Naples Part 2 - Ancient Herculaneum

(Mount Vesuvius)

Our back to back Naples excursions were the only reason we rode the elevator this day! We returned to the ship at 12:15 and had to be ready to meet our next group at 1:00. Shew! Vacation was wearing us out! We quickly hopped in the elevator to ride to deck 10 for lunch. After lunch we made a quick stop in our room before we were off again. In case you're wondering, this is still the first week of our cruise.


We had a wonderful guide to Ancient Herculaneum. Fiorella was very into the history of this great place. I think she may also have been a distant cousin - she was our first Italian guide who talked with her hands as much as I do!

(Roman bath house)

While Pompeii was being buried by the hot ash of Vesuvius, Herculaneum was buried by hot mud. It was then quickly cooled by rain. It remained buried until excavations began in 1738.


Pompeii was an inland town, but in A.D. 79 Herculaneum was a seaside village. A succession of six flows and surges from Vesuvius buried the city's buildings from the bottom up, causing them little damage and preserving almost intact structures, objects and victims. The precise location of Herculaneum had been lost in antiquity - the outflow from Vesuvius had completely engulfed the town and reshaped the surrounding coastline.


In 1982 a remarkable discovery contradicted earlier claims that the eruption caused few casualties in the town. In stone boathouses (pictured below), which lined the ancient shoreline, excavators unearthed dozens of skeletons struck down where they lay, sheltering from the onslaught of ashes, mud and rock.


Only a section (that nearest the waterfront) of Herculaneum has been fully excavated so far. Because of the manner of its burial and the fact that it lies beneath a populated area, the exact size of Herculaneum is still unknown, but it appears to extend over an area roughly 320m by 350m. The section excavated to date is in the southwest corner of Herculaneum and covers about a quarter of the city. Fiorella pointed to the yellow building on top of the hill pictured and said, "I want to buy that house, tear it down and dig until I find more ruins!"


One of the most amazing things that remains is wood trim. Because of the way Herculaneum was buried, the wood trim did not burn and it remains today.


This is the College of the Augustales. The Augustales were freedmen who had become successful local businessmen. They were the dignitaries of the imperial cult of Augustus.


Our tour took us through a Roman bathhouse. Fiorella also pointed out local dining spots ~ ancient "fast food" joints, if you will. People would not take the time to go home for lunch, so they would gather at these places.


While we were still in the ruins a light rain started falling. By the time we walked out of Herculaneum it was pouring! Rain was coming down so fast it was pouring off my face. After two very warm excursions, this was a nice reprieve from the heat. We climbed aboard our bus and headed back to the Carnival Magic... in Naples traffic!