Herculaneum
   For the modern Italian commune, see Ercolano. For other uses, see Herculaneum (disambiguation).     Herculaneum    The excavations of Ercolano       Shown within Italy    Alternative name  Ercolano    Location   Ercolano, Campania, Italy    Coordinates   40°48′22″N  14°20′54″E  /  40.8060°N 14.3482°E  / 40.8060; 14.3482 Coordinates: 40°48′22″N  14°20′54″E  /  40.8060°N 14.3482°E  / 40.8060; 14.3482     Type  Settlement   History   Founded  6th – 7th century BC    Abandoned  79 AD   Site notes   Website  Herculaneum – Official website     UNESCO World Heritage Site    Official name  Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Torre Annunziata     Type  Cultural    Criteria  iii, iv, v    Designated  1997 (21st session)    Reference no.  829    Region  Europe and North America         Located in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, Herculaneum  (Italian: Ercolano ) was an ancient Roman town destroyed by volcanic pyroclastic flows in 79 AD. Its ruins are located in the comune  of ...