascist government allocates

large sums to preserve Roman antiquities.

Ton after ton of volcanic debris

is hauled away.

Only then does the ancient town

begin to emerge.

Pompeii had been relatively

easy to excavate;

yet here at Herculaneum

workers struggle through 40 to 60 feet

of material as hard as cement.

Why this difference? Scientists puzzle

Why was Pompeii covered

by gravel and ash

and Herculaneum

by a rock-solid deposit

when the two towns were buried

in the same eruption?

Unlike the commercial center

of Pompeii,

Herculaneum was a residential

and resort town.

Built on a low bluff

overlooking the sea,

it housed between four and

five thousand wealthy retired citizens

artisans, and fishermen.

The most notable gathering places

in Herculaneum were the bath houses.

Heated by fires and tended by slaves,

the baths drew residents almost daily.

With separate sections

for women and men,

the baths were a place to relax,

socialize, and conduct business.

Now, bases on record from the past,

with the help of an artist's hand,

Herculaneum is magically recaptured

as it was in the glorious days

of the Roman Empire.

They left us image magnificently cast

in bronze,

but where were the people themselves?

Few human remains had ever been found,

and scholars concluded that surely

the people of Herculaneum

had successfully escaped.

The extraordinary number

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