Ercolano

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For the saints with this name, see Herculanus of Perugia or Herculanus of Piegaro.

Comune di Ercolano
Municipal coat of arms
Country	Italy
Region	Campania
Province	Naples (NA)
Mayor	Gaetano Daniele

Elevation	44 m
Area	19 km²
Population
- Total (as of December 31, 2004)	55,637
- Density	2,879/km²
Time zone	CET, UTC+1
Coordinates	40°48′N 14°21′E
Gentilic	Ercolanesi
Dialing code	081
Postal code	80056
Frazioni	San Vito
Patron	Madonna Assunta
- Day	August 15
Website: www.comune.ercolano.na.it

Ercolano is a town and commune in the province of Naples, Campania (Italy).

[edit] History

For the ancient city, see Herculaneum.

Ercolano (named Herculaneum until 79 AD, and Resina until 1969) was most likely founded by the Oscan, an Italic tribe of the 8th century BC, and later became part of both the Etruscan and Samnite dominions. Under control of the Romans, the city was a renowned seaside resort where some of the richest Roman citizens passed their summer vacations. After the 79 AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, the town was abandoned and remained largely uninhabited for about 1000 years. Unlike neighboring Pompeii, the citizens of Herculaneum were suffocated to death by poisonous fumes rather than buried under heavy ash. The town was partially buried under hot mud and remained so for those 1000 years. Records of rehabitation in the area begin to appear around the year 1000, when the sanctuary called Castel di Resina, one of the most visited in the Campania region, was recorded to have been located on a hill in that area. The area was largely repopulated over the next 500 years, creating the small town of Resina, named after the old sanctuary, with homes and neighborhoods being built above the uncovered ancient ruins of Herculaneum. In 1709, the old ruins from around the time of the 79 AD eruption were uncovered along with nearby Pompeii. Since then, Herculeaneum has been entirely uncovered with all of its ancient riches and petrified inhabitants extracted. Over time, the town of Resina became part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, up until the Italian Unification of 1861, and eventually became part of the metropolitan area of the city of Naples. In 1969, the town changed its name from Resina to Ercolano, the Italian modernization of the ancient name in honor of the old city.