Herculaneum was a town on the west coast of Italy which neighboured the city of Pompeii. (PROSE: A History of Humankind) On 24 August 79, Vesuvius erupted, destroying Pompeii (TV: The Fires of Pompeii) and burying Herculaneum in ash. By the 21st century, roughly 1500 bodies had been unearthed in Pompeii and Herculaneum. (PROSE: A History of Humankind)