Frozen in Time: The Astonishingly Preserved Ruins of Herculaneum This photo shows a room from the excavated ruins of Herculaneum, the ancient Roman town that was destroyed, along with Pompeii, during the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. Unlike Pompeii, which was buried under ash and pumice, Herculaneum was covered by thick layers of superheated volcanic mud and lava flow. This material hardened over time, creating an airtight seal that resulted in an extraordinary level of pres