The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1878-05-23
A SILENT CITY.
How fsse Romans Lived Two Thousand
Years Ago.

Lvtton, in that Incompatible work,
/" The Last DAYS Of Pompeii." Eighteen
hundred years ago the city was full of
life. Nearly $4,000 people promenaded
its streets, and it was a scene of Roman
luxury and voluptuOusness. It's situation
on the sea made it a most fashionable
place of resort for the wealthy Romans,
and the emperor Claudius had his
pleasure house there and the great orator
Cicero a residence. It was likewise a
commercial seaport, and lively traffic
was carried on by its merchants. But in
August, A. d. 79, Vesuvius belched forth
q mass of burning lava, ashes, cinders,
hot 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, and for
nearly seventeen centuries Pompeii
remained dead to the world. About 100
years ago the entombed city was discovs
cred, and immediate action was taken to
excavate as much of the ruins as possi-
BILE.
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 over and miles OF
street have been brought to the light of
day. The buried portion is still covered
with tons upon tons of stones, ashes,
cindeTs and hardened mud to a depth of
from ten to twenty feet above the tops
of the houses. Over this are two feet of
rich soil, which is exceedingly product.
i've and covered with trees. The exhumed
portion of the city lies open to the
brighter sun, and is somewhat slightly
elevated above the level of the surround
| ing country. This city is now a perfect
picture of Roman city 1900 years ago.
! The streets, pavements, temples, images,
! theaters, dwellings, columns, household
goods, baths, arches, fountains, forums
shops of various trades, musical instru-
ments, weapons of war, implements of
| labor, marble and bronze statues, mos
aics, frescoes and drawings, dining
rooms, bedrooms and kitchens, with
their appropriate furniture; food for the
| hungry and medicine for the sick glass;
ware, vases and pottery; gems, medals
and corns and fruits, flowers and shrubs
are all seen as they were on the terrible
| night when the city was doomed to a
sudden destruction.
The streets are narrow, some not being
more than eight feet across, but they are
straight and regular. The pavement is
| composed of large fat stones or blocks of
lava, and the deep ruts cut in them by
| the Roman chariots are clearly percepti-
bic. At the crossings are large stepping
stones for the use of pedestrians SO as to
| keep their feet from the mud. Every
! thing in the streets was silent and death
| like. There were no human beings in
| the houses; no promenaders in the
streets ali were deserted. The dwelling
/ houses are generally small and one
stored they are built of stone and
brick, plastered on the outside with
mortar. An open court is in the center,
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
petrifed food. Beds and touches are in
the sleeping rooms,
In one of the kitchens was found 6
fowl put in the skillet, and q stew-paI
containing a small pig for roasting, al
prepared eighteen hundred years ago
Many beautiful mosaics were found OF
the floors, and elegant frescoes on the
walls, and they Look as bright and fresh
as if they had only been finished q few
years. The frescoes, pictures, mo
safes, and sculptures, and even Jew
houses
show terrible depTavity in morals. II
the House of the Vestals" upon the
door is still the word " SaIve," welcome
A mosaic with the representation of s
fierce dog, with the inscription, Cave
Canem," beware of the dog, is near the
threshold of 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, medicines anC
surgical instruments; in a third,
marble counter with stene liquor jar
behind it, and the stains made by the
wet glasses on the counter prove thai
this was drinking saloon. Then there
is an eating-house. Meats and deli
cacies are on the counter; fre@places Il
keep the soups and messes warm are still
IN the room. The same building con
tains grist mill and bakery. In the
bakers shop batch of loaves was found
which had been in the oven since the
oath of August, A. d. 20. The mil
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
I
feet broad. The ashes of victims were
found on its affairs. The skeleton OF q
priest, sitting at table on which was
spread meal, is here, while near the
door was another priest holding in his
skeleton hand Ratchet, with which he
had tried to cut his way out of the tenn
pie. Three hundred skeletons were dis
covered in the Temple of Juno al
crowded together and buried beneath the
] ashes. st the very hour of their destruc
ton the priestess was offering sacrifice
to the queen of the gods. The forum
occupies the central portion of the city
On each side are rows of columns and
long pertices which show the outline o
this spot Pedestals on which formerly
stood famous statues are dotted here anC
there. The public meetings were helC
in the forum, and q notice of such {
meeting called tor the very night wheI
the city was destroyed.
The amphitheater, which is about hal
a mile from the present excavations, is IL
a splendid state of preservation. It il
built of stone, is in the form of the
Colosseum at Rome, and was used for the
gladiatoTial shows. 1t is 40 feet long
by 335 feet wide. The stone steps sea-
$4,000 spectators. PlacaTds with the
announcement of theatrical performances
are still to be seen on the walls. The
doors, seats, pillars, entrances and caves
for the wild animals are as perfect az
they were 1000 years ago.
The Villa of Diomede." so called
because a tomb bearing that name was
found near by, and for this reason il
was supposed to have belonged TO &
Diomede, is the one that has been rem
dered famous by Bulwer's description O.
it. 1t stands just outside the " Her
culaneum Gate" and the supposed
owner was discovered in his garden, with
| @ hmnnh of kaus and q IIIrse yell illac