People walk down a street between buildings in the Roman city of Herculaneum, partially destroyed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79

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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.

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

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