Left behind following the eruption we're the buried but preserved structures, clothing, tools and food of the people of Herculaneum. As it stood Herculaneum was turned into a time capsule able to give us copious insights into ancient roman life.  

​

The city was rediscovered in 1709 during the digging of a well with official excavations beginning in the 1730s. Since then large portions of structures and buildings have been unburied along with the artifacts they contained. Including apartments, villas, public baths, clothing, decorative pieces, furniture and food. The pyroclastic flow preserved the city in two ways, the first is by burying the city which protected it from further damage and looting, the second is the scorching of items at extreme temperatures curing them almost like pottery in a kiln. The city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, leading to it protection and continued excavation. 

​

Some of the most impressive finds during excavations have been the incredibly preserved wooden furniture, the detailed bath houses and the uneaten food left behind. The "flash curing" effect from the pyroclastic flow left food items nearly perfectly preserved, showcasing the diet of the people of Herculaneum as well as there stylistic choices and uses of wooden furniture. Also discovered amongst the villas were numerous scrolls, some of which have been partially translated giving us a greater understanding of the happenings of ancient roam. 

​

The 300 sets of remains found in the boat sheds weren't discovered until much later excavations and provided new insights and perspectives on the tragedy, until the remains were found it was believed that nearly all citizens were able to escape the discovery of these remains has taught us much about what the people of all of the impacted cities experienced. The people of Herculaneum were unable to escape eventually succumbed to the first round of pyroclastic flow to hit the city, experiencing an extreme surge of heat inside of the shelters where they hid. Their deaths would've been excruciating but also almost instant, from their skeletons we know that at time of death the pyroclastic flow was approximately 570 degrees Celsius. This darker side of the event was able to teach us much about what happens to people and things when exposed to volcanic events. 

​​

Current excavations are limited, as much of the preserved ruins are buried beneath the modern city of Ercolano, Campania. The ancient structures location underneath modern homes and lives makes it nearly impossible for archaeologist to uncover them, and the ability to explore them underneath the city is limited by their placement and fragility. 

​