HERCULANEUM 



2779 



HERCULES 



are anise, balm, cicely, catnip, coriander, fen- 

 nel, horehound, hyssop, lavender, marjoram, 

 pennyroyal, rosemary, sorrel, tansy, winter- 

 green and wormwood. 



Sweet herbs were among the first plants cul- 

 tivated in Europe, for in materially changing 

 the flavors of meats by their use, it may be 

 said that almost a new animal was created 

 for the meat-loving Romans. Many herbs 

 once highly prized, however, are seldom used 

 to-day. It is true that they have little or no 

 food value, but they make dishes savory and 

 prove an economy in making very palatable 

 dishes of "left-overs." A garden of old-fash- 

 ioned herbs would be not only interesting, but 

 useful. Most of them can be grown with little 

 care. Planting in good, well-worked soil in a 

 sunny spot, keeping the surface soil loose and 

 removing weeds, are the chief special atten- 

 tions necessary. 



Related Subjects. All the herbs mentioned in 

 the article above are given detailed treatment 

 under their own names in these volumes. 



HERCULANEUM, her ku la' ne urn, an an- 

 cient city of Italy, memorable not for its life 

 but for its death, which was brought about 

 by the same volcanic eruption that destroyed 

 Pompeii. It stood at the foot of Mount Vesu- 

 vius, five or six miles from Naples, and its 

 fortifications and its artistic treasures were 

 known throughout Italy. In A. D. 63 an earth- 

 quake shook it, but the damage was repaired, 

 and for sixteen years longer the city stood. 

 Then came the great eruption of Vesuvius, in 

 A. D. 79, and Herculaneum perished. Again and 

 again, through the centuries, Vesuvius poured 

 out its lava and ashes, and the last trace of 

 the city was lost. Scholars looked for it, but 

 never found it, and villages grew up above its 

 site. In 1709, in one of these villages, a farmer 

 sunk a well, and there, far below the surface, 

 were found marble sculptures. Ten years later 

 another shaft was sunk, and the old theater 

 was discovered, but little was done toward 

 further excavation until 1738, when the gov- 

 ernment of Naples took up the task. 



Since then excavations have been carried on 

 at intervals, but they have been very difficult, 

 for the villages above must always be safe- 

 guarded. However, it is known that here, 

 from 30 to 120 feet beneath the surface, lies 

 the city, with its houses, its temples and its 

 beautiful villas, just as it was over eighteen 

 centuries ago, when the people heeded the 

 warning signs from Vesuvius and fled. It 

 seems that most of the people must have 



escaped, as very few skeletons have been found. 

 Perhaps the strangest thing in connection with 

 the excavation has been the finding in a room 

 of a villa of a large store of provisions grain, 

 figs, oil, peas, and even hams. 



But there are far more valuable things than 

 these, and the National Museum at Naples 

 has a wonderful exhibit of marble and bronze 

 statues, of paintings. and of papyrus rolls taken 

 from the buried city. The manuscripts, from 

 their long burial, are so discolored and brittle 

 that it has been a task of extreme delicacy to 

 unroll and decipher them, but some have well 

 repaid the trouble. All in all, no discovery 

 ever made has cast more light on ancient cus- 

 toms and manner of life than the uncovering 

 of Herculaneum. See POMPEII; VESUVIUS. 



Read Lytton's Last Days of Pompeii; it will 

 be found valuable in this connection. Consult 

 Barker's Buried Herculaneum. 



HERCULES, hur'kuleez, the great national 

 hero of the ancient Greeks, famed for his sur- 

 passing strength and mighty deeds of valor and 

 endurance. In the myths of Hercules the an- 

 cients gave expression to their worship of all 

 that was manly 

 and heroic. The 

 great mythical 

 hero was said to 

 be the son of 

 Zeus, the greatest 

 of the gods, and 

 Alcmene, a prin- 

 cess of mortal 

 origin. When the 

 tidings of his 

 birth were con- 

 veyed to Hera, 

 queen of the gods, 

 she determined 

 that the child of 

 her rival should 

 perish, and forth- 

 with sent two 

 gigantic serpents 

 to the palace 



where he was ly- 



, 11 THE FARNESE 



mg m his cradle. HERCULES 



Just as they were In the Nat i nal Museum, 



about to crush Naples. 



him in their folds, the baby Hercules caught 



them by the neck and strangled them. 



The education of the boy was supervised by 

 Chiron, a famous centaur (which see), who 

 taught him the use of all weapons and gave 

 him training in the various athletic sports. 



