College of the Augustales (Sede degli Augustali)
Walk into the College of the Augustales and the first thing you notice is the scale — four thick columns rising from a cocciopesto floor, dividing the hall into three naves that once hosted the freedmen charged with running Herculaneum's imperial cult. This was civic life for men who had been enslaved, then freed, and who found in the Augustales a route to public standing and collective ritual.
The frescoes on the side walls are still here: Hercules welcomed into heaven by Jupiter, Minerva and Juno on one side; Hercules again, with Achelous and Deianira on the other. The shrine between the columns at the back was paved in polychrome African marble, much of it torn away by Bourbon excavators in the eighteenth century.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to linger at the custodian's room beside the sacellum — a small space with a bed, part wood and part masonry, where a man's charred body was found during excavation. It shifts the whole building from civic monument to something more personal. Give it time before moving on.
The story behind College of the Augustales (Sede degli Augustali)
The college was built late in the reign of Augustus — somewhere between 27 BCE and 14 CE — funded by two brothers, Aulus Lucius Proculus and Aulus Lucius Iulianus, who marked its consecration with a banquet for the town's decuriones and Augustales. The sacellum at its heart was probably added or rebuilt after the earthquake of 62 CE.
In 79 CE, Vesuvius buried everything under a deep layer of volcanic mud. Bourbon tunnellers reached the site in 1740, stripping statuary and most of the marble flooring while somehow overlooking the dedicatory inscription, which wasn't recovered until systematic open-air excavations in March 1960. The charred body of the custodian, found on his bed, was later examined by forensic anthropologist Pier Paolo Petrone, who identified vitrified brain material in the skull.
Good to know
Reach the site via Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi, then a short walk to Corso Resina 187. Entry is €16 standard; free on the first Sunday of each month. Spring and autumn visits are cooler and less crowded. Bags larger than 30×30×15 cm are not permitted on site.
Where is College of the Augustales (Sede degli Augustali)?
More tickets & tours for College of the Augustales (Sede degli Augustali)
Book directly at the provider
What travellers say about College of the Augustales (Sede degli Augustali)
The name of this location within Herculaneum is based on a tablet inscribed with a dedication to Augustus. The interior features vivid frescos of the life of Hercules.
More of Herculaneum
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Herculaneum →More attractions in Herculaneum
All of Herculaneum →
Background adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA) · map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ratings & place photos via Google · other photos with per-image credit. Ticket links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.