Herculanuem

We visited Herculaneum today. We were approached by a woman who introduced herself as an archaeologist working on the site and asked if we would like a tour with her. Conchetta (Connie) was fantastic. The depth of knowledge added so much to the experience. She took us underground to an excavated pool, pointed out restoration efforts, showed us areas where items had been removed and so on. We loved every minute of it. Connie was really engaging and obviously enjoyed  presenting her work, and as a result she really passed on her enthusiasm to us.

When Mt Vesuvius erupted it threw out a gigantic cloud of volcanic ash 30 km into the sky. Herculaneum was also impact by earthquakes. Hot ash and gas rolled down the slope of the volcano burying Herculanuem underground, in some places as deep as 23 metres. Over time Herculaneum was looted with many pieces of marble and bronze statues taken.

The hot room - caldarium

There is.a large marble bath for users to have a hot bath and then a podium for cold or tepid water. The walls contain smoke and heat vents. There are marble benches alongside the bath. Ceilings and wall were stucco.

The central baths - apodyterium

​Black and white mosaic tiles on the floor in the changing room or apodyterium of the women's central baths depict Triton, the son of Neptune surrounded by marine creatures including an octopus, leaping dolphins, polyps and eels. The baths have recessed seating and a shelf around the edges for clothing and small items. Walls were stucco.


​See a plan of Herculaneum.

See more photos of Herculanuem.