ghty floods of _lava d'acqua_ that buried Herculaneum
doubtless lie temples, a splendid forum, magnificent villas, and most
valuable art and literary treasures. In the eighteenth century
excavations brought to light rare bronzes, mosaics, and papyri. The
famous equestrian statue of Balbo, in the Naples Museum, was excavated
from Herculaneum. Professor Lanciani and Commendatore Boni of Rome--the
latter the present director of the Forum, succeeding Lanciani--believe
that some of the richest art of ancient times may be found in
Herculaneum; as does Professor Dall'Osso, inspector of excavations at
Pompeii.

Herculaneum is held to have been founded by Hercules when he landed at
Campania, returning from Iberia, some three hundred years B.C., and it
was in 63 A.D. that it was destroyed. Of this cataclysm Pliny, the
Younger, wrote:--

"The sea seemed to roll back on itself by the convulsions of the
earth. On the other side hung a black and dreadful cloud, bursting
with fiery and serpentine vapors. Naught was heard in the darkness
but the shrieks of women, the screams of children, and the frenzied
cries of men calling for children, for wives, for parents,--all
lifting hands to the gods, praying and wishing for death."

Dr. Charles Waldstein of Cambridge University, the eminent archaeologist,
whose efforts toward initiating the excavation of Herculaneum were a
notable event of 1906, thus writes of this buried city:--

"It is important to bear in mind that naturally all the best works
in the Museum of Naples, especially the bronzes, came from
Herculaneum and not from Pompeii.

"What is most striking is the marvellous preservation of these
works. This fact of itself ought to counteract the strange but
widespread misapprehension that, while Pompeii was covered with
cinders and ashes, Herculaneum was covered with lava, and that the
hardness of that material made excavation difficult, if not
impossible. All geologists and archaeologists are agreed that no
lava issued from the eruption of 79 A.D. Herculaneum was covered by
a torrent of mud consisting of ashes and cinders mixed with water.
The mass which covers it, so far from being less favorable to the
preservation of objects, is much more favorable than that which
covers Pompeii. Pompeii was partially covered with hot ashes and
pumice stones, which burnt or damaged the works