With his recent cataract surgery and other eye issues, Mike had problems managing the uneven stone walkways in Pompeii. So he decided to hold back on this trek. He, Giuseppe, and a few more tour drivers sat on a bench by the juice stand and chatted while I explored. Mike no-speak-a-da Italian and only G spoke English, but the conversation somehow was understood. They talked about smoking, politics, graffiti art.... Mike said he had a great time hanging with da guys.
The name Herculaneum indicates the town was founded by Greeks in the 7th or 6th century BC. (Romans did not control the area until 89 BC.) Heracles was a Greek hero, the son of Zeus (mythological ruler of Olympian gods), and is known for his strength and adventures. There is also a Roman Hercules, but it appears he was adapted for Roman literature from the Greek guy.
In 1709, while digging a deep well, statues were discovered in an area that later proved to be Herc's theatre. A French prince bought the property, explored out from the bottom of the well, and absconded with statues found there. After that, investigation came to a halt until 1738 when the same Spanish engineer who lead digging in Pompeii began work here.
There are a few differences between the two towns. I think the biggest is that Pompeii appears today to be on the same landscape level as its surroundings; whereas, Herculaneum lies in a deep dug out "pit" area. It was covered by 50-60 feet (20 meters) of debris. Steep vertical walls surround the site. Modern life appears along the top of the pit. Hard to explain, but this pix might help. Note the modern houses and tree line much higher than Herc.
Also, Pompeii was an everyday "working" town, while Herculaneum was wealthier, a resort for those that could spend time and money on a fancy lifestyle or holiday. It also had a smaller footprint and smaller population of 4,000-5,000.
The materials that covered the two towns was also different. Pomp was covered mostly by burning ash, so more was destroyed. Herc was covered with ash as well as material call pyroclastic. This encased and preserved organic-based materials such as wood, roofs, beds, food, rolled papyrus. Other details were preserved such as clothes press, washing tools, copper pipes, and some 300 recently-found intact skeletons of folks fleeing to the then bordering seashore.
So, here are plenty of pix starting with the walk between the parking lot and the site. Our first look was from a long viewing area overlooking the uncovered city below us and the steep vertical wall surrounding it. Check the size of the people in blue, kind of right of center and trees above.
To the left see the bridge taking us from the overlook across the gap between wall and city.
Over the bridge, then a long slope down to "street level."
We saw much of the same type of things as Pomp, but more decorated and rich looking...buildings, covered promenades, and columns (some not solid, but made with interior bricks). Hotels, indoor pools and baths, and restaurants were also identified.
Elegant and delicate wall decor.
Kitchens--stoves and oven.
Marble stack for heating, maybe.
Street signs and dedicated drainage.
Greenery--an apple tree--was interspersed (obviously not from BC times), but made it look more realistic to how the original might have appeared.
And the most spectacular College of the Augustales.
At the end of this tour, we saw the boat stalls (at bottom) once bordering the sea
(shot taken from the overlook). This was the only spot you saw actual preserved skeletal bones, many in each stall. They did not seem as ominous as the casted shapes we saw in Pompeii.
On the other side of the gray walking ramp was this very tall wall. To get back to the top we had to cross a short bridge and climb many steps. Sorry, no elevator!! An option was to walk up the original slope, but that was on the other side of town.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herculaneum
Both Pompeii and Herculaneum are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
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