Delve into the tragic final hours of Herculaneum, the wealthy Roman town buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Once thought to have escaped, over 300 victims were found centuries later, waiting for a rescue that never came. Discover how this extraordinary archaeological find sheds new light on ancient Roman life and the catastrophic event that sealed their fate.

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References 

Author Unknown (2024) "Herculaneum", Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Herculaneum

Author Unknown (2024) “Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata”, UNESCO World Heritage Convention. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/829/

Author Unknown (2024) Parco Archelogico di Ercolano. https://ercolano.cultura.gov.it/?lang=en

Bisel, C. (1991). The human skeletons of Herculaneum. International Journal of Anthropology, 6(1), 1–20. doi:10.1007/bf02447284

Bisel, S. C. (1987) Human Bones at Herculaneum, Rivista di studi pompeiani, I, 123-129.

Capasso, L. (2000). Herculaneum victims of the volcanic eruptions of Vesuvius in 79 AD. The Lancet, 356(9238), 1344–1346. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(00)02827-0

Martyn, R., et al. (2020). A re-evaluation of manner of death at Roman Herculaneum following the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius. Antiquity, 94(373), 76–91. doi:10.15184/aqy.2019.215

Martyn, R. E. V., Garnsey, P., Fattore, L., Petrone, P., Sperduti, A., Bondioli, L., & Craig, O. E. (2018). Capturing Roman dietary variability in the catastrophic death assemblage at Herculaneum. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 19, 1023–1029. doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.08.008

Petrone, P. (2019) The Herculaneum victims of the 79 AD Vesuvius eruption: a review, Journal of Anthropological Sciences, 97, 1-22. doi 10.4436/jass.97008