By Penelope Fishburn
In 79 AD a great tragedy occurred. Two towns, preserved through the ages, and conjoined in the very tragedy that destroyed them. Pompeii and Herculaneum. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD coated both cities in volcanic ash and rock, preserving them in a frozen moment.
First, Herculaneum. Though less famous than its southern counterpart, Herculaneum is arguably more well preserved than Pompeii. The city, being closer than Vesuvius, was coated more in pyroclastic material (chunks of rock spewing from a volcanic eruption), and carbonized, preserving more organic matter like wood, food, and papyrus. Pompeii was covered in volcanic ash and pumice fragments, which failed to preserve wooden structures and human bodies. Archeologists can study these better in Herculaneum, as the carbonization process has preserved the objects.
It is said that Herculaneum was discovered by accident upon its original discovery in 1709. Stories say that residents were drilling a local well and just happened to stumble upon the lost city. In the subsequent years, treasure seekers and looters made their way through the city, taking many valuable and ancient objects. It wasn’t until 1738 that the city was formally excavated, and more excavations have continued on-and-off ever since. Now, the city is mostly still un-excavated, and archeologists tend to focus on learning more about the spaces we have already uncovered, rather than uncovering more of the ancient city.
Pompeii is much more well-known than Herculaneum. Its preservation left almost the entire city intact, and though the coating of volcanic ash and pumice coating the city failed to preserve wood and human remains, the rock solidified, leaving molds of what used to be there. Archaeologists can use these molds to reproduce ancient Roman objects and get a strong sense of what the city used to be like.
Pompeii was discovered in the late 1500s, and major excavations began in the mid-18th century. Sadly, the city has been subject to massive amounts of looting and destruction, leaving the city a decaying shell of what it once was. In the 1960s, excavations of the site were limited to specific areas to prevent more destruction of such a valuable historic site.
Beyond their discovery and preservations, Pompeii and Herculaneum have both a lot in common and a lot that sets them apart from each other, like their size, purposes, and modern fame.
Firstly, Herculaneum is considerably smaller and richer than Pompeii, with a population of around 5,000 to Pompeii’s 10-20,000. Herculaneum served as a seaside retreat for the wealthy and well-connected of Rome’s elite, boasting lavish marble villas and decadent decorations to cater to society’s highest standards. Pompeii, on the other hand, was more of a middle-class city, with businesspeople and public facilities. That’s not to say Pompeii didn’t have some lavish houses, but it wasn’t designed for them the way Herculaneum was. Pompeii is often used by archeologists to examine ancient urban planning projects and to attempt to discover what architects were doing thousands of years ago.
As previously mentioned, Herculaneum was designed to be a retreat, a sort of summer home for Rome’s rich. Much beautiful art found its home there including everything from gorgeous statuary to marble embellishments. The majority of the bodies in Herculaneum were found in structures referred to as ‘boat houses’ near the seaside and occupied by hundreds of skeletons. Again, much of Herculaneum is still undiscovered. Pompeii was the city of the average Roman. It was filled with everyday people, home to public facilities, forums, and homes for lots of people. All kinds of everyday objects can be found in the uncovered parts of the city, everything from horse harnesses to wine flasks to bronze lamps.
In the modern era, Herculaneum has mostly faded within the public consciousness, whereas Pompeii has remained as a popular tourist destination. I believe that this is due to Pompeii’s more discovered remains and its less hidden state. Herculaneum is tucked away from visible sight, and though still visited, it is less popular. When the topic of Vesuvius is learned in school, Herculaneum is overlooked in favor of its more famous relative.
In all, the cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii are hidden wonders of the ancient world, home to all manner of wonderful art, history, and culture. They provide an excellent resource for scientists and hobbyists alike in the study of ancient Rome, and parallel each other in many ways, reflecting upon multiple points of Roman life.
