Herculaneum: A Walk Along Decumano Massimo

 Decumano Massimo is the street closest to Mount Vesuvius in what has been excavated so far, and is at the top of this map. We have just finished walking Cardo V and this shot is at the very top of Cardo V, getting ready to turn left and head along Decumano Massimo. I was stopped dead in my tracks by this second story view - looking as fresh as the day it was lived in...very much like a tornado had swept through that afternoon and ripped off the outer wall.

 Turning the camera a little bit more to the right we see the Forum which at the present time is where most of the current excavation is taking place. Note the extensive scaffolding. The day we were there, loud typical construction noises were emanating from this area. The forum was Herculaneum's administrative center, with the names of all living male citizens inscribed on marble plates that lined the edge of the square. Whenever a male died, his plate was removed - this gives us an accurate record of the living males at the time Vesuvius erupted.

 Taking a few steps forward to the very corner of Cardo V and Decumano Massimo, this is what is at the corner of those two streets. The cameras to the left are shooting right down Decumano Massimo. I found the juxaposition of the very modern with the aniquities quite intriguing...and necessary given what the "little sh*ts" have done, as the San Francisco lady would have said.

 Standing in the same spot, this is the view down Decumano Massimo. This is the main street of Herculaneum and it is approximately 40 feet wide and meant for pedestrians only, as carts, wagons and chariots were banned. The south side (left in this photo) has been excavated and it was lined with shops.

 Standing in the same spot and looking a wee bit left again, we see the second story room we discussed previously. Now let's head to that sidewalk and start walking down the street.

 Be careful...let's step over the gutter first.

 Another shot of the shops along Decumano Massimo.

  Inside this shop can be seen a cabinet that is now encased in glass. The glass is obviously a modern addition to preserve the ancient cabinet. I have read where a cabinet was found containing records of the ownership of all properties in the city. Could this be the cabinet?

Another shot of the same area, showing the stairs leading up to the second floor.

 This is a view into one of the homes behind the shops, I think this is the House of the Bicentennary. It was so named because it was unearthed in 1938, 200 years after excavations started. I can't remember exactly where I took this photo...it could be the home just to the left the the Bicentennary House as shown on this map.

 A close-up into this home. In the House of the Bicentennary was found a cross imprinted in the stucco of an upper floor wall, a sign that Christianity may have taken a foothold in Herculaneum. Others claim this impression is simply a cupboard support. You be the judge. Rooms on the upper floor were probably rented out. Seventeen tablets containing papyrus records were also found in this house, documenting the legal battles of Petronia Spurii filia Justa, a girl born into the household. Justa claimed to be a freedwoman which was contested by Caltoria Themis, widow of Petronius Stephanus, in 75-76 AD who claimed she was her manumitted slave. There had been no judgement in the case by the time of the eruption in 79 AD. The case had taken the participants to Rome twice to the tribunal of the urban praetor in the Forum of Augustus. The facts as recorded: Justa was the daughter of Petronia Vitalis, the manumitted slave of Petronius. For whatever reason, Petronia allowed Caltornia and Petronius to raise Justa. As was sometimes done in that time period, Petronia later reclaimed Justa and offered normal compensation for the costs of upbringing but Caltornia and Petronius had become too attached. "Why grudge the girl when we treat her as a daughter?", Petronius was heard to say. Conjecture is that he treated Justa like a daughter because perhaps she was physically his daughter, but treated her like a slave because she was legally his slave.

 Yet another snack bar / restaurant along the main street. In one of the snack bars along this street, a doodler had scratched a phallus into the wall with the instructions "Mansveta Tene" (handle with care).

 I have not determined what the structure at the center of this photo is yet, but to the right of it would be the Forum and to the left the Shrine (or Temple) of Augustales, the shrine to diefied emperors. A skeleton of a man was found face down on a bed in a small side room with a locked door.

 In the middle of Decumano Massimo is this public fountain with the crudely carved head of Venus and a jet of water flowing into a rectangular trough.

 Another view of that same fountain. Note behind this fountain is an orange plastic fence that prevents us from going any further down Decumano Massimo. This is probably due to the extensive excavation going on in the Forum.

 This establishment is well secured from tourists, I'm not sure why. This may be the wine shop where a slogan was painted on the wall - "Come to the sign of the bowls!"

And finally, we turn our camera to the right for one more shot of the Forum before turning to the left and heading down Cardo IV. I can't wait to find out what they discover in the Forum as excavations continue.