Villa of The Papyri

Coordinates: 40°48′28″N 14°20′40″E / 40.8078°N 14.3445°E / 40.8078; 14.3445 The Villa of the Papyri (Italian: Villa dei Papiri, and alternative spelling Villa de Papyri) is a private house in the ancient Roman city of Herculaneum (current commune of Ercolano, southern Italy). Situated north-west of the township, the residence sits halfway up the slope of the volcano Vesuvius without other buildings to obstruct the view. The villa suburbana was owned by Julius Caesar's father-in-law, Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus. In AD 79, the eruption of Vesuvius covered all of Herculaneum with some 30 m of volcanic ash. Its remains were first excavated in the years between 1750 and 1765 by Karl Weber by means of underground tunnels. Its name derives from the discovery of a library in the house containing 1,785 carbonized papyrus scrolls, the "Herculaneum papyri".

Read more about Villa Of The Papyri:  Ground Plan and Works of Art, Epicureanism and The Library, Excavation, J. Paul Getty Museum, In Modern Literature