Herculaneum

American  

[hur-kyuh-ley-nee-uhm] / ˌhɜr kyəˈleɪ ni əm /

noun

1. an ancient city in SW Italy, on the Bay of Naples: buried along with Pompeii by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in a.d. 79; partially excavated.

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Herculaneum British  

/ ˌhɜːkjʊˈleɪnɪəm /

noun

1. an ancient city in SW Italy, of marked Greek character, on the S slope of Vesuvius: buried along with Pompeii by an eruption of the volcano (79 _ad ). Excavation has uncovered well preserved streets, houses, etc

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Other Word Forms

• Herculanean adjective
• Herculanensian adjective

Example Sentences

For a more intimate experience, check out the Getty Villa in Malibu, modeled after the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, Italy.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

The other victims of Vesuvius whose remains have been uncovered at Pompeii and Herculaneum have remained relatively statuelike in their anonymity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

The researchers propose that very early on that terrible day, a dilute ash cloud invaded Herculaneum.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2025

The massive eruption of Vesuvius engulfed Herculaneum and nearby Pompeii where up to 20,000 people lived.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2025

In the 1730s and 40s, building work near Naples had accidentally discovered the buried ruins of the first-century Roman towns Herculaneum and Pompeii, in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall