Herculaneum

The Ancients

History Hit

History

4.7 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 3 April 2025

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius unleashed devastation on the Roman world, burying entire towns beneath volcanic ash. While Pompeii is world-famous, another extraordinary site met the same fate - Herculaneum.

In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill to explore the incredible remains of this lesser-known Roman town. From lavish seaside villas and multi-story apartments to ancient fast-food stalls and bathhouses, Herculaneum offers an intimate glimpse into daily Roman life. Plus, we uncover the groundbreaking AI technology being used to decipher the carbonised scrolls found in its famed Villa of the Papyri.

For more on this topic listen to our four-part series on Pompeii and Vesuvius:

Pompeii: Life Before the Eruption: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3oIGA40brXolaPU9e3warc

Sex Work in Pompeii:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2k5CQDHXHmIRKCmu4kk9SB

Gladiators of Pompeii:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4c34S92PPQadej45S4F6cZ

Pompeii: The Eruption of Vesuvius: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6IyQp6PYBrMwbFNWU33nqF

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Tristan Hughes, and if you would like the ancient ad-free, get early access and bonus episodes, sign up to History Hit.
0:08.1	With a History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries, including my recent documentary all about Petra and the Nabatans, and enjoy a new release every week.
0:19.3	Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com slash subscribe.
0:25.3	Weekends, we all do them differently, from get-togethers to trips away, DIY, to RSVP,
0:36.5	even a trip to the VET.
0:39.4	Whatever your weekend plans, if you need a car,
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0:53.5	Search Zipcar to find out more. 79 AD. A great column of volcanic ash and rocks spews from the top of Mount Vesuvius
1:17.5	tens of kilometers into the sky before covering the land below in a veil of darkness. One of the
1:25.3	most catastrophic natural events of ancient history has just begun.
1:31.4	Over the next couple of days, this volcano would bring death and destruction to the surrounding
1:36.9	lands, its most famous victim, the Roman town of Pompeii. Today, Pompeii's remains our world famous, a place where you can
1:47.3	walk in the footsteps of Romans down cobbled streets, be awestruck by lewd graffiti written on
1:53.3	walls 2,000 years ago. Enter the amphitheatre where gladiators fought for the entertainment of the
1:59.6	crowds. It is quite the experience.
2:03.4	But Pompey was not the only settlement swallowed up by Vesuvius.
2:07.4	It was one of several thriving towns along the Bay of Naples
2:11.0	that fell victim to this infamous eruption that fateful day.
	...

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