Pompeii. Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. Excavated 1763.

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Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. April 2019. Looking north on Via Consolare. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

According to Van der Graaff –

“The Porta Ercolano was the most monumental structure among the Pompeian gates (see Fig.3.9).

The ruins exposed today represent its Flavian version, built as a monumental arch crowning the reconstruction effort following the earthquakes of the 60s CE (Note 72).

Its form is the result of the gate’s special status because of its position at the head of the Via Consolare, a busy regional road connecting Pompeii with Naples and, through the Via Domitiana, on to Rome (Note 73).”

See Van der Graaff, I. (2018). The Fortifications of Pompeii and Ancient Italy. Routledge, (p. 62 and Note 72 and 73).

And –

“The veru sarinu (salt gate), identified as the Porta Ercolano, received its name because it opened onto nearby salt (sarinu in Oscan – salienses in Latin) flats. (Note 132).”

See Van der Graaff, I. (2018). The Fortifications of Pompeii and Ancient Italy. Routledge, (p.106 and 107 and Note 132).

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. September 2021. Looking north from inside the city. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese. 

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010. Looking north from Via Consolare through gate. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

According to Van der Graaff –

“As Pompeii developed, the design of its gates had to take into account the increased demographic and economic pressure.

The narrow passageways present in the earlier gates became points of congestion. …………………….

[At Porta Ercolano], we find two pedestrian entrances framing a central roadway in a monumental design reminiscent of a triumphal arch.

See Van der Graaff, I. (2018). The Fortifications of Pompeii and Ancient Italy. Routledge, (p.103).

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010. Central roadway through gate. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Looking north across “open court” area, with central pilasters on either side. Looking north. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Looking north through central roadway towards Via dei Sepolcri. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

West side

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. March 2018. Looking north towards west side, on left.

Foto Taylor Lauritsen, ERC Grant 681269 DÉCOR

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. September 2005. Looking north towards west side.

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. September 2021.

Looking north from inside the city, through the west side of the Gate. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. September 2021.

Looking north-west towards the west side of the Gate from inside the city. Photo courtesy of Klaus Heese.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Looking north through west side of gate from Via Consolare. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Looking north towards remaining stucco on upper west side of gate.  Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Looking north-west towards the west side of the Gate from inside the city.  Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Looking towards west side of gate at south end. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Detail from west side of gate at south end. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Roadway through gate, detail from west side of gate at south end, area of “double-leaf gate”. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

According to Van der Graaff –

“The gate features a large central roadway open to cart traffic with two smaller flanking pedestrian passageways on either side.

Barrel vaults covered the side passages, whereas the central bay was open to the sky.

A portcullis on the exterior and a double leaf gate on the interior closed the passageway on either end. The result was a typical open court plan …………

Open court gates had a clear military function to trap attackers and allow defenders to bombard them from an elevated position……………

It never achieved full military functionality since the current remains do not indicate an easy access to the second floor.

Instead, the gate is almost exclusively a monumental structure that resembles a triumphal arch.”

See Van der Graaff, I. (2018). The Fortifications of Pompeii and Ancient Italy. Routledge, (p.129).

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Looking south towards Via Consolare through west side of gate at south end. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

West side, looking north along west wall from south end. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010. Looking north.

Detail from south end of west wall on west side of gate. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Looking north across flooring in west side of gate. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010. Flooring on west side, looking south. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Detail from east wall of west side of gate from south end. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010. 

West side, looking north along east wall from south end. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Looking towards central pilaster of west side of gate. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. May 2006. Looking towards west side, with central pilaster on left.  

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Looking towards north end of west side of gate. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

West side of gate, detail from north end. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Detail from west side of gate at north end, area of “portcullis”. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Looking south-west towards west side of gate at north end. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Looking south through west side of gate from Via dei Sepolcri. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, Pompeii. May 2010.

Looking south towards east wall from north end of west side of gate. Photo courtesy of Ivo van der Graaff.

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. May 2006.

Looking south towards west side from Via dei Sepolcri with Tomb of M. Cerrinus Restitutus, on right.

According to Van der Graaff –

“At the Porta Ercolano, during the excavations next to the Tomb of M. Cerrinus Restitutus, Maiuri recovered a stratum filled with votive offerings including small terracotta vases as well as fragments of figurines………………….

Maiuri ascribed the deposit to a vanished religious sacellum dedicated to Venus or Minerva that was associated with the Samnite gate.

It would have served the gate throughout its history right up to its reconstruction after the earthquake.”

See Van der Graaff, I. (2018). The Fortifications of Pompeii and Ancient Italy. Routledge, (p.211).

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. May 2006. Looking south towards west side.

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. May 2006. Looking south from the Via dei Sepolcri.

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. 1966. Looking south from the Via dei Sepolcri. Photo by Stanley A. Jashemski.

Source: The Wilhelmina and Stanley A. Jashemski archive in the University of Maryland Library, Special Collections (See collection page) and made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial License v.4. See Licence and use details.

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Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. May 2010. Looking south from the Via dei Sepolcri. Photo courtesy of Rick Bauer.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. 1927 press photo of visit to Pompeii by Mussolini. Looking south towards gate.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. 1845 drawing of tombs and gate.

See Zuccagni Orlandini, A., 1845. Atlante Illustrativo ossia raccolta dei principali monumenti italiani antichi, del medioevo e moderni e di alcune vedute pittoriche: Vol III: Regno delle due Sicilie. Firenze, Tav. VI, n.1.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate.

Pre-1824 painting “Entrée de Pompei du Cote d’Herculanum” by Jakob Wilhelm Huber showing gate, tombs and Via dei Sepolcri.

See Huber, J. W., 1824. Vues pittoresques des ruines les plus remarquables de l’ancienne ville de Pompei, pl. III.

Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. Plate entitled “Entrance to the city from Herculaneum restored”. Engraved by G. Cooke.

Looking south from near Via Pomeriale.

See Gell, W, and Gandy J. P., 1819. Pompeiana the topography edifices and ornaments. London: Rodwell and Martin, 1819. (p.137, Plate XIX).

According to Van der Graaff –

“These somewhat overzealous reconstructions clash with the physical remains.

For example, Gell reconstructs full double parapets on either side of the gate, but an inn and stable flanked it to the south, whereas a staircase rather than the internal parapet abutted it to the north.”

See Van der Graaff, I. (2018). The Fortifications of Pompeii and Ancient Italy. Routledge, (p.130).

Pompeii, Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate, October 2001. Looking south towards east side of gate. Photo courtesy of Peter Woods.

Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. 1966. Looking south towards east side. Photo by Stanley A. Jashemski.

Source: The Wilhelmina and Stanley A. Jashemski archive in the University of Maryland Library, Special Collections (See collection page) and made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial License v.4. See Licence and use details.

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Pompeii Porta Ercolano or Herculaneum Gate. June 1962. Looking south towards east side, on left.

Photo by Brian Philp: Pictorial Colour Slides, forwarded by Peter Woods

(H43.2 Town gate Porta Ercolano).

Part 2