Ercolano (Herculaneum)

Ercolano, the Italian name for the town of Herculaneum (named after Hercules) is a archeological site on the western slope of Vesuvius that was covered in mud and lava when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. On this day, we went to Ercolano, Vesuvius and ended the day with Pompeii. By the time we got to Pompeii, I was done. I had finally gotten my fill of classical ruins. BASTA, as they say in Italian. Someday, I'll go back to Pompeii, but on this day, I took a kids iPod and watched Glee. There I was in Pompeii, hiding in the ancient ruins watching an American television show. I'm not proud, but, I had to embrace what I wanted in that moment, and it wasn't looking at more Roman Empire era ruins. But, the following are pictures from Ercolano.

From the Circumvesuviana train, it's a nice six block walk to the entrance of the Ercolano excavation site.

You can see that the modern city of Ercolano is built right to the edge of the site and is directly in the shadow of a dormant Vesuvius.

Here I am standing at what was water's edge. Look how deep in mud and debris the city was buried. In the some of the excavations done at this point, bodies were found.

Like at Pompeii, some frescos survive. Here is one that is in the colonnade of what appears to have been a multistory home.

This is the courtyard of "The House of the Deer". It is right at waters edge. Herculaneum, as were many towns in this area around Vesuvius, were resort towns.

This villa is called "The House of the Deer" because of the statues found where deer are being attacked by dogs.

Throughout Ercolano, there are these bars with jugs. These were tabernas where citizens could get food and drink. In essence, ancient restaurants and fast food joints.

Here I am pretending to be an ancient purveyor of food and drink. I don't look the part do I?

No, it's not little feces, which is what I originally thought. But it's pumice.

The Romans had public water sources like this one. This tradition carries on into modern times as you find public sources of free flowing water throughout Italy.

One of the most stunning and famous locations at Ercolano is the "Sede degli Augustali", a building in which freed slaves worshiped the Emperor Augustus.

This fresco in the "Sede degli Augustali" shows Juno, Minerva and Hercules.

This is near the corner of where the Cardo Superior and Decumanus Superior meet, which is at the NE corner of the archeological site. I think it means that only one-quarter of what was the town of Ercolano has been unearthed. The rest sits under the modern town.

Shops on the ground floor, homes above. Building plans remain constant throughout time.

I believe this is what was essentially an industrial sized iron.

The impluvium (water catchment system) of a grand home.

I guess the Romans also had "McMansions" as well!