The Ruins of Herculaneum

Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Sorrento, Italy

The Ruins of Herculaneum.

Mt. Vesuvius - The Destroyer

It's impossible to do a google search of Mt. Vesuvius without seeing links to Pompeii.  But obviously, the eruption was so big, that other cities were destroyed right?  Correct!  So, what is the big deal about Pompeii?  Well, two words, maybe three: preservation, and dead people.  All the mud and ash that flew out of Mt. Vesuvius covered the nearby cities, preserving everything in its place just as if a photograph was being taken.  In the case of Pompeii, the original excavators, when digging, realized that the cavities in the mud they were digging out of, were in fact the remains of humans frozen into position, so they filled the cavities with plaster, dug around them, and made plaster statues of the people in their final positions.  It's both morbid and really cool.

Herculaneum Panorama

So, what's the deal with Herculaneum?  There are no bodies here.  If there were, they were all taken out and moved to the museum in Naples.  In a way, this unfortunately makes this the place where people go if they have already seen Pompeii.  I'm here to tell you that it shouldn't be this way.  After seeing both places, I prefer Herculaneum, not only because it was named after Hercules, but also because it's smaller, and better preserved in my opinion.  In other words...ruins are cool in all, but after a certain point you feel like you've seen it all, and here you get done quicker.

"But, I want to see dead people!"

News flash, even the bodies in Pompeii have now been moved to the museum in Naples, so you will be comparing ruins with ruins.  So, since there are relatively few bodies left to look at in Pompeii, I suggest you visit Herculaneum instead, IF you have to choose between the two.  Or, you know what?  Why don't you just go to the museum in Naples?

Anyway, here are my pictures from that day.
 

Crossing the bridge into the city and looking left.

Looking right.  You can see how much they dug to uncover this place.

 Let's start with all the outdoor shots.

Let's start with the picture that proves I went here!

It looks surprisingly modern (by current Greek standards)

Ancient Door, modern man.

Evidence of sliding door technology.

Well, this is ancient.  Well.  I mean, it's a well.

The deadly mud really filled in every crevasse.

My favorite shot.  It gives me the feeling that I could have lived here.

The old and the new.  New in back, old in middle, and plants that are new.

Here are a few preserved signs.

It's all Greek to me.  :-P  Kalimera!

Apothecary/Apteka/Pharmacy/Farmacia/Drugs

And lastly, the indoors.

The room that is on the way to the more awesome room.

The Indiana Jones room.  Does anyone have a staff with a jewel on one end?

It's an incredible thing to find frescoes with so much color preserved.

Ancient, your guess is as good as mine.

Release the Kraken!  But seriously, mosaics are a really big thing, and to find them in such good condition is incredible.

Every ancient culture has an obsession with pot.

The best for last.  This was a buffet line.  Totally being serious!

Panorama taken on the way out

So, as you can see by the level of the buildings in the back, that this place was completely buried and preserved.  That's why I'd like to end my Herculaneum section with this picture.  Not only does it encapsulate the entire place, but it shows you it's many levels.

One last look before I leave

Tour Excursion Notes
Description:
Discover life as it existed just prior to the monumental eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. during this scenic and memorable visit to the ruins Herculaneum.

After tendering ashore, board the local shuttle to the uptown meeting point where your coach will be waiting.  A drive of approximately 1.5 hours takes you to the excavated town of Herculaneum.  En route, you may be able to catch a glimpse of Mount Vesuvius.

Herculaneum
Upon arrival, commence your guided walking tour of the excavations.  The ancient city was entombed by a flood of mud, leaving the city intact and free-standing, with marble floors, mosaics, paintings and carbonized woods in excellent condition once unearthed.  Explore the quiet streets of this city as you learn about what life was like for its residents.  See the wine merchant's store with its amphorae still lined up for sale, the bakery and the town's many beautiful homes.  Herculaneum provides a vivid impression of life during the 1st century.

Leaving Herculaneum, re-board the coach for the two-hour return drive to the pier.  (Wait, 1.5 hours there, two hours back?  This is funny to read now because it means that they knew about the crazy amount of traffic we were going to sit through that day.  In fact, I'm pretty sure that I remember it taking two and a half hours to get back to the ship!)

Here I leave you with some nice shots of the coast of Sorrento taken from the tender on the way back to the ship.

Sorrento Coast

Sorrento Panorama

Next time:  My first time in Croatia!  Getting closer to my Serbian roots.  One more step taken on my quest to eventually reach my ancestral homeland.