Herculaneum

Ercolano

Italy · Campania

Ancient cityIntermittent excavationUNESCO · 1997
Approximate period400 BCE — 79 CERoman period See on the map ↓

In brief

Organic materials such as wood and papyrus were also preserved at Herculaneum, which was buried in the eruption of AD 79. The first tunnel excavations took place in 1709, and systematic excavations began in 1738.

What was found?

  • 1Scrolls of the Villa of the Papyri

    Carbonized papyrus scrolls were found in the villa; they include philosophical texts in Greek. The finds document the importance of Greek thought and private libraries in the Roman world.

  • 2Wooden furniture and building components

    Wooden elements such as furniture, doors, stairs, and partition walls have been preserved. These materials, which decay under normal conditions, allow the furnishings of houses and woodworking to be studied.

  • 3Human remains on the ancient shoreline

    Skeletons of people who died in the eruption were found along the former shoreline. Examination of these remains provides information about the health and living conditions of the city's inhabitants.

  • 4Wax writing tablets

    Some of the tablets contain legal documents. They allow commercial and social relationships in the city to be traced through individuals and transactions.

  • 5Central Baths

    The monumental and richly decorated bath complex is well preserved. It shows the arrangement of communal spaces in the Roman city.

What does it point to?

Herculaneum is one of the rare sites where wood, food, and written documents have been preserved alongside stone buildings. This variety allows domestic life, reading culture, and legal relationships to be studied together.

What did it teach us?

  1. It provided direct evidence of wooden objects and building components used in Roman houses.
  2. It documented that Greek philosophical texts were collected in a private library.
  3. It enabled research into the health and living conditions of ancient city inhabitants through human remains.

Images

Lyre and Mask Fresco from Herculaneum, 1st Century AD, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Nap
Undressing-Paradox · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Roman
First modern dig
1709
Coordinates
40.8060°, 14.3482°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. en.wikipedia.org
  3. Herculaneum Arkeoloji Parkı – Organik Buluntular
  4. Herculaneum Arkeoloji Parkı – Papirüsler Villası

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