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The town was entirely buried by a
sea of mud which preserved it for
centuries, even the wooden
structures. Important excavations
led in 1980’ shew to the world the
big tragedy. During the walking tour
you can visit the most important
buildings. Interesting to notice the
differences with Pompeii.
Herculaneum is most famous for
having been lost, along with
Pompeii, Stabiae and Oplontis, in
the eruption of Mount Vesuvius
beginning on August 24, 79 AD, which
buried them in superheated
pyroclastic material that has
solidified into volcanic tuff. Since
the discovery of bones in 1981, some
150 skeletons have been found.
Herculaneum was a smaller town with
a wealthier population than Pompeii
at the time of its destruction.
After the eruption of Mount
Vesuvius in 79 AD, the town of
Herculaneum was buried under
approximately 20 meters (50-60 feet)
of mud and ash. It lay hidden and
nearly intact for more than 1600
years until it was accidentally
discovered by some workers digging a
well in 1709. From there, the
excavation process began but is
still incomplete. |
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