This page simply reformats the Flickr public Atom feed for purposes of finding inspiration through random exploration. These images are not being copied or stored in any way by this website, nor are any links to them or any metadata about them. All images are © their owners unless otherwise specified.
This site is a busybee project and is supported by the generosity of viewers like you.
Italy
Campania
Herculaneum Archaeological Park
The main attraction of Herculaneum is the Roman ruins of Herculaneum . Like Pompeii, this flourishing coastal city was completely buried in 79 AD by a devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Unlike Pompeii, Herculaneum was not covered by ash and rubble, but by a layer of hot liquid pyroclastic material and mud approximately 20 meters thick. As a result, organic materials such as wooden furniture, roofs, food, and skeletons have remained exceptionally well preserved.
According to legend, Herculaneum was founded by Hercules, who was returning from one of his Twelve Labours. Historically, it was most likely founded by the Oscans, an Italic tribe of the 8th century BC, and later became part of both the Etruscan and Samnite dominions. Under the control of the Romans, the city was a renowned seaside resort where some of the richest Roman citizens spent their summer vacations. It was built according to the standard model of Hippodamus of Miletus with a grid of crossing Decumans and Cardos. The houses were elegant and large and there were public buildings that were abundant and large, compared to the small number of inhabitants (estimated to be 5,000).
On 5 February AD 62, the resort city suffered heavy damage from violent earthquakes. Restoration projects were still ongoing at that time and were cut short in AD 79, when Vesuvius violently erupted and completely buried the small city under thick layers of hot volcanic debris. Unlike neighboring Pompeii, which was buried under pumice and fine ash, the citizens of Herculaneum died of severe thermal shock from successions of superheated pyroclastic surges and lava flows.