How come when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D., Pompeii was easier to
dig up than Herculaneum?
James Peters
Dear James,
The two cities below Vesuvius have
similar histories: an Oscan settlement, a Greek city, a Samnite conquest,
an opponent to Rome in the Social War, and finally a Roman colony.
Herculaneum was a more leisurely town about a third of the size of
Pompeii and about a quarter of the population. Herculaneum did not have
a major harbor nor was it a trade center. Pyroclastic surges
are responsible for the deaths in each city. Excavations began
at both cities in the 18th century. Deposits at Pompeii are dominated by
air fall deposits of pumice and lapilli. Deposits at Herculaneum are
dominated by pyroclastic flow deposits. Air fall deposits tend to be
soft and can be scraped away with a shovel. Pyroclastic flow deposits
tend to be hard because the hot ash tends to fuse together. Perhaps
Pompeii is better known because the air fall deposits were easier to
remove. Perhaps it was of greater interest since it was a larger, more
important city.
Steve Mattox, University of North Dakota
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