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Herculaneum
was originally discovered when a well was being dug in the early
18th Century at a depth of 50 – 60 feet below the modern surface.
Initially a series of ‘robber’ shafts and tunnels were dug to strip
the site of any saleable valuables. However, between 1749 to 1765
Herculaneum was explored on a more scientific basis for the Bourbon
Kings of Naples and the Two Sicilies, initially under the
supervision of Rocco Gioacchino Alcubierre and then his assistant
Carlo Weber. A basic plan of the town was mapped out and much of the
portable remains removed but eventually these tunnels collapsed and
were closed down. The modern towns of Resina and Portici grew up
over the site and knowledge of where the entrances to the tunnels
were was lost to the scientific community. |
