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Herculaneum | Masonry

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The pyroclastic rocks abundant in the area around Mount Vesuvius were commonly used as building material already in Roman times. Unlike Pompeii, Herculaneum was not destroyed by ash falls due to the 23 November 79 AD eruption of the volcano, but was deeply covered by pyroclastic surges during the following night. Many features were preserved and then excavated since the 18th Century.