Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1868-04-16
Rsssn. ArshasIsgIsaI DI.ssy.rIs.

\
ment among those who keep themselves
az fuit Of these matters, for as real
news or information travels but slowly
through the native and foreign circles
here, there are many birds.of-passage
visitors probably who will just now
come and 20 without even hearing that
another tract OF the ancient city, con.
cealed for centuries under accumulated
soil-though lost TO sight, not even tc
memory dear has, within the last two
or three weeks, been discovered by
means OF private excavation Of valu'
able Oriental marbles in vineyard by
the Tiber. A well-known italian scnlp-
tor resident In Rome, not long since
purchased for a long term Of years
(which is the way we do things here)
a vineyard from the Prince Tor.
lonia, with the very usual understand
ing that he was at liberty to build upon
or excavate the ground purchased.
This small piece OF property below the
Ayentine Hill, on the road to st. Pauls-
beyond-the-walls, lies close to the mar
ble-yard, the Marmorata, large space
by the riverside, to which are brought
and left to lie till purchased the mar.
BILE masses hewn at Oarrara or brought
from other quarters for sale in Rome.
Here come Che seulptors of all nations
to select promising looking blocks OF
purest marble, which too often nnfor-
tuuately prove to be snare and de-
lusion, revealing under the blows of
the mallet and chisel dark spots and
imperfeotions, and blue veins, as the
form begins 10 be developed from
the shapeless fragment; sometimes,
indeed, turning out so entire a fail
ure on these accounts as to require
its entire remuneration Witness the
refuse heap in any back room or yard
of a popular sculptor's studio in Rome.
When one hears possible purchasers
cayiling at the slightest speck on the
marble purity. one cannot help think
ing them ver.exacting, as the most to
he required should be that such wen
or spot do not injure the general effect,
and if valuable antique statue were
in question, color and stains and all
would not cause the gem to be under
valued by the collector. But it is Of
the ancient and not the modern marble
ward / was going to tell you. This au-
tioue deposit has for some time been
to be not far away from the
site Of the present Marmorata, but the
matter had never excited more than
antiquarian theory and interest, till
some weeks ago the purchaser of the
yround possessed himself, with very
little difficulty and expense compare
lively, of some large blocks Of the rar-
,st marbles. On most of the larger
blocks are to be read inscriptions in-
Heating their destination, generally the
lame Of an emperor, probably SO
lirected before they left the
4recian quarry or other favored spot
or the adornirg of the Imperial City.
IN one piece which saw in that sculp-
or's studio, awakened into beauty after
is long-hidden slumber, not by the
land of'the fairy prince but by that Of
he marble polisher, was to be deci-
,hered in rude rough letters some two
nches high, IMP. DOMITIANO. AVG. !
III. COS. This was block of the
narble of Jassus, q city of Caria, owing
Is popular and more generally known
Iane of Porto Santa to the fact of its
,eing used to sdorn the Porto Santa at
Il. Peters. During long series of
ears have pieces Of marble been found
a this vicinity, more or less near to
he present surface of the ground, and
et, strange to say, the Government |
ere required the FLIP given by this
iece of private success to spur them
p to the undertaking. But the spirit
i interest seems at length aroused -
Iess than three weeks since commits
ion with the Government Arch@olo.
lst, Signor Visconti, at its head, was
ct at work to dig in the accumulated |
lbbIsh and clay to see what might be
lade of the coujectured position Of the !
larble grounds of old Rome.
Strange that SO many centuries
hould have gone by in city 30 proud
D rear, age after age, its churches aud |
g princely palaces out Of precious
marbles torn from the Colosseum, the
wsllings of the Caesars and the Impe- |
al mausoleums; and the pl9ce OF all |
theirs where the rich materials could |
ave been obtained without the de-
bruction of monuments that should |
ave been their pride and glory, has |
cen so utterly overlooked and forgot
On that the actual position was mat
sr of conjecture, Iwent down yes.
srdsy and found Visconti there in the |
lidst of few spectators, chiefly anx-
1us German antiquarians from the |
russian Academy, on the Capitoline,
nd about fifty laborers. The latter
ad inst uncovered Q magnificent block |
cipollino, the marble of Eubea (the |
lodern Negroponte), and we're turning |
p every moment chips and frag-
tents OF more precious kinds
10 huulTeu IOItO Duutd aOOFo |
rich colored rosso antico
nd verde antico; the marble from
Scio's rocky isle," the finely tinted |
.fricano; and white Pentelic and |
'arian. There they lay, deeply EN-
edded, three or four strata deep, with |
columns, broken shafts,
nd shapely blocks, taking ones fancy |
ack to the days when this long hidden |
round was the busy scene Of the la
ors Of the galley-slayes. Here they |
rought the marbles from Asia. Africa, |
I'd Greece, to be fashioned by slave
abor into adornment for the temples |
nd the homes, the tombs and the |
Ionorary trophies Of the one time
casters Of the world. The workmen
lad few days before come upon q
,ortion Of the ancient Via Mafmorea
n the most perfect state OF preserve
ion possible, the brick work and opus
eticnlstum looking as If IL might have
,eeu left completed but yesterday.
Here arc the perforated blocks Of stone
or attaching the bargeS to the land
ng places, che sloping way up from
he waters edge, and as yet but twenty
)r thirty feet have been freed from the