The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE immediately brings to mind the city of Pompeii. But the neighboring city of Herculaneum was discovered in 1709, nearly 40 years before Pompeii. Herculaneum was much closer to the volcano and was covered with 60 feet of volcanic rock, ash and debris, three times as much as Pompeii. While this preserved much more of the city, it also made it very difficult to excavate.
Smaller than Pompeii by about half, Herculaneum was a seaside vacation spot for the Roman elite, and is home to the remains of many luxurious homes decorated in colored marble. Because the city was buried so deeply, entire multi storied buildings were preserved. The pyroclastic material that covered the city also carbonized and preserved organic-based materials like wooden roofs, beds and doors as well as food and papyrus. Only a fraction of the site has been excavated and currently the focus is on conservation of what has already been uncovered rather than any new excavation.
Herculaneum is only a short drive from Pompeii which made it easy for us to visit both sites on the same day.