The 79AD eruption of Vesuvius claimed not only Pompeii, but other towns in the shadow of the volcano. Herculaneum–some say founded by Hercules, but at the very least named for him– a prosperous community used as a getaway for wealthy Romans, smaller than Pompeii, was smothered during the eruption, but in a different way.

The first column of ash and volcanic pumice and debris rose ten miles high like a many-branched tree and collapsed mostly on Pompeii. Many Herculaneans had time to evacuate.

Later a whole section of mountain broke loose amid a series of seven pyroclastic surges—hot mudslides traveling at 100 mph (think Mount Saint Helens)—and sealed Herculaneum under 66 feet of mud, which preserved many of the buildings and artifacts and protected them from looters.

Excavation began in the 1700s. Only a quarter to a third of the town has been uncovered, compared to two-thirds of Pompeii.