Herculaneum was an ancient Roaman city near Naples in Italy. The settlement was founded in 600BC by the Greeks and it was a very important trading centre. There 20,000 people who lived in the city. On August 24th 79 AD at 1:00pm, the volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted nearby. The city was buried under 20 metres of ash and mud. A farmer was digging a well in the early 17th century and came across the marble statues in the auditorium. Archaeologists then excabated the ruins. Herculaneum was a much wealthier city than nearby Pompeii, as seen in their expensive houses full of mosaics and paintings.