In 1709, the then Duke of Elbeuf, while building his seaside residence at Portici, heard of a man who had discovered ancient marble and columns while digging a well in the nearby town of Resina. The duke bought his farm and began to dig underground shafts and galleries and discovered statues, columns and marble which he used for his Portici residence.
Excavations of Herculaneum began in 1738 in today’s Ercolano, a suburb of Naples.
At the end of the 18th century, a great diversity of objects began to be discovered, such as wall paintings, tripods, braziers, bronze statues, perfume bottles and ceramics.
In 1980 hundreds of skeletons of inhabitants who had taken refuge in the boathouses were found. These excavations, carried out in the port area of Herculaneum, allowed the discovery of more than 200 skeletons of various ages and social status.