, 1874-10-31

commenced through tne Bluo RrchWars. md they
Toro also found to DO tho openings Of corridors
ratllntlng from, that in the middle, to the lo,,cth
llowovor, Of only 24 metros, whom they turn at
right ai,glcB tho ono to tho rait, and the other
to tho loft, aud communicate With tho long cor
ritlor between them; tho ground nian bang that
ot blunt Wedgo With tho oni toward tie aroma.
or Of n dovotail with tho end from It, | 1unv
remark horo that tho floor Of tho pido corridors
ia OH II iovo' with the nronn, wh,lo tlat in tho
contre In about metro higher.
Ono great advantage TIM Government pos
sosscs III having man like
slaNoN nosA
at tue hoad Of tho Exccutional Department Ia
that. hoing an enGfueor of no inconaid erablo
man'ior. Having oroatcl = sufficiently largo re-
centaole whore water could gather, lie Lost no
tinio In taking the requisite precautions agaEnat
tin first spoil Of riot weather inundatfug tho ex-
saYatlon mud interrurt,ng hia WORK. to say Moth
ing Of Its possibly causing naarla. Cons sldering
that naval shows having been given In tho an.
phttheatro implied the necessary ARRANGEMENTS
not only for 0oodinE thn arena, but also for let.
ting on the Z, maior afterwards o commenced OK
built cloaca, about 2 metros in height.
Immediately boucash tho lonc corridor I
hayo mentioned, and n mo1ith opening
with It hotween tho door Of thiA cor
tho notnl grating to prevent solid bodies wash
ing down still in silk. Thip toaca hns been Hl,f-
fctcntly cleared to provide m outlet for any
water that might accumulate, and is in itself /
tolutton OF tho somewhat dcbated question
Wuother tho amphitheAtr0 wnH uned for 7lafl-
n'Gc'i'a or not. When tho side corridors wore
entirely cleared, = series Of circular holcs from
y TO so centimetrea in diameter wcra found
along tho eentrR! line OF oacl'. On examination
eolorod bronze. Each is block Of metal IL coi-
tlmotres square, with doyetails projecting on
two sides to hold them firm on tho blocEp Of
stone into which thoy are ret. tbs depth Of The
aocketa betng from 26 to 30 centimetros, aud
each having convex bottom.
Signor Rosa 10 Of opinion that those silo cor
rldols we're, 10 TO BAY, the docks for tho ealloya
used IN t4o naval showa, md TINT rlio sockets
we're to hold upright posts to which they could
be moored and kept orcct TIL tioro ras sufficient
water for them to nont. Considering, however,
that ID each corridor OF "a 1notroa In length there
arc ak Of theao sockets, ut distancou apart
gradually losseniug from ! metrea 80 aentimo-
troB at tho opening to metres 30 centimotrcs at
the and, this can scarcely bo possible, aud I an
inclined to think Ill tho soclets haye all tho ap-
poarauce OF having been made for pvotH to turn
IN thcns. that they mark tic positions OF swing
gates, which, whe,l closed, formed SO many pens,
one behind the Other, from which
GROUPS or ANIMALS
could pc lot looso tn succession on the aroua;
thst tue anin,als wore brought through tha
long central paasage, and by, tho sido
communications into the lateral corridors
a. fsr ns the first gate, Which WAS olosod that,
having beca driven up to this, tho uecond gate
was closed upon them; that otAerB wore thon
lod or driven III, and the third gato closed, and
10 OH to the sixth, and tint theso gates wore
snnng open 10 succession ct the proper time for
letting tho boasts loose il tho arena. This could
bo douo With ropea, or nlnr forcing ana corner
Of the cato back to lot tho aniuuls cscapo by the
other could take shelter behind 1t as it rcvolye1.
Ae have n,entiouod, these corridorn 1erc Allod
with solid clsy, no doubt deposited during mum
dations Of tho Tiber, tho vator washing back
through tho cloacte AZ 1t dooH now when tho
Pantheon IL flooded, and, from these great
bronzo aoekets being in sit's, aud no holes taYing
Of the building. to abstract tho metal c!ampu, 1t
Ii evident that this portion Of the AmpAitheatre
must havo become covered with deposit at
comparatively early period. possibly also tnmcd.-
given, aud before MI tho bodies of those sausll-
tered hatl boon removed, for number Of bones
of wild beABt4 wore found in nne Ut tho cotriaora
DeucribinX tho end Of tho longer nxis OF the
bnilng towards tho La.eran where these dis
coverles have been made al tho sast ond 1t III
very neary,-yonr readers will understand mo
whom sRY that tho whole OF the front Of tho
podiuln has been cleared rs far rs tho northern
end OF tho 1efacr axts--that toward the Esqui-
line. Hero, exactly IN liun with tue axis,
1t the eabt end, openR from the Arena. This
hha not got been eeared, but an opening has
been made outside Tho building, and it lB seen to
exton2 inward aud outward. There arc lateral
AAG1 " aa4 As sAGAC LII GLEt&f1HM 10
the North: ne may s!ippoao this to have bsen m
entrance tor the Elaaiators and besIarti only,
aud possibly for the removal Of tho dead bodies
Conadcring tho perfectly symmetrical plan
upon which tile Colosseum Waa built,
We MAY REASONABLY 1EFER
that On the pouth side toward the Coelan another
corridor will DO found corresponding to that on
the north ; anaat the woat end toward tho Forum
throe otbere, or at any rato ono other. corre-
spending to thoeo at tue eaBt. Your readers will
that rho Ai1a tnxbr1 thr f,alint,
laeeasa beneath tho modern lovel was known to
exist, and, in fact, portion of it has been open
from 2bovo for nlany years, but II passes unuor
tho fourth arcl, fran. the cantta toward the east.
stuccA ornaments found on the ysulting, it ts
believed to DO tho, private. pasaage bulls
hy Comuodus aud in which Quintinnua
nlada tho attempt to sasssainAte him.
fur on that sido to show il it openu on tho
Arena but its courss is haing followed on tho
outside OF tho blildng, end it III soen tint, after
continuing onward for short Distance, it turns,
nearly at a right angle, toward tho cast in the
from tho long corridor running eastward. The
direction OF thaae passages would seem to iuai-
cato their junction ut point further on, 10 Tint
together they would lead to and from. the
uiuariuns Oh tlo Ctclian but IS ii can scarcely
bo supposed that the decorated corridor Of Com.
nodus led to ulcnagcric--and, in fact. thcYs IL
no positive authority for The nlolesn conjecture
that Que mas altnated tlero-it ia }lrobabla tlat
theso corridors led to the G1aaiatorial schools,
tho Latlus }fatutiuus and Galsicus, aud the
Spo'tariup.t Laniariuha, ao1 characterization,
mentioned in the neg1onary Catalogues. Iiia,
howevor, in the mehntime, IN but conjecture,
and the object OF my letter Is to report aacor-
tanned facts.
Theae excavations have established boyoud
doubt that the arena was not movable plAt-
form, with de,,B rocoplacleH below fron, Which
tho bosstH uoro introduced into II hut the co,-
structions below tho modern level, which loa to
and aec1nud to justify this supposision, belong
to worry lato poriod; that they arc snperni-
posed apon tho areua, and, for whateysr pur-
pose tlioy wcro built, ~ far too Bmall TO iIavo
contained tho larger animals, even Bing1y that
tho arona was a solid floor, and thnt upon 1t
debouched q nunl>or OF great corrldoru, having
aeries OF lateral chambers. sufficiently large to
justify tho records u the number of animals
exhibited together, while tue eloaca which Asa
boon found with q grated opening proves that
naval shows Horo given within the building.
'Ihere Ia no longer any difficulty in uuder-
standing
ALL TIE DETAILS
connected with tho Hpectacle given in tho amphi-
theatre. The enormous openings yaMliuK upon
tho arena give vivid reality to tho descriptions
Of the nceneH onco es,actcd within these walls;
but little Imagination is non wanted to repcoplo
tue ranges oil seats With tho mighty concoaIsa