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ERCOLANO
According to the legend,
Herculaneum was founded right on the sea
some 3000 years ago by Hercules on the southern slope of Mount
Vesuvius, while he was coming back from Spain where he made
one of his effort.
Probably, historically speaking, Ercolano was founded by Oscan
(an italic people) in VIII century and later passed under
both thew Etruscan and Samnite dominions.
As Pompeii
under the Romans was know as an
appreaciated seaside resort.
Ercolano too was destroyed by Vesuvius on 79 a.D.
but while Pompeii was buried
by ashes, Erculaneum was drowned by piroclastic fluxes that
sealed the old town under more than 20 metres of mud which
dried as hard as the rock. All the citizens of Herculaneum
were suffocated to death by poisonous fumes.
Ercolano was the first site to be found in the early XVIIIth
century by Prince d'Elboeuf while his men
were digging a deep well on his land and ended on the stage
of the ancient theatre.
Differences and peculiarities of Ercolano respect to Pompeii,
make it as important and unique at the same time.
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ERCOLANO
Archaeological Site
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