The City on the Edge of Forever

Modern day Ercolano hugs the remains of its more illustrious predecessor. A myriad of boutique shops and eateries are commonplace. Nonetheless, successful trade is seasonal. In the main. foreign tourists frequent the area in June and July. With the summer of 2014 banished as a distant memory, tourists were few and far between. Even the Virtual Museum of Ercolano was virtually abandoned. In fairness, however, it would not have appealed to every palette. The term museum was a misnomer. Within the interior lay an auditorium which projected a multimedia re-enactment of that fateful day in 79 AD. I consciously declined the efforts of the admissions office.

The streets of modern Ercolano

The Virtual Museum of Ercolano

Eventually I made it to the much promised gates. Whilst it had been a long time coming, this portal into a microcosmos of antiquity availed little of what lay beyond:

Entrance to the Archaeological site

Although spartan in substance and design, the gateway beckoned me in. My first glimpse of Herculaneum was a panoramic statement of intent:

Panorama

Although some structural damage was evident, many of the city's buildings had remained intact. 20 metres of mud had provided a formidable preservative.Timber and tiled roofs, so often confined to artistic reconstruction, were all here in abundance.

As it reached midday, I became cognisant of the oppressive heat. Whilst the UK suffered 75 mph winds courtesy of Gonzales, Southern Italy was basking in 75 degrees of heat. As is typical of my constitution, I began to sweat profusely. Thankfully there was a brief reprieve. I reached the ticketing office where the air conditioning was worth its weight in gold. I stood momentarily and cooled off. After parting with the entrance fee, I scanned an adjacent desk for some literature in English. Maps and guides were all available. However, my mother tongue was conspicuous by its absence. Slightly irritated by this revelation, I then had a turn of good fortune. A resident professor was about to give a guided tour in English. I didn't think twice. Parting with yet more money, I joined a half dozen fellow travellers.

Public thoroughfare on to site

From the outset, it was clear that our guide had left her bedside manner at home. She never introduced herself and had conducted this tour ad nauseum. It showed. Her voice very rarely gravitated from a monotone. Her preamble of the site was rushed, truncated and lifeless. In the hope that matters could only improve, we trundled down into the city.

Garden blessed with Lemon trees

In some respects Herculaneum's struggle did not end in 79 CE. Although a veritable mix of academics and artists marvelled at this monument to antiquity, property developers were transfixed by an entirely different mandate. The battle that ensued meant that by the 1920's Herculaneum's exposure was being supplanted by a modern city. Nevertheless, purported "progress" was soon arrested by the machinations of the Fascists. A tenet of their beliefs was that longevity is legitimacy. In order to legitimise their right to rule, Benito Mussolini's government enthusiastically preserved every Roman structure and edifice they could cast their gaze on. According to their dogma, Fascist Italy was the natural successor to Imperial Rome. The net result is that one quarter of Herculaneum has thus far been excavated.

In its heyday, Herculaneum boasted a population of 4000 people. They were by and large aristocratic- the gliterrati of their age.And it follows that they lived in sumptuous luxury where they would want for nothing. The housing was the finest money could buy, designed to entertain guests. Dining rooms accommodated social butterflies. Gardens, although compact by modern standards, were aesthetically appealing. Apart from a kaleidoscope of Mediterranean flowers, the soil nourished a collection of fruit trees. 

I was led to believe that the streets were so quiet that you could hear the proverbial pin drop. The city was devoid of domestic animals, beasts of burden and carts. However, as our dour guide made this revelation I found the exception to the rule. Standing by the one time laundrette, my foot buckled in a crevice. The indentation was the tell tale sign of a cart, which had once negotiated the streets. Two thousand years ago, the adage of " airing your dirty washing in public " was never more apposite. I for one am glad though that in the 20th century we have more palatable detergents. To remove stains, the Romans relied on either human or camel urine! Makes you smell like roses, I'm sure.

The Local laundrette

To the not unrelated topic of sanitation, I turn next. The Romans are famed for their use of teracotta pipes, drains, fountains and baths. Unsurprisingly, all of these amenities are found here. I should however add that even by the Roman period, these supposed technological advances were in fact quite ancient. 1,600 years earlier they were commonplace on the Minoan island of Crete.

Antique drainage

Admiring the view!?!

The citizens of Herculaneum were both highly superstitious and god fearing. A pantheon of deities have been found emblazoned on houses, baths and temples. Archaeologists are also of the opinion that both Judaism and Christianity were in vogue by the 1st Century.

Neptune- as depicted in the Men's baths

The gods Neptune and Amphitrite

When Vesuvius erupted, the majority of inhabitants scurried away for cover. A few more "spiritual" souls put their stock in beseeching a higher order. At the temple of Augustus, a sentry guard succumbed to the elements. Ever faithful to protecting the shrine in life, it became a fitting mausoleum in death.

Shrine to the Emperor Augustus

Plaque identifies the eponymous temple

But what of this poor man's peers? Who were they? With the shadow of death hanging over them, what could they do?

To discover the answers and much, much more tune in to the next episode....