The Suburban District lies outside the town walls to the south of Insula Orientalis I. It is accessed via the Marina Gate at the southern end of Cardo V (also from a narrow ramp at the southern end of Cardo IV). It is the ancient waterfront area and includes the Suburban Thermae and a large sacred area of which little remains except for a marble statue and altar. The photograph (right) is a view of Herculaneum looking north-east towards Vesuvius. The buildings along the escarpment at the southern end of Insula IV are (from left to right) the House of the Mosaic Atrium and the House of the Deer. The access ramp to the Suburban District is visible next to the sacred area (bottom right).

Terrace of M. Nonius Balbus

The Terrace of Marcus Nonius Balbus lies at the foot of the ramp from Cardo IV. It gives access to the Suburban Thermae to the east and to the Sacred Area to the west. .. .. Lying directly over the boathouses that lined the shore, it must have provided magnificent views over the Bay of Naples. The statue of Herculaneum's benefactor,M. Nonius Balbus, together with a memorial altar occupy pride of place on the terrace.

Suburban Thermae The Suburban Thermae seem to have been a gift to the town by Proconsul Nonius Balbus. His statue and a memorial altar once stood in front of the building, which also gave access to the house thought to be the Balbus home. The Suburban Thermae held up remarkably well against the eruption. The fact that the shoreline was pushed nearly half a mile out to sea shows that the volcanic avalanche had not lost any of its strength when it reached the baths. The building owes its survival to its construction - walls of brick-faced concrete with vaults supporting the roof. Debris pouring in through a skylight and filling the interior may also have helped its survival by offsetting the pressure from outside. .. The main entrance to the baths consists of a portal with columns supporting a gable. The vestibule, pictured above and opposite, has a pierced vault supported by four plain columns topped by rounded arches. The vestibule give access to all areas of the baths. As can be seen in the adjoining photographs, a marble bust of Apollo stands on a pilaster which used to emit a stream of water into the basin below. Unlike the Central Thermae, these baths were not segregated, and were probably used alternately by both sexes. A single room, most of which is occupied by a pool, served as a combined apodyterium and frigidarium. Between this room and the tepidarium was a waiting area decorated with splendid stuccoes and marbles together with marble benches along each of the walls. The tepidarium, with its large pool, adjoins a rather small laconicum. The caldarium has a pool that was used for hot swims, and a basin that provided cold water. The photograph on the right is of the frigidarium come apodyterium. In the extreme left of the photograph is a door that was plugged (and remains so) by the volcanic debris from the eruption. Beyond the caldarium is the boiler room which served the whole complex.

The Sacred Area (Area Sacra)

.. This area contained two sacelli at its western end and, like the Terrace of M. Nonius Balbus, was built over boathouses lining the ancient shore. ..

The Area Sacra lies to the west of the Terrace of M. Nonius Balbus, accessed by a passageway at its eastern end where the ramp from Cardo IV joins the terrace. .. .. In the western-most sacellum, the Sacellum of the Four Gods (far left beyond the building with the green door in the top photograph) are displayed three magnificent altar reliefs (pictured opposite). One of the reliefs is shown in detail above. The reliefs on site are, unfortunately, just modern copies, but the originals can be seen in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples.

Shoreline

.... Close by, escape boats were found that the fleeing inhabitants had, unfortunately, not been able to use. ,, Dr Sara Bisel, a physical anthropologist from the United States, was called in to oversee the excavation and study the bones. .. .. Through the chemical analysis of those remains, Dr Bisel was able to gain greater insight into the health and nutrition of the citizens of Herculaneum. ,, Her analysis showed that the average male citizen stood 1.70m tall while his female counterpart was in the order of 1.55m.

In 1981, Italian public works employees, under the direction of Dr. Giuseppe Maggi, found bones next to the ancient beach whilst digging a drainage trench. Twelve stone boathouses lined the shoreline: it would appear that some inhabitants had probably taken shelter in these boathouses to wait for the worst of the eruption to pass. ,, ..

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Their teeth were in better condition than their contemporary equivalent, thanks to a lack of sugar in their diet. Quantities of lead were found in some of the skeletons, however, which led to speculation of accidental lead poisoning via the water supply (which was carried through lead piping) and from drinking cheap wine sweetened with syrup boiled in lead pots. Among the artifacts found were surgical instruments and women's jewelry. The skeleton of a woman in the photograph above still wears two rings on her left hand.

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