Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1860-08-30

been busily occupied for several da.
in viewing and reviewing the mo-
Doted ruins of ancient Rome; anon
which aretemples erected to the men
J, ory and worship of the Pagan God
d the Roman Forum, public baths an
8 monuments reared to the memory {
. kings and emperors; many of tbel
: dating long anterior to the Christa
Era. Among the Heathen temple
, the celebrated and ever memorabl
: PANTHEON stands pre-eminent, and i
the best preserved monument of an
: cient architecture, being almost en-
tire. 1t was built by Agrippa TWEEN
ty-seven years before our Era.-
It's a circular edilice; the wills o
! which are surrounded by a magnifcen
dome one hundred and Gorty-two fee
in diameter, with walls twenty fee
thick, which seem TO indicate that il
} was built 90 last forever. In the
center of Ia is vast dome is an sper.
ture twenty-eight feet in diameter
supplying the only light which the
temple receives. The rain which
falls through this opening, is carried
off by an opening in the center Of
the pavement which is made Of por-
lpbyry and various coiored marble
arranged in tasty devices. The i'm
mense lrouze Goors of the principal
opening are in an excellent state OF
preservation. The peculiar form OF
the Pantheon renders it well adapted
to a christian temple. Its inches
once occupied by the statues o!
pagan dei:ies are now converted into
modern altars filled with sy mbols of
Christianity and dedicated to the
service OF the Catholic Church. -
The COLISEUM of which We have
heard aud read so much, is, uuques.
tionably, the most wonderful and stu
p endous ruin iu the world. No de.
'scription or drawing can do justice
to the reality. AS is we'll known this
is a vast s1phitheatre, and, like sll
similar structures, is elliptical in form;
used in ancient times for gladiatorial
combats and deadly strife between
men, usually prisoners Of war, and the
most ferocious Of wild beasts, for the
amusement of the Romans. The
COLISEUM belongs to the period Of
the Emperors, and was dedicated by
Titus in the year so, just ten years
after the destruction Of Jerusalem.
and, it said, that many thousand |
captive Jews were forelbly employed
in its construction. Gladatorial
spectacles and bloody conflicts were
enacted in its arena for four hundred
years, and history informs Us, that.
at its dedication, five hundred wild
beasts were slaughtered, and the
games, in honor of the event, lasted
one hundred days. During the per-
secution of the Christians in the
early ages this amphitheatre was the
scene of fearful barbarties. During
the reign of Tragan,St. lguatius WAS
brought here from Antioch to be de.
youred by wild beasts, aud church
history is filed with instances Of
mar.yrdom in its arena for the cause
ot Christianity. To give you an
idea Of the extent of this noble
structure, / will state that it GOV.
cred six acres OF ground snd was
capable of holding eighty thousand
spectators; Is six hundred feet in d.
ameter, and the outer walls. one
hundred aud sixty feet in height;
the whole built OF massive blocks Of
travertine rocks, and, originally |
bound together by heavy iron clamps.
In the interior, the centre, Of course,
is occupied by the arena where the
wild beasts and human victims met
in deadly conflict to amuse and en-.
tertain the luxurious Romans
Around this arena were seats arranged
on an inclined plain reaching to the
top Of the upper story and divie ed
of to sui: the various classes Of spec
tators; those in front being for the
Emperor, Senators and Vestol Vir.
gins held 80 sacred in those days.
The interior is said 10 have been lined
with marble, and the whole covered
with q richly decorated awning to
protect from the sun and inclement
weather. One side OF this noble
ruin is still entire, but the larger
portion has suffered greatly by inva.
ding armies and the sacrilsgious hands
Of the ncdern Romans who have
robbed II of the marble CrneUeflts,