The daily gazette., 1878-05-25
A SILENT CITY.
HOW THE ROMANS LIVED TWO THOUSAND

| ,ho Meuiterfanean, anu tile season has
oeen one round for gayety. All the tour
! iSts 40 Pfomeii, as the the saying is
rms city has been rendered familiar to
Americans by the late novelist, Lord
Lytton, in that Incompatible work, ''The
last Days Of Pompeii." Eighteen hun
urea years ago the city was full of life
Nearly 3O,OOO people promenaded its
streets, and it was scene of Roman lux
| ury ana voluptuousness. Its situation
on the sea made it most fashionable
place of resort for the wealthy Romans,
ana the Emperor Ciaudius had his plea
| sure house there, and the great orator,
| Cicero, residence. 1t was likewise a
commercial seaport, and lively traffic
was carried on by the merchants. But
In August, A. ID. 20 VesuvIus belched
forth mass of burning lava, ashes, Gin
| ders, not water and mud, and the town
was totally buried. Since that period
other .eruptions have heaped up more
volcanic matter on the site of the city,
ana Tor nearly seventeen centuries
| Pompeii remained dead to the world.
| About one hundred years ago the entom-
| Ded city was discovered, and immediate
actlon was taken to excayate as much of
| the ruins as possible.
| The work has been going steadily on,
but not more than one-half of the CITY
has yet been eXhumed Still many acres
| have been dug ever, and many miles of
| street have been brought to the light of
day. The buried portion is still covered
with tons upon tons of stones, ashes Gin
ders and hardened mud, to depth of
from ten to twenty feet above the tops
of the houses. Over this are two feet of
rlch SOIL, which are exceedingly produc-
tive and covered with trees. The ex-
| humed portion of the city hes open to
the bright sun, and is somewhat elevated
above the level of the surrounding coun-
| try. This city is now perfect picture
OF Roman city 1900 years ago. The
streets, pavements, temples, images,
theatres, dwellings, columns, household
| gods, baths, arches, fountains, forums,
| shops of various trades, musical instru-
| mems, weapons of war, implements of
labor, marble and bronze statues, mosacs
frescoes, drawings, dining-rooms, bed
rooms, kitchens, with their appropriate
furniture food for the hungry and medi-
cine for the sick; glassware, vases and
pottery; gems, medals and coins, and
| and fruits, flowers and shrubs, are all
seen as they were on the terrible night
when the the city was doomed to a sud-
i deu destruction.
The streets are narrow, some not be-
| ing more than eight feet across but they
are straight aud regular. The pavement
is composed of large flat stones or blocks
OF lava, and the deep ruts cut in them
by the Roman chariots are clearly per-
cepuble. At the crossing are large STEP
ping stones for the use of pedestrians, SO
as to keep their feet from the mud. Ev-
ervthing in the street was silent and
deathlike there were no human beings
in the houses, no promenaders in the
streets all were deserted. The dwelling
houses are generally small and one stor,
led they are built of stone and brick
plastered on the outside with mortar
An open court is in the centre, and the
different rooms are arranged around in
the Oriental style. Most of the roofs are
destroyed, having been crushed down by
the weight of the ashes. In the dining
rooms the tables are of stone, and many
are covered with petrified food. Beds
and couches are in the sleeping-rooms.
In one of the kitchens was found a
fowl put in the skillet, and stew-pan
containing small pig, for roasting, all
prepared 300 years ago. Many beauti.
ful mosaicsi were found on the floors
| and elegant frescoes on the walls, and
they look as bright and fresh as if they
had only been finished few years. The
frescoes, pictures, mosaics, sculptures
and even jewelry, discovered in some of
the houses show a terrible depravity in
morals. Many are so indecent that the
| public are not allowed to look at them
In the "House of the Testals," upon the
| door sill is the word "Salve," welcomel.
A mosaic with the representation of a
fierce dog, with the inscription "Cave
canem," (beware of the dog5, is near the
| "House of the Tragic Poet"
In the streets are many shops which
still have the signs over the doorways.
| In one there is some marble partly
sculptured, with the artists tools lying
around in another, medi cines and sur
| gical Instruments ; in a third, marble
counter with stone liquor Jars behind it
and the stains made by the wet glasses
on the counter prove that this was a
drinking saloon. Then there is an eat
ing house. Meats and delicacies are on
the counter fireplaces to keep the soups
and mesSes warm are still in the room.
The same building contains a grist mill
and bakery. In the bakers shop a
batch of loaves was found which had
been in the oven since the 14th of August
| A. ID. 20. The mill was turned by horse
power
The various temples that have been
exhumed contain idols made of marble,
| silver and gold The temple of Isis is
eighty-fonr feet long and seventy feet
broad. The ashes of victims were found
I on its altars. The skeleton of a priest,
| sitting at table at which was spread "a
meal, is here, while near the door was
|
| hatchet, with which he had tried to cut
his way out of the temple. Three hun
| dred skeletons were discovered in the
| Temple of Juno, all crowded together
| and burned beneath the ashes. AT the
very hour of their destruction the priests
Were offering sacrifice to the Queen of
| the Gods. The forum occupies the CEN
tral portion of the city. On each side
are rows of columns and long porticoes,
| which show the outline of this spot.
Pedestals on which formerly stood
| famous statues are here and there. The
public meetings were held in the forum,
and notice had been found of such a
| meeting called for the very night when
| the city was destroyed.
The amphitheatre, which is about half
| a mile from the present eXcavatio ons lis in
| a splendid state of preservation. 1t is
| built of stone, is in the form of the Colos-
| scum at Rome, and was used for the
gladitorial shows. 1t is 43O feet long by
325 feet wide. The stone steps seat 10, :
| 600. Placards with the announcement
| of theatrical performances are still to be
| seen on the walls. The doors, seats, pill
| lars, entrances, and caves for the wild
animals are as perfect as they were two
| thousand wears ago.