Frescoes preserved on the walls of buildings in the Roman city of Herculaneum that was partly destroyed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79


Herculaneum, located on the Bay of Naples, was a Roman town which was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. Like its neighbour Pompeii, the town was perfectly preserved by a metres-thick layer of volcanic ash which, in the case of Herculaneum, was then covered in a lava flow which turned to stone, preserving even organic remains. Multi-storeyed buildings, frescoes, papyri, and skeletal remains are just some of the excavated material which has helped archaeologists and historians piece together the daily life of a 1st-century CE Roman town. Herculaneum is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.


Size: 8256px × 5504px
Location: Herculaneum, Bay of Naples, Italy
Photo credit: © Barrie Harwood / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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