NAPLES--
Naples is the third largest city in Italy, with a population of over 1.5 million. The Bay of Naples is Italy's second most important seaport, surpassed only by Genoa. When Doug and I visited Naples two years ago, the day was pouring rain when we departed for the Isle of Capri, Sorrento and Pompeii, so we enjoyed being out on the top deck of the ship before we departed on our ship excursion. Laura and George had already left on their excursion to Pompeii (and so had the rest of the ship)!
Doug looking out across the shipyard with Mt. Vesuvius in the background.
A row of tugboats in the harbor
Close-up of Castle Nuovo ("New Castle")--a medieval castle in the city of Naples--completed in 1282--now houses a museum.
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CAMEO FACTORY--
Our shore excursion that we booked through Celebrity began with a trip to the cameo factory, which was short but very interesting. Traditionally, cameos are carved from hard stones like agate or sea shells that have different colored layers.
The design is then intricately carved through the layers using sharp and fine tools.
Greecian characters, mostly women, make up the face of a cameo.
These whole shells have been carved with various designs so that when the lamp is turned on you can see more clearly the art design cut the through the thin layers.
After our stop at the Cameo Factory, we boarded the bus for our tour of Herculaneum. The bougainvillea was still in bloom the end of October.
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HERCULANEUM--
Herculaneum was first settled by the Greeks and named after Hercules. The city was buried by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, but in a different way than Pompeii. Volcanic material and gases traveled down the volcano and hit the ancient city at high speeds and at very high temperatures. The city was covered by meters of volcanic material and this sealed and preserved it so that even organic materials survived. Only eight city blocks have been excavated because a modern city, Ercolano, is now situated on top of the old city's grave.
Herculaneum was originally discovered when a well was being dug in the early 18th century at a depth of 50-60 feet below the modern surface.
Model of the amphitheater in Herculaneum
Overview of eight city blocks of Herculaneum
Excavations in the 1980s along the former waterfront have uncovered approximately 300 skeletons huddled together in cavelike openings in buildings used to store fishing boats. Apparently, the victims were overcome by the hot lava flows after running to the beach seeking refuge. This area is named "The Sacred Area" and is closed to the general public. If you look in the second to the left opening, you can see an archeologist with a yellow cap working amongst the skeletons.
This "Ring Lady," as she is called, died on the beach. She was a tall, wealthy 45-year-old woman. The anthropologist who studied her bones found that she was a healthy woman. She has become known for her beautiful gold jewelry; she wore two rings and carried two weighty snakehead bracelets and two earrings.
Our excellent Italian guide! There weren't many tourists at Herculaneum (most go to Pompeii the first time while in Naples), but I'm so grateful that we were able to see both! Actually the mosaics and buildings are much better preserved than in Pompeii.
The ancient city of Herculaneum in the forefront with the modern city in the background on higher ground, and then the outline of Mt. Vesuvius in the farthest background.
These were the buildings along the waterfront at the time of 79 AD.
Herculaneum was a seaside vacation town for rich Romans from the region with its fine views of and easy access to the sea. Pompeii, on the other hand, was a commercial town and the center of an important wine-producing district.
The metal bridge on the left that we crossed to enter the city.
Entrance to the metal bridge
Cobble-stoned street in Herculaneum
Drainage system along streets
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House of the Mosaic Atrium (#1). A mosaic of patterned rectangles surrounds the atrium.
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House of the Bronze Herm (#2 on building)--Original iron grills and carbonized wood in windows (even though they look replaced).
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House of Opus Craticium (#3)--This type of construction is a wooden skeleton of square frames that is then filled in with stones and thinly plastered. The timber was carbonized because of the extreme heat of the magma.
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House of the Wooden Partition (#5)--Named after the sliding wooden doors that separate the atrium from the next room.
Frescos on walls with a carbonized wooden bed shown in the bottom of the picture.
Atrium--If you could see closer, the atrium is lined with terra cotta flashing, and the downspouts are in the form of dogs' heads.
Mosaic tile floor
Beautifully intact frescoes
Carbonized partition--The doors are black because they are the original wood and were carbonized by the surge of molten lava that whipped through before burying them in the flow. These doors actually still slide on the original bronze tracks.
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Men's and Women's Central Baths(#6)--
Women's apodyterium (changing room) with Triton floor mosaic
Tour group sitting in courtyard that separated Men's and Women's baths while listening to our guide.
