This gate was certainly one of the most important in the town. All the carts and wagons coming from the harbour passed through the Porta Ercolano, as did all commercial traffic heading towards Naples. The gate was also known as the Porta Salis, the Gate of Salt, because it led to the "Salinae Herculeae" salt works which may have been situated on the coast near the mouth of the river Sarno.
Beyond the Porta Ercolano gate on Via dei Sepolcri we find the tombs built between the founding of the colony (80 B.C.) and the destruction of the town (79 A.D.). The commonest types of tombs were those with an aedicula, those with an Exedra, and those surrounded by a wall or fence with an altar on a podium. However, we also find monumental funeral buildings with seats for the relatives of the dead, such as that of Marcus Cerrinus Restitutus.
This gate was certainly one of the most important in the town. All the carts and wagons coming from the harbour passed through the Porta Ercolano, as did all commercial traffic heading towards Naples. The gate was also known as the Porta Salis, the Gate of Salt, because it led to the "Salinae Herculeae" salt works which may have been situated on the coast near the mouth of the river Sarno.
Beyond the Porta Ercolano gate on Via dei Sepolcri we find the tombs built between the founding of the colony (80 B.C.) and the destruction of the town (79 A.D.). The commonest types of tombs were those with an aedicula, those with an Exedra, and those surrounded by a wall or fence with an altar on a podium. However, we also find monumental funeral buildings with seats for the relatives of the dead, such as that of Marcus Cerrinus Restitutus.
Gallery 10