A glimpse of the magnificence that was Herculaneum.
The Unique Heritage of Herculaneum
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Due to the direction of the winds on the first day of the eruption, Pompeii was more severely affected. Many of the roofs collapsed under the weight of the falling ash and pumice stone, crushing all those who had tried to take refuge indoors and destroying most of the contents of the homes.
In the case of Herculaneum, the incandescent gas that killed the inhabitants evaporated rapidly and the heavy blanket of semi-liquid lava that covered the city carbonised, preserving many items of organic matter.
A particularly precious find was the collection of 1,800 scrolls found in the library of the palatial residence known as the Villa of the Papyri, which belonged to Julius Caesar’s father-in-law, Lucius Calpurnius Pisone.
The scrolls were preserved because they had been sealed off in a totally dry environment under 30 metres of solidified volcanic mud. Unfortunately, our guide told us, many of the manuscripts were so fragile that they crumbled into dust when they were touched.
Those that have survived are in the highly specialised restoration laboratory in the Archeological Museum of Naples. For security reasons, the Villa dei Papiri is not open to the public.
A glimpse of the magnificence that was Herculaneum.