The Herculaneum Women and the Origins of Archaeology

About 1710, three life-size marble statues of women were found near Portici on the Bay of Naples. This discovery led to further exploration of the site, which was soon identified as the ancient city of Herculaneum, one of the towns buried in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. The statues became famous throughout Europe as the "Herculaneum Women." First brought to Vienna, they have been in the Antiquities Collection in Dresden since 1736.
This book presents for the first time in a…