The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-05-06

Narro's text IN the nilite" NJ"
sense that the Rostra was more V,
less symmetrically parallel to the facade %
the C,Iria and faced from IL; but one eur
fee NAV be In front Of another whne
facing either toward or from II, or stanu-
ing at n right or any other angle TO 1t. IN IKE
manner the text OF Asconius, prope )nnctd
Curip, and Cicero's sarcastic reference
(DrO MiiOne) to the tribune, who, whilethe
Curia. where the body Of Clodius bad lust
been burned, was in flames, went on speak.
ing from the Rosfra until he was scorcheu
and Obliged to fly, have, taken together,
been considered a proof that the Rostra
was not only near the Curia, but so near
as almost TO touch il. The ruins show that
II Is by no means so close as that; but, re-
Numbering how the fronts Of the houses
on The opposite side OF Cheapside to that
where the fire took place In September,
1881, were blistered. the windows broken
bv the heat. and. the goods WITHIN
them damaged, / am convinced that "A con-
tlagration such as that which included the
long range of the Curia buildings, together
with the BasilIica Portia and other ediilces
adjacent must speedily have made the
position of n person speaking from THIS
Rostra unbearable. The ruins fully corroD-
crate tbe record OF Dion Cassius that the ola
| Rostra stood in the middle Of the Forum.
| The first thing the Romans in the days OF
| the republic saw. on entering the Forum ny
| wav Of the Sacra Via. was this Rostra. the
most prominent object, bristling with lis 81
beaks, exactly in the middle before them.
| I'm the days OF the Gracchi, for instance. the
public portion OF the Forum was an open
| a-ea, mincumbered by monuments. Inc
somewhat loose term middle" can thefe-
| fore only be taken TO mean either the MD
die OF one of the sides or one OF the ends.
Donatus, Nardini, Nibby, and other eX-
| ponents of Roman topography anterior
TO the commencement OF the eXcaNa-
tons at the beginning OF this cen
tury. placed the Rostra in the mid
die Of the side under the Palatine,
according TO their conception OF The
! situation OF the Forum. The indisputable
evidence OF the rum themselves now show
| that the old ROstra stood at the middle OF
the more important end; but when 1t Is
also considered that the Comitium behind
il, and whatever else, anterior TO the build
ing Of the Temple Of Concord, Il. c. 300,
on the Nulcanal, occupied the extended
| space back as far as the Tabularium, was
also as distinctly a part OF The Forum as
for instance, the long and spacious trl-
bune of st. Peters, behind the high altar,
/, a part Of that church, il will be seen that
this RoStra may be described with sum
| cient e%Xactness az standing in the middle,
not merely Of the end OF the Forum. bul
OF the whole area OF the Forum In its full
extension.
At its commencement the area OF the
| n-..... ,..,. Cpa1ral1xr haenrninp tnn smql
for the steadily increasing amount OF bust
ness caused By the growth Of the city and
The spread Of the Roman dominions. TO
liticll leaders and popular dcmagogueS,
| finding the busy. noisy end, where the
| Rostra was situated in front OF the
Comitium, i%nconvenient for public
meetings. began TO seek in preference
the larger area before the Temple OF
Castor and PolluX, at the other extremity
The lofty flight OF broad steps leading ur
| into If afforded as convenient . platform as
tbe Rostra itself. From the year IS b. &.
we have many records OF large and often
turbulent. meetings held there, and Caesar
frequently addressed the people from The
steps OF that Temple. But i'm addition IL
The advantages the space presented. and the
| inducement Of the Temple being in close
| vicinity to his residence, the Regia, there
| were still more important reasons why
Cesar preferred that locality, and finally
| constructed another Rostra there, known
for a time as the New ROStra. Among
| other great works he commenced for the
Improvement and establishment OF the
city was the rebuilding. on a grander scale
Of the Basilica Sempronia, on the western
side OF the Forum nearest 10 the Rostfl'
and the opening up on the northeast sidC
| behind the Curia Of that extension to re-
lieye the press OF business on the Forum,
called after him the Forum C9Saris. Cice'
no. writing to Atticus, tells how G0,00O,0 0C
of sesterceS had been paid for the private
| houses demolished to clear the ground,
The building operations connected with
| these two grand undertakings, one i'm
mediatelv on the left, and the other close
TO the right-hand corner OF the Rostra, The
| carriage OF the great blocks OF stone and
other building materials, the cOncOurSe Of
| workmen, and all the attendant noise and
| hustle, must have rendered the use OF the
| Rostra absolutely impraciicable, except on
those important occasions for which il may
be supposed the works were suspended
for the moment. >
Two orators platforms, therefore. were
in existence when Augustus died-thc ole
Rostra. Of which the remains have o
been uncovered at the northwest eXtremi
" OF the Forum, aud the ltOStra called The
Julian. in front OF the Temple OF Julius
Caesar at the southeast extremity. 1t ha'
been supposed that the Rostra Julia wa
built bv Augustus at the same time will
the Temple he erected In honor OF his un.
4 49,. A.. ..-t ,-l,ra he L.1.v x~aa LttYnn1
but in the entire absence OF any evidence
in proof OF this, il is most reasonable, tax
ingaIl the circumstances into consideration
to conclude that the platform built by CG.
sar at the southeast extremity Of The Forum,
though first called the new Rostra, was nc
other than that aiterward known a. the
Julian; thai Augustus built the Temple
behind, and towering above, the platform
Of the Rostra, on one OF higher elevation
as we see them existing now, and that the
Forum Of Julius and the Basilica Julia be
ing finished, the Curia rebuilt and the
neighborhood OF the old Rostra restored
to ITS normal condition, the beaks, which
had been removed for saiety's sake by in.
Illus, were restored to where they wer,
originally placed, and those taken by Au,
guStus from the ships OF Antony's and
NiNVp"ti" iiV't Z iVut'u NJ hViluih Nti'
fixed upon the Rostra Julia in their stead
Apart altogether from the consideration Of
the great improbability OF Augustus having
demolished the platform, not only built by
his defied uncle, but rendered sacred by
many memories connected both with hi.
life and his death, simply to build another
on the same spot, there is the important
material and visible evidence that the con.
struction of the platform Of the ROstra Jul
liza is not contemporary with that of tn,
platform OF the temple placed symmetri,
cally behind it.
Standing, therefore, now, in the middle
Of the Forum, by, let us say, the wreck Of
the pedestal which first supported the co.
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