Discs hanging between pillars at House of the Relief of Telephus in Herculaneum are plaster casts of marble carvings designed to ward off evil. The estate was a veritable palace in Roman days, and was believed to be home to Marcus Nonius Balbus, the governor of Crete and part of modern-day Libya. Like all other … Read more

At Herculaneum, relief of the Myth of Telephus shows son of Hercules, mythical founder of city that was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Today it is displayed on the wall of one of the major estates that was excavated in the ancient Roman city.

House of Argus, a rich estate at Herculaneum, Italy that was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD, includes this garden surrounded by a portico supported by columns. Modern day houses perched above the portico are proof that the city was totally buried beneath volcanic muds.

Hall of the Augustals at the ruins of the Roman city of Herculaneum, was a gathering place for freed slaves, who worshiped the emperor Augustus. The fresco on the left wall of the center cubicle depicts Hercules at Olympus, accompanied by Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva; the fresco on the right shows the battle between Hercules … Read more

Courtyard in the House of the Black Room at Herculaneum features a colonnaded central garden surrounded by distinctive black and white mosaic walkways. The extremely luxurious house, which contained numerous rooms covered in elaborate frescoed walls and ceilings, was one of many destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, which covered the … Read more