Mozart &
Material Culture

Souvenirs

Pietro Fabris, Herculaneum and Pompeii, c1770.jpg

Pietro Fabris, Herculaneum and Pompeii, c1770

Ancient Roman town below Mt Vesuvius, destroyed in the eruption of 79AD and rediscovered in 1709; major archaeological digs began there in 1738.

Mozart Relevance

On 9 June 1770 Leopold Mozart wrote to his wife: 'Next week we’ll be visiting the 2 buried cities [Pompeii and Herculaneum], where entire rooms from classical antiquity are currently being excavated.' The next week, on 16 June 1770, he wrote: 'On Monday and Tuesday [18-19 June] etc. we’re going to take a closer look at Vesuvius, Pompei and Herculaneum – the towns that are currently being excavated – and admire the curiosities that have already been discovered.'

Location
Herculaneum