HERCULANEUM, is an ancient city of Italy, situated on the Bay of Naples, and supposed to have been either founded by Hercules, or in honour of him, 1250 years be fore the Christian era. About 957 years later, the Romans seem to have taken possession of the city, and to have re tained it ever after. In the year 63, it suffered severely from an earthquake, which, according to Seneca, occa sioned the total ruin of part of it, and left the remainder in a tottering state. But in the year 79, an eruption of Vesu vius, for the first time exhibiting volcanic fires to the exist ing generation, buried the whole many feet deep, under repeated showers of stones and ashes ; while other cities were overwhelmed by torrents of liquid lava, or swallowed up by the earthquakes which accompanied them.
Cuncta jacent fammis et tristi mersa fnmtla. MARTIAL.
All memorials of the devoted cities were lost; and dis cussions on the places they had once occupied, were excit ed only by some obscure passages in the classical authors. Six successive eruptions contributed to lay them still deep er under the surface. But after sixteen centuries had elapsed, a peasant, in digging a well beside his cottage in 1711, obtained some fragments of coloured marble, which attracted attention. Regular excavations were made, un der the superintendence of Stendardo, a Neapolitan archi tect ; and a statue of Hercules, of Greek workmanship, and also a mutilated one of Cleopatra, were withdrawn from what proved to be a temple in the centre of the ancient Herculaneum.
Twenty or thirty years afterwards, the king of the two Sicilies, with a laudable love of science, directed a com plete search to be made among the remains of the subter raucous city, and all the antiquities to be preserved. This was long and ardently prosecuted ; and the entrance is now gained by a narrow passage, descending gradually to more than 70 feet from the surface, where it branches into nu merous alleys leading to different streets and buildings. Neither the precise extent or population of Herculaneum can be ascertained, though it is probable that both were considerable; and we know that it was a city of the second order. All the streets run in straight lines; they arc pav ed with blocks of lava, which indicates the vicinity of more ancient volcanic eruptions ; and there is, for the most part, an elevated foot-path along their sides, for the convenience of pedestrians. The houses, whose exterior does not seem to have been ornamental or regular, consisted only of one story, built of brick. The walls of many arc thrown out of the perpendicular, and some are covered with co loured stucco, upon which are executed paintings in fres co. From the general appearance exhibited by the differ ent edifices, we may safely conjecture that the volcanic matter consisted of very fine dust, or ashes, which fell in re peated showers, and perhaps in a humid state, until the city was totally buried under it. Indeed it was so fine, that the most perfect impressions of the objects thus covered were imprinted there, and, on their being now removed, the ca vity may serve for a plaster or metallic cast. By this means innumerable articles were preserved entire, and scarce ly displaced from their original position, for the incumbent load received gradual accessions, unaccompanied by any extraordinary degree of heat or violence.
The remains of several public buildings have been dis covered, which have possibly suffered from subsequent convulsions. Among these are two temples, one of them 150 feet by 60, in which was found a statue of Jupiter. A more extensive edifice stood opposite to these, forming a rectangle of 228 feet by 132, supposed to have been ap propriated for the courts of justice. The arches of a por tico surrounding it were supported by columns ; within it was paved with marble ; the walls were painted in fresco ; and bronze statues stood between 42 columns under the roof.
Before the year 1738, the theatre was discovered ; the size of which has afforded some conjectures regarding the population of Herculaneum. The building was nearly en tire; very little had been displaced ; and we see in it one of the best specimens extant of the architecture of the ancients. It seems to have had two principal gates, with inscriptions over the architraves of each, besides seven entrances, call ed vomitoria, communicating with the benches. Many columns and pilasters, with laboured entablatures, appeared in the Proscenium, and some supported bronze or marble statues. The walls were covered with paintings in the arabesque, and the floor paved with marble ; that of the orchestra, consisting of the finest yellow antique, is pre served neat ly entire ; and similar decorations adorned the various apartments connected with the theatre. Twenty five rows of high and wide marble benches accommodated the audience ; which, rising gradually above each other, gave a full and distinct view of the arena below. The greatest diameter of the theatre, taken at the highest ben ches, is 234 feet ; whence it has been computed, that it could contain 10,000 persons, which proves the great popu lation of the city. This theatre was rich in antiquities, independent of that ornamental part to which we have al ready alluded. Statues, occupying niches, represented the muses ; scenic masks were imitated on the entablatures; and inscriptions were engraven on different places. Ana logous to the last were several large alphabetical Roman characters in bronze, and a number of smaller size, which had probably been connected in some conspicuous situation. A metallic car was found, with four bronze horses attached to it, nearly of the natural size ; but all in such a state of decay, that only one, and the spokes of the wheels, also of metal, could be preserved. A beautiful white marble sta tue of Venus, only 18 inches high, in the same attitude as the famous Venus de Medicis, was recovered ; and either here, or in the immediate vicinity, was found a colossal bronze statue of Vespasian, filled with lead, which twelve men were unable to move ; besides many objects entire, there were numerous fragments of others, extremely inter esting, which had been originally impaired, or were injur ed by attempts to obtain them. The Herculaneans arc said to have had a particular taste for theatrical entertain ments ; and some authors have maintained, that, disregard ing the danger which menaced them, they remained so in tent on the performance, that both here, and at Pompeii, they were surprised by the eruption of and bu ried under it. But we may reasonably conclude, that, with regard to llerculaneum, the theatre did not suffer materi ally from the earthquake, and that it was not attended with the destruction of the spectators. Remarkably few skele tons have been found in this city, though many occur in the streets of Pompeii ; but one appears under the threshold of a door, with a bag of money in his hand, as if in the atti tude of escaping, leaving its impression in the surrounding volcanic matter. Nevertheless, it might be here, as we are told of a different city, where the Emperor Nero, ap pearing on the stage, was surprised by a sudden earth quake ; but the audience had time to escape, and the thea tre fell without doing any injury. A similar incident oc curred within these few years at Naples, where the decora tions of the theatre were in visible motion before the terrified spectators, but the strength of its parts resisted the shock.