Two-storey houses, carbonised wood and the Villa of the Papyri
Smaller and less famous than Pompeii, Herculaneum is for many visitors even more fascinating. In AD 79 the town was not covered by ash but by a pyroclastic flow of burning mud and gas, which solidified into a layer of rock up to twenty metres thick. This preserved what elsewhere was lost: upper floors, wooden beams, doors, furniture, beds and even food, all carbonised but recognisable.
The excavations, a UNESCO site together with Pompeii, reveal a rich seaside town with elegant houses such as the House of the Deer and the House of Neptune and Amphitrite with its splendid mosaic. On the ancient beach, in the boat sheds, were found the skeletons of about three hundred people who had tried in vain to escape by sea. The Villa of the Papyri, partly excavated, gave the only library to survive from antiquity, with charred scrolls that scientists are now reading with artificial intelligence.
Tip: two to three hours are enough; the site is compact and easier to visit than Pompeii. The MAV, a virtual archaeological museum nearby, reconstructs the town before the eruption.
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