L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano T h e d a y c o m - menced like any o t h e r i n t h e c o a s t a l R o m a n t o w n s t h a t hugged the Bay of Naples. Another hot August morning was underway as townspeo- p l e i n P o m p e i i , H e r c u l a - n e u m , a n d o t h e r s m a l l e r communities began to gather in public places as they ate, bathed, and discussed cur- rent events. No one could have ever imagined how vio- lently their lives were about t o c h a n g e a s t h e n e a r b y sleeping giant known as Mt. Vesuvius readied for a cata- clysmic end to its slumber. Life came to a grinding halt at approximately 1:00 pm that fateful day in 79 A D w h e n M t . V e s u v i u s awakened with a terrifying eruption. Seismic pressure had reached a critical point; molten rock and magma had n o w h e r e t o g o . C i t i z e n s gasped in unbelieving horror as they witnessed a sinister spiral of ash, pumice, and hot gasses spew skyward at the rate of one and a half tons every two seconds. Within minutes, a billowing column of debris had risen 10 miles and Pompeii was in its direct d o w n w i n d p a t h . P a n i c ensued as people bolted for safety, some trying to flee, o t h e r s s e e k i n g s h e l t e r inside. D a r k n e s s o v e r t o o k Pompeii as if the sun had been swallowed whole by the billowing plume of pumice, ash, and molten rocks that now rained down upon the town. Those who took refuge inside soon perished as roofs collapsed upon them, while others outside succumbed to the storm of falling objects. A s i s w e l l k n o w n o f t h e t r a g e d y h e r e , a s h s o o n buried the town. Since its discovery in the 18th century, the legacy, artifacts, and pre- served life-as-it-was of that fateful day in Pompeii have evolved to become one of the world's most visited archeo- logical sites. H e r c u l a n e u m , e v e n though three miles closer to Vesuvius, had the good for- t u n e t o b e u p w i n d o f t h e pyroclastic blast that day. Like an ancient Martha's Vineyard, this small city was the exclusive seaside getaway for the wealthiest of Romans. Opulent waterfront villas crowned the small port, glo- riously decorated and showy; it was the place to see and be seen for the upper class. But Vesuvius considered all with- i n h e r s h a d o w a s e q u a l s . Herculaneum's citizens felt the earth heave and shutter beneath them as the apoca- l y p t i c s c e n e p l a y e d o u t . Unable to comprehend, they w a t c h e d a s t h e v o l c a n i c cloud raced upward powered by thermal energy 100,000 t i m e s t h a t o f t h e a t o m i c bombs detonated in World War II. Surreal disbelief soon turned to terror; many were convinced to immediately flee the area. Approximately 12 hours a f t e r t h e i n i t i a l b l a s t , Vesuvius erupted again with an even greater fury. Massive amounts of debris spewed towards the heavens, meld- ing with the now 20-mile- h i g h c o l u m n . W e a k e n i n g under its own weight, the pyroclastic column began to collapse. Its hellish contents spilled towards the earth and down the sides of Vesuvius at speeds of 50 to 100 miles per hour on a direct path for Herculaneum. The pyroclas- tic flow of seething gas and molten rock was preceded by a h o r r i f i c b l a s t o f d e a d l y h e a t . F o r t h o s e w h o h a d r e m a i n e d , t h e i r f a t e w a s sealed. It was long thought that m o s t o f H e r c u l a n e u m ' s 5,000 citizens were able to escape. However, discoveries in 1982 of almost 300 skele- tons huddled pitifully within what were once boat houses yielded a tragic and contrary scene. It's now believed that more victims likely rest with- i n t h e v a s t u n e x c a v a t e d remains of the ancient town. A final eruption sealed Pompeii's fate, encasing the city under 17 feet of fallen ash and rock that obliterated roofs and second levels, as w e l l a s d e s t r o y e d m o s t o r g a n i c m a t e r i a l s . W h i l e much was preserved, includ- ing the haunting molds of p o o r s o u l s i n t h e i r l a s t moments, much was also lost. Herculaneum, however, suffered a markedly different burial. As the pyroclastic flow of mud engulfed the city and settled, a humid environ- ment allowed for the dense sediment to harden into a tufa rock layer 65 feet deep. Sealed in a tomb devoid of l i g h t a n d m o i s t u r e , Herculaneum lay preserved in a freeze-frame of time. Carbonized wood remained intact including priceless f i n d s s u c h a s s t r u c t u r a l beams, balconies, furniture i t e m s , a n d s h o p f i t t i n g s . Food, cloth, and even paper lay trapped and untouched in t h i s d a r k t o m b , a s w e l l , a w a i t i n g t h e i r d i s c o v e r y almost two millennia later. Before the pandemic cur- tailed travel, roughly 3.5 mil- lion tourists visited Pompeii e a c h y e a r . A n d Herculaneum? Not even a close second at approximate- l y 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 a y e a r . M a n y assume Herculaneum is just a smaller Pompeii; why not go to the more famous and well-known of the two? One can't argue with the wonders found in Pompeii, of course, b u t t i m e s p e n t i n Herculaneum offers a deep- ened sense of completeness and awe, of life as it was at the very moment it all ended. Once past the unremark- able ticket office and small museum, a winding walkway leads to the wonders of this lost city. Like a magic portal, a tunneled staircase opens o n t o w h a t w a s o n c e t h e shorefront, leading further to a raised walkway across what had been the water's edge. A series of arches come into view, framing boat houses t h a t r e v e a l , u p o n c l o s e r scrutiny, the skeletal remains of those who tried to escape. It's eerily quiet as viewers reflect on those moments of sheer terror, seeking to com- prehend the tragedy that unfolded here. The luxurious lifestyle of H e r c u l a n e u m b e c o m e s apparent quickly. Gloriously intact villas show off frescoes and tile mosaics with colors just a bit less vibrant than when Vesuvius roared. It seems wrong, somehow, to walk over the multitude of impressive varieties of mosa- ic and tiled floors that cover so much of the one-third of t h e c i t y t h a t h a s b e e n exposed thus far. Yet visitors a r e p e r m i t t e d p r a c t i c a l l y everywhere under the watch of scattered guards. Shops and even their fit- tings remain easy to identify. Bread ovens, beautifully tiled "fast food" markets, even wooden casings and shelves to hold amphorae remain. Many of the dwellings sport roofs –some still reflecting the sun with terracotta tiles and wooden beams. One's imagination isn't nearly as taxed; many second floors and room divisions are intact making it easy to appreciate the impressive floorplans. Furniture remains are appar- ent in some locations such as beds and tables, and even wooden room dividers sur- vive. The presence of the past is palpable here. A t p r e s e n t , o n l y a b o u t one-quarter to one-third of Herculaneum has been exca- vated. Experts believe much more of the city, including a theatre, forum, and other p u b l i c b u i l d i n g s , r e s t beneath the bustling modern town of Ercolano. Perhaps the rest of her secrets will never be revealed. Those that have been are certainly worth experiencing – it's a deeply moving and unforgettable f e w h o u r s w a l k i n g i n t h e footsteps of the unfortunate ancients of 79 AD. PAULA REYNOLDS Beautifully preserved frescoes in Herculaneum (Photo: Andrei Vasilev/Dreamstime) Herculaneum: Pompeii's Less- Famous Neighbor HERITAGE HISTORY IDENTITY TRADITIONS

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