An ancient beach has been discovered on the archeological site of Herculaneum in Italy
It took three years of intense archaeological excavation and restoration work to bring to light an exceptional ancient site. This beach, located on the site of the town of Herculaneum, was buried under metres of eruptive material when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.
A major historical discovery has been made at the site of the Herculaneum archaeological park (a UNESCO World Heritage site) in southern Italy. Following three years of intensive archaeological excavations, an ancient beach was discovered. The park's director, Francesco Sirano, stated in a press release that the main goal of the restoration work was to “restore the original level of the beach and bring back some sand” so that visitors could once again walk on the beach, nearly a millennia since its tragic loss. The point of the excavation work was to minimize any potential risk of flooding.
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In the 1st century, the sea water reached all the way to this seaside town, but it is now 500 m away due to the burning lava flows that have encroached upon the sea, causing the shoreline to recede. The ancient beach site, which reopened to the public on 19 June, offers visitors the chance to experience for themselves a piece of history. They can enjoy free access to the area and discover what the city was like before and after its sudden and violent burial.
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A large-scale historical and scientific project
This archaeological discovery has shed some new light on the town of Herculaneum, known in modern times as Ercolano. In the past, this seaside resort was particularly popular with Rome’s patrician families, who came here to enjoy the magnificent scenery all around. Smaller than Pompeii, located 16 km to the south, the town remained buried under almost 50 metres of ash until it was discovered in 1709 by a laborer digging a well for a monastery.
As the director of the archaeological park revealed to CNN: “It was never a mere restoration work, but also a formidable research project, because reopening a site in an open-air archaeological dig also bears a scientific dimension.” Thanks to these excavations, scientists and archaeologists have been able to understand the way of life and the consequences of the death of the inhabitants of Herculaneum. The researchers concluded that most of the skeletons were those of the inhabitants caught as they were trying to escape. More specifically, a 2020 study suggests that some of the victims died as a result of the intense heat of the volcanic eruption.