Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-02-21
Prehistoric POmpeii.

Corresponding Secretary OF the Anti
quarian and Numismatic Society:
The great antiquity of man has
been fully established by recent geo
logical discoveries. Even in the most
remote ages TO which historic tradition
extends, we find man already existent
with certain degree of moral and in
tellectual development; but long be-
lore reaching to that point, through
Wearlsome ages he had slowly travelled
the stages intermediate between a
mere savage life and even the first step
toward civilization. Over this i'm
mense period history lies silent. and
to its length we cannot even approx
mate by guess, but geology opens to
us It's hidden secrets. Everything
that relates to these obscure beginnings
of human life appeals to the attention
OF everyone interested in the grand
problem of our origin, and of the laws
which regulate the evolution of our
race upon the surface of the earth.
A recent discovery adds to the al
ready acquired stock of knowledge
OF the habits of primitive man.
1t tells us Of their buildings and
of their disappearance just before
the end of the prehistoric times be-
meath the sudden violence of vol
cano. Like III the eruption which de-
stroyed by the cinders of Vesuvius
Herculaneum and Pompeii, the dwell
ers in the village Of whom | am about
to eXhume the remains were cut
down in the midst of their avocations
of everyday life. Their tools, vases
and domestic utensils have remained
during thousands of years in the same
place where their owners rested them.
Enshrouded in thick covering of
pumice, these old records of the first
annals of humanity have remained I'M
touched till a happy accident has
granted to science the privilege of con-
sulting them. Some few of the con-
structions of this village contempt
raneous with the stone age have been
LAID open, but much more whose place
can be easily determined remains hid
den under the bed of pumice, promis-
ing to the future explorer a rich har-
vest of objects of the highest interest
possessed equally by those already dis
covered.
Therasia, Sautorin and Aspronisi
are volcanic group Of islands in the
Greek Archipelago. Aspronisi is
built of light material which the ac-
ton of the waters yearly crumbles
away. The other two are in the form
of horseshoe, and are composed of
black lava and volcanic rocks, etc.
The first discovery was made at The
rasia in the working of tufa Ga soft,
sandy gravel-stone.) Heavy stone
masses were found at the lower part
of the soil. diminishing the mercan-
tile value of the product and making
heavy the toll. These stone blocks
were regularly placed, and were evil
IDENTIFY the ridges of walls.
The workmen and owners knew that
they were ancient walls, but their oc-
currence was so frequent that it at
tracted no special attention on their
part. The first attention of the
learned was called to these discoveries
by Mr.. Christomanos, Professor of
Chemistry in the University of Ath-
ems, who had accidentally visited the
localities.
1t was at first thought these struct-
ures were tombs, but it was subse-
quently Individually settled that they
had been human habitations, and had
been covered up by the tufa under vol
canic disturbance, and had never been
disturbed from that day to the present
time.
The principal dwelling revealed by
the excavations is made of six stones
of unequal size, the largest being six
meters long and five meters wide: the
smallest, a square stone, is two and a
half meters on each side. OF one the
walls is prolonged and returns on it
self SO as to circumscribe Il sort of
court eight meters long. with only one
entrance. In one of the angles of this
Enclosure there is a cylindrical piece
of masonry with hollow interior,
about one meter higher than the
ground. y
The method of masonry of these
walls is entirely different from that
pucuced at the present time in
fheraSia and Sautorin, Neither lime
nor pozLolano enters l.. them. They
are formed of a series OF irregular UNI
hewn blocks OF lava placed one ON an
other without order. with the inter-
Stlces filled with a reddish volcanic
clGdcr deprived of cohesion.
Between the interstices of the stones
the long and tortuOuS branches of the
a|fN-a rvs4 Nrar4 f,npi fha,,,ga1,-a. : =,
am advanced state of decomposition,
the wood being of a hlackish brown.
as Il carbouiZed, and failing into
powder on the least contact.
lhe north front is pierced with two
windows. Another window and a door
have been traced ON the other sides,
and between the different chambers
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