The Herculaneum and Oplontis Ruins Reveal the Complete Story of Pompeii
What is It - The catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD was a significant disaster for the Roman empire and tested the leadership of new emperor Titus. Although a major earthquake had taken place in the Campania region in 62 AD, no one expected the volcano to erupt, blanket the surrounding area with ash and rock, and kill at least 3,000 people. Pompeii along with several coastal villages were wiped off the map and never rebuilt, and an estimated 20,000 people relocated to other communities in the region.
The ruined towns were forgotten until local people building roads and digging wells began to encounter buried objects in the 1500s. Planned exploration of the ruins was ordered by the Spanish King of Naples in 1748 and selective digging continued intermittently over the next two hundred years. Today, the buildings and artifacts uncovered at Pompeii fascinate historians and attract 2.5 million visitors annually. The ruins at this World Heritage Site include a coliseum, gymnasium, theaters, carefully engineered Roman roads, mansions, public baths, hundreds of shops and houses, and brothels. They provide a time capsule into Roman life during the height of the empire.
Visiting Pompeii is an exciting experience especially with the still active volcano towering over the main street and visible around the entire Bay of Naples. However, savvy travelers seeking additional insight into ancient Rome and the destruction caused by Vesuvius’ eruption should also consider visiting the ruins at the former seaside village of Herculaneum or the excavated Villa of Poppaea Sabina at Oplontis.
Herculaneum was a coastal community with docks, warehouses and boats that also served as a comfortable seaside retreat for wealthy Romans seeking to escape city life during the summer heat or times of civil unrest. Nearby Oplontis was mostly an agricultural community but also was a popular location for the aristocracy to build villas on the water such as the Villa of Poppaea. This 100-room mansion is believed to have been owned at one time by the Roman orator and philosopher Cicero and was being renovated by the family of Poppaea Sabina, the deceased second wife of emperor Nero, at the time of the eruption.
The two locations suffered different but equally devastating fates from the eruption. Oplontis, located to the south of the volcano like Pompeii, was hit directly by ejecta from the explosions which blew off the top of the mountain. The volcano rained down huge boulders and heavy ash on residents of the two areas which destroyed the roofs and walls of many structures there. In contrast, Herculaneum, located west of the volcano, was struck by an explosive wave of superheated vapor and ash caused by the eruption. This pyroclastic flow came down the mountain and across the land covering Herculaneum with sixty-five feet of ash. According to one account, it also skimmed across the water into the Bay of Naples destroying rescue vessels sent out from the nearby Cumae. Meanwhile, earthquakes from the eruption also likely caused tsunamis on the Bay of Naples further trapping thousands of inland residents seeking to escape by sea.
Notable Sites - There are interesting places to see at both sites. Here are a few:
Herculaneum Wharf - Prior to the eruption and before centuries of coastal accretion, the town of Herculaneum was located right on the water and the shore was filled with warehouses used to shelter goods and boats. As the eruption grew in intensity, hundreds of residents attempted to flee from the fumes and ash in these spaces, but later died from the heat of the pyroclastic flow. Archeologists unearthed three hundred skeletons there forty years ago along with their possessions. Dozens of skeletons remain on display there today as a ghostly reminder of the horror of that day.
Frescoes of Herculaneum and Oplontis - The intact frescoes on the walls and floors of the villas at Herculaneum and Oplontis are stunning to behold. Brightly colored scenes depicting natural settings, objects, warriors, animals, and family members are common themes. Some frescoes create the visual illusion of windows or doors, while others show Roman gods frolicking with mortals or guests enjoying parties.
Villa of Papyri Library at Herculaneum – Small portions of this multi-story mansion, which once extended for an estimated eight hundred feet near the shore of Herculaneum, have been open to the public sporadically since 2004. It is an interesting place to see because of the wall frescoes, marble and mosaic floors, bronze and marble sculptures, and unusual objects discovered there. Most important, the villa contained a huge library with 1800 papyrus rolls of ancient books and records. Although carbonized by the heat of the eruption and damaged by treasure hunters over the centuries, a few of them have been partially restored through painstaking analysis by a team at the Archeology Museum of Naples. Some statues and mosaics from both sites were relocated to the Naples Museum for preservation and replaced with reproductions.
Courtyards of the Villa Poppaea at Oplontis - One way to appreciate the size of the Villa Poppaea is to look down into the excavated site from the modern street above. Another way is to walk underneath the covered porticos that surrounds the majestic courtyards of the property. One can picture elegant gatherings taking place there alongside the elaborate gardens, fountains and statues 1950 years ago. The villa also contains the remnants of a pool more than two hundred feet in length which some scholars believe was designed with an infinity view of the water.
House of the Stags at Herculaneum – One popular house at Herculaneum is the House of the Deer. This villa overlooks the water and belonged to a wealthy merchant family. It is known for its garden statues including two graphic ones depicting a stag being attacked by a pack of hounds.
Interesting Facts - In the 1970s, J. Paul Getty built a replica of the Villa Poppaea in Malibu, California and then filled it with thousands of Roman and Greek antiquities and replicas. The Getty Villa Museum has been open to the public for decades without an admission charge.
How to Get Here - Both Herculaneum and Oplontis are located on the east side of the Bay of Naples about ten miles from the city and about twenty miles from Sorrento. Today, they are in the middle of commercial districts with little else to see in the immediate vicinity. Fortunately, the comfortable Circumvesuviana train which runs around the eastern half of the Bay of Naples has stops which serve the two ruins. If possible, it is best to use a private guide to visit these sites along with Pompeii so that you spend time seeing things which interest you the most.
When to Go – One benefit of visiting these other two ruins is there is considerable shade at both places and less walking to do than at Pompeii. This can be useful from June through September when temperatures routinely exceed 80 degrees and rain is infrequent in the region. The fall and spring are the most comfortable times for sightseeing, while the winter months still provide offer temperatures above 50 degrees.
Cost - The tourist district that administers the ruins sometimes offers a ticket that covers a group of volcano ruins including Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Oplontis. Individual general admission tickets to Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Oplontis cost about $20 to $25 per adult but there are ticket packages sold by tourism companies that include reserved entry times, group tours and private tours.
