L’ancient beach of Herculaneumthe first within an archaeological park, was finally reopened to the public. Visitors will be able to walk freely across the entire surface and immerse themselves in the magic of the city lapped by the sea. Thus, a multi-year journey of multidisciplinary research, archaeological excavation, restoration, engineering and architecture activities concludes, with the enrichment of the experience of visiting the Park, aiming in the medium term at the reunification of the main archaeological area with the Villa dei Papyri.
How the ancient beach of Ercolano was reborn: the project
Ancient Herculaneum, a seaside city, destroyed byeruption of 79 AD., lives again with the final arrangement, on the wave of a design donated by the Packard Humanities Institute as part of the public-private partnership called “Herculaneum Conservation Project” to restore an image as close as possible to how it appeared before that roar suddenly interrupted the daily flow of life on the slopes of Vesuvius.
In recent decades, the area of the ancient beach has been progressively affected by corrosion and decay, determined by a set of natural factors linked to the conveyance of rainwater and rising water, which had transformed it into a marshy area with accumulations of water and weeds and associated flooding hazards and impacts on heritage conservation.
Precisely because of the complexity of the problems to be addressed, a multidisciplinary approach was adopted to return the beach to its former glory safety and usability, with the creation of a walkable area and the enhancement of the sea front of the ancient city, thus offering visitors a completely renewed perception of the ancient Herculaneum. L’lighting system helps to further enhance the seafront of the ancient city during visits and evening events.
The ancient beach of Herculaneum
The archive photographic documentation linked to the excavation works of the 1990s shows the presence, in the beach area, of a tuff platform marked by long parallel incisions which were interpreted as marks left in the tuff by the keels of boats. Recent investigations have shown that the coastline has changed its level several times over the centuries, rising and falling at least since the 3rd century BC. At that time the tuff bank – sedimentary rock extracted to be used as construction material – was partially out of the sea. The progressive lowering of the level of the bank, due to phenomena linked to volcanism, together with the action of the waves deposited the sands which gradually created the Roman beach of 79 AD
The ancient beach appeared as an expanse of black volcanic sand from which, in some points, the underlying tufaceous platform emerged. It was slightly inclined towards the sea, the shoreline of which must have been approximately where the excavation area ends today. Not only were maritime activities carried out there, but it was also used to reach the city and to go up ramps towards the houses directly overlooking the sea, as well as to supply wood to the Suburban Spas.
On the night of the eruption in 79 AD, they were on the beach more than 300 fugitives, but also many animals, including mules and horses. At the end of 2021, the ancient beach returned the skeleton of the last fugitive from Herculaneum, a man of approximately 40/45 years of age. He was probably found on the seashore or in the areas of the city above, dragged by the force of the eruption together with his belongings, preserved in a fabric bag. On the beach, in addition to the skeleton, many were found wooden finds dragged by the pyroclastic flow. All this makes the Herculaneum excavations unique in the world.
