It was once believed the people of Herculaneum escaped Vesuvius’s 79AD eruption because of the lack of human remains discovered in the town. However, in the early 1980s, it became clear this was not the case when archaeologists began to uncover bodies in the area of the town’s beach. 

These human remains are preserved differently from those of nearby Pompeii. But like Pompeii’s victims, they reveal the unique way Vesuvius destroyed the people of this seaside town. They also provide valuable information about the quality of life in Herculaneum.

The Eruption of Vesuvius

The eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed Herculaneum and nearby Pompeii began at 1 pm on August 24th*. Alarming tremors shook Herculaneum, but initially, its people were spectators of the eruption as the wind kept the fallout from the volcano away from the town.

By late afternoon, the earth tremors were becoming more violent. Although the ash cloud was still drifting away from the town, the column of material erupting from Vesuvius formed a mushroom-shaped mass of debris hovering over the volcano and Herculaneum itself. Experts postulated that it was at this point the people of Herculaneum began to evacuate.

Although Herculaneum was spared the full effects of the eruption longer than Pompeii, the smaller town’s end came sooner. In the early hours of August 25th, the first pyroclastic surges began. Vesuvius’s cone collapsed and the ash cloud increased in volume. Finally, it became too dense for the air to support and the column of glowing ash, rocks and gases collapsed.

A fiery cloud of debris of around 815 degrees Celsius (1500 degrees Fahrenheit ) sped towards Herculaneum. Within three to four minutes of the cloud hitting the town, all remaining life was eradicated. 

The Bodies by the Suburban Baths

As already mentioned, initial excavations of Herculaneum yielded few human remains. Archaeologists initially assumed that the inhabitants had escaped either by sea or to Naples overland.  

However, in 1981, excavations began around the suburban baths, close to the harbour and former seafront of Herculaneum. Two bodies were found close to the harbour gateways. Soon afterwards, more human remains were discovered on the beach.

Further excavations in the summer of 1982 unearthed a capsized boat in the harbour area, with the remains of two men nearby, one a Roman soldier.

It was becoming clear that escaping by sea had not been a simple matter. But later that year, the most significant discovery was made when a series of rooms or fornici in the retaining wall of the suburban baths were excavated. They had been used as warehouses or boat stores for the harbour. It also appears that they were the last refuge for many of the people of Herculaneum.

As of 2008, 296 skeletons were uncovered in this area, with 59 from the beach itself. These remains suggest that a guaranteed escape for the people of Herculaneum looked less likely. 

The end of these victims’ lives would have been instantaneous, occurring at the time of the pyroclastic surge that doomed Herculaneum. Those exposed on the beach would have died from thermal shock. Their skin and soft tissues would have been vaporised — red staining in surviving skulls shows their brains melted from the heatwave.

The heat was so great for those in the fornici that bones snapped and teeth shattered. But their remains survived in situ and provide useful information about life in the Roman town. 

Osteoarchaeology and Life in Herculaneum 

The bodies from Herculaneum differ from those of Pompeii because of variations in the conditions in the two towns post-eruption. The ash and water that preserved the shape of the bodies of many of the inhabitants of Pompeii did not preserve the complete skeletons, making a detailed analysis of bones by osteoarchaeologists difficult.

At Herculaneum, there are no body casts, but many more skeletons remain intact — perfect for analysing for evidence of the diet and health of the inhabitants of the town.

Strontium levels in the bones indicate that most of the population had a varied diet predominantly composed of vegetables and seafood.

The fact that the inhabitants were well-nourished is confirmed by their height which compares favourably with modern inhabitants of Campania. Estelle Lazer quotes the findings of S C Bisel and L Capasso, which suggest that the average height of women was between 151.7cm and 155.2 cm and that of men between 163.8cm-169.1cm, indicating the population of Herculaneum was well-nourished during the crucial growth fazes of their childhood.

Analysis of the skeletons is far from over and it is currently impossible to establish the ethnic makeup of Herculaneum because of damage to the DNA of the skeletons. But no doubt, the bones of Herculaneum will yield more information about Roman life in the years to come.

*Experts now believe that the month is more likely to be August.

Resources

Lazer, E “Victims of the Cataclysm” in JJ Dobbins and P W Foss (Ed) 2008 The World of Pompeii. Routledge: London and New York.

M E A Pirozzi. Herculaneum: The Excavations, Local History and Surroundings. Soprintendenza Archeologia di Pompei. Electa. Napoli

Wilkinson, P 2003. Pompeii, The Last Day. BBC Books: London