Herculaneum

Since both of us had been to Pompeii, we opted instead to visit the "other victim" of Vesuvius.

Although Herculaneum is now several miles inland, in Roman times it was a seaport. These arches were along the waterfront and the city was built up behind it.	The archaeological site is fairly large but the majority of the city has not yet been excavated. In this area the flow from Vesuvius turned to stone and is extremely difficult to excavate.
A typical street was about one carriage wide, with sidewalks. Houses all had walls around the property.	A group of Augustales (priests of Augustus) were in residence to conduct the rituals of worship of the deified emperors.
Some of the houses have wonderful frescoes almost completely preserved. The quality of work is high because Herculaneum was a wealthy city.
Even the water troughs in the streets were carved with care to be more than utilitarian.	Not a fresco, this time, but a stunning wall mosaic showing Neptune and Salacia, the male and female ocean deities.
A storage area for goods for sale or shipment. Almost all goods in the Roman Empire travelled in clay pots.	An ancient McDonalds. Fast food was very popular because most Romans spent most of their days away from home.
Many people waited on the shore during the eruptions hoping that boats would come to rescue them, but the ash and hot gases made rescue impossible. The skeletons are re-creations.