Extracts of Two Letters to Thomas Hollis, Esq; concerning the late Discoveries at Herculaneum

Read before the Royal Society on April 10, 1755, these two letters provide descriptions of some of the important items recovered during the excavation of the ruins of Herculaneum. The letters are "Extract of a Letter from Camillo Paderni, dated at Naples, January 1755" and "Copy of a Letter from a learned Gentleman of Naples, dated February 25, 1755, concerning the Books and antient Writings dug out of the Ruins of an Edifice near the Site of the old City of Herculaneum; to Monsignor Cerati, of Pia, F.R.S. sent to Mr. Baker, F.R.S. and by him communicated; with a Translation by John Locke, Esq; F.R.S.".

Herculaneum was an ancient Roman town destroyed by volcanic pyroclastic flows in 79 A.D. It is located in the Italian region of Campania in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. It is most famous for having been lost, along with Pompeii, Stabiae, Boscoreal and Oplontis, in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 which buried it in superheated pyroclastic material. It is also famous as one of the few ancient cities that can now be seen in almost its original splendour, because unlike Pompeii, its burial was so deep as to ensure building's upper storeys remained intact, and the hotter ash preserved wooden household objects (beds, doors etc.) and even food. Moreover Herculaneum was a wealthier town than Pompeii with an extraordinary density of fine houses, with far more lavish use of coloured marble cladding. The discovery in recent years of some 300 skeletons along the sea shore came as a surprise since it was known that the town itself had been largely evacuated. [Wikipedia] .

The item is a First Edition, extracted and disbound from The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Vol. 49, For the Year 1756, pages 109-115. This volume was published in 1757. The pages, which measure approximately 6 ¼ x 8 ½ inches, are tanned, but the text is clear and easily read. The overall condition of the item is good/very good.

The illustrations accompanying this description show the first page of the paper, the first page of the "Extract of a Letter from Camillo Paderni, dated at Naples, January 1755" , and the first page of the "Copy of a Letter from a learned Gentleman of Naples, dated February 25, 1755.

Thomas Hollis (April 14, 1720, London – January 1, 1774) was an English political philosopher and author. He was an active member of the Royal Society of Arts. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1757.[Wikipedia]

Camillo Paderni was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1755 [Wikipedia]

Gaspari Cerati (1690 – 1769) was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1736. [Wikipedia]