Two thousand years ago, at the time of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, a small, lesser-known seaside town in the volcano’s vicinity called Herculaneum was one of many villages buried by ashes. The village was discovered in 1738, during the digging of a well, which is considered the beginning of modern archaeology. It is thought to have been the coastal resort town of wealthier Romans.
All these years later, excavations are still ongoing in the surrounding villages of Vesuvius. “Herculaneum, Pompeii, Oplontis—we are working on many projects,” Italian Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, said at the opening of the Herculaneum archaeological park, on 19 June.
After many years of digging and reconstruction, it is thought that the shore of Herculaneum was the fatal endpoint for over 300 people while awaiting rescue from a civil protection force led by the admiral and Roman scholar, Pliny the Elder in 79 AD. Interestingly, skeletal remains have shown that the majority of these individuals were men, whereas bodies of women, children and even animals have been traced in surrounding boat houses. Findings in recent years have also included a tomb containing a well-preserved man and a rare blue-painted shrine. In 2021, remnants of what’s thought to be a man in his forties, clutching a bag of possessions, were uncovered.
Restoration efforts at Herculaneum have worked towards reinstating the beach to give visitors an experience of what it would have been like before the eruption. “The visitors have to go down through a tunnel […] and it’s like we go back two thousand years, and then suddenly you have the beach,” Francesco Sirano, the director of Herculaneum Archaeological Park said at the opening. “If we look towards where the sea once was, we become modern explorers of the immense blanket of volcanic flow that covered the city in a few hours, almost sharing the sense of total annihilation.”
The restoration of this ancient beach provides a unique and moving experience for visitors, highlighting the magnanimity of the tragedy.