Men's section of the Central Baths. This mosaic on the bottom of the pool is Triton, son of Neptune.
Women's hot bath--
The ridges in the curved ceiling were for condensation to flow down and not drip on the patrons.
Original bench in women's section
This Labrum held a splash basin in the Caldarium (Hot Room) of central baths
Intricate floor mosaic in baths
Men's cold bath with storage shelves 
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House of Neptune and Amphritrete (#7)--
A wine shop (complete with stored clay containers)...
... and cereal shop fronted the house on the street.
The owner of the shop and the house were the same person. On the top of the carbonized wooden latticed grill are more wine containers.
In the back of the store was a house that included a summer dining room with a superbly intact wall mosaic of Neptune and Amphitrite (my pictures don't do especially the colors justice)...
...and a totally mosaic covered fountain with one side decorated with dogs chasing deer and peacocks, the legs covered with flower mosaics and the top decorated with theatrical masks. There a niche in the fountain that probably had a statue in it. Even the sides of the fountain are covered with mosaics. That such glorious objects of art were found in the house says something about Roman standards of living at that time.
Lead pipes in the floor of the houses for drinking water. Human skeletons found in Herculaneum contained high amounts of lead--no wonder!
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House of the Black Salon or Hall (#9)--This house was owned by one of the wealthiest citizens, evident by rooms painted dark colors (black, red, blue). These colors were extremely expensive.
Our guide showing us the columns...
...that are typically Roman--constructed of red brick and covered with hard plaster.
Peristyle houses were built around a square courtyard, which was open to the sky for light and rain to come in. In the center was a pool of rainwater. The windows and balconies faced the courtyard.
A well opening where the rope has pulled up a container full of water over the years and formed grooves in the stone.
More intact frescoes.
And some little brick alcove in the adjacent room.
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Decumanus Maximus--This wide main street (approximately 40 feet wide) also served as the forum, and meant for pedestrians only, as carts, wagons and chariots were banned. The left side of the street was lined with shops and the right side with public buildings.
More carbonized timbers in a roof and doorway
A public water source
Carbonized furniture with new plexiglass covering
Metal box encasing carbonized rope
You can barely see this fresco on this store front, but it lists wine prices...
...2 (II) Asses (the standard cheap unit of measurement, here the 2-Buck-Chuck equivalent) to to 4 (IIII asses) - the same price you could buy a decent loaf of bread.
Termopolium--the McDonald's (fast food joint) of Herculaneum. These were plentiful at Pompeii also.
Upper Stories of Apartment Blocks (House of the Bicentenary)--This building still has the upper stories!!
Another water basin
Bakery--The baker's oven is the igloo-shaped object in the foreground, and the stone mill is the object in the background. A pole was inserted through the hole of the mill and two people turned the mill grinding the grain into flour. The modern floor grate has been added to help drain water from the site.
Building with a second story--unlike Pompeii that has no second-story buildings. Herculaneum has some buildings that survived with up to three floors in height.
Portico to the old waterfront
House of the Deer (Peristyle house)
This was a big house that looked out onto the sea.
Geometric shaped mosaic floor tile
The Deer House was named for the statue (on the lower right) of the deer being pursued and attacked by hunting dogs.
Two paintings of food on the frescoed walls
Mosaic in House of the Deer with carbonized wood ceiling beams
The next three pictures are explaining how the American philanthropic foundation--The Packard Humanities Institute--has been working since 2001 to reduce decay at the archeological site, and to offer solutions for its long-term care. Herculaneum is suffering from exposure to elements and periodic earth tremors, so there is a constant battle to try and preserve the remains.
Pictured below are three artifacts (out of countless others) that survived: a wooden container, a loaf of bread and a ship's prow.
Unfortunately, there was a period when it was not possible to look after the site properly, and by the year 2000 two-thirds of Herculaneum were closed to visitors because it was decaying and no longer safe for visitors.
Well, my dream of visiting Pompeii was realized two years ago. I was completely satisfied with that, but now to have visited Herculaneum also...! I feel so grateful to have, in a way, gone back in time to see the vivid picture of society and daily life at a specific moment in the past that is without parallel anywhere in the world.
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Tomorrow, we continue our exciting journey and visit ROME!!!
1 comment:
I can see that we are definitely going to need to go back so that we can visit Herculaneum ourselves. These pictures were fantastic! Also, we need to visit the museum there to see all they have put in their from Pompeii and Herculaneum. These pictures all just make me want to go and do it all again!
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