Pompeii vs Herculaneum
Pompeii and Herculaneum are the names of ancient towns in Rome that were once wealthy and were known for their architecture and extravagant lifestyles of their inhabitants. Both these towns were ravaged by a deadly volcano that erupted from Mount Vesuvius in 79AD. Both the towns with its people got buried under the ash and magma of the volcano, and it was only much later in the 18th century that these ancient cities came to the limelight once again through excavations. Because of exhibitions of the remains that are exhibited in the British museum, people have been making a beeline to go to these ancient cities and find out more about them. There are some differences between Pompeii and Herculaneum that will be highlighted in this article.
Pompeii
The ancient city of Pompeii once existed in Campania region of Italy near the modern city of Naples. This wealthy resort town got submerged under 4 to 6 meters of ash and magma of the volcano that erupted from Mount Vesuvius in the year 79AD. This town is believed to have been founded around 600BC and was annexed by Romans to their Empire in around 80BC. The town flourished under the Romans, and for the next century and a half, the town developed into a complex community of nearly 20000 people.
Herculaneum
Herculaneum was the name of an ancient town in Italy under Roman Empire that got ravaged by a volcanic eruption from Mount Vesuvius in 79AD. The city got lost at that time but was later resurrected through excavations in the 18th century. The territory lies in the Campania region of Italy. This was a wealthy resort town that has been surprisingly preserved as it was buried deep under the ash of the volcanic eruption. Of late, the discovery of more than 300 skeletons from the site of this ancient Italian town has created a lot of interest among the people as it was believed that the population of the city at that time had been evacuated before it got submerged under the volcanic eruption
What is the difference between Pompeii and Herculaneum?
• Pompeii is a much bigger area than Herculaneum.
• Herculaneum was much closer to the Bay of Naples than Pompeii.
• The inhabitants of Herculaneum were wealthier than the people of Pompeii.
• Herculaneum has more houses with intact roofs than Pompeii.
• Herculaneum is famous for the discovery of nearly 300 skeletons from the site recently.
• Herculaneum is better able to give an idea of what life must have been in the ancient Roman Empire.