Smyrna times., 1884-04-23

Within the last month all Rome has
been stirred by the discovery of the
remains of the real Temple of Nesta,
and, as is now supposed, the house of
the Vestal virgins. Four pedestals |
for statues have been found, about five |
feet high, with inscriptions and date
upon them, near a round mass of con-
crete, with traces of steps surrounding
it; little of the strong foundation of
the volcanic tufa, so common in this
county, which encased it in heavy
blocks; many fragments of white mar
BILE, cut in panels, with a rOsette in the
centre of each, the lines which formed
the panels being slightly curved in the
exterior and mteriOr-Or top and bot
tom-lines, with the dividing lines
tending toward each other, showing
that they once formed the ceiling of
the passage between the outside row
! of columns and the celia or inner part
of the temple, which, when dedicated
| to Nesta, was always circular, sur
rounded by peristyle and steps. The
worship ut this goddess was introduced
into Italy by the great Trojan Eneas;
but the iirai temple OF NeSta in Rome
was built by Numa POmpilius, the first
King of Rome after ROmulus, having
been chosen 10y the people, who would
not take no for his answer.
OF the pedestals which We're found,
the first one was dedicated To a certain
Lucias, and the inscription praises her
piety and care by which she had
become mother vestal, or lady supe-
rior. 1t was erected by her niece and
the son of her niece, aud ON Que side of
the pedestal was the date, which was
the 5th of the Ides of July, after which
followed the nImes of the two consuls
then in office. These two names have
been obliterated. iIs Was often done by
their postcrity il they had done any
thing during the time they held office
which had displeased the people; or il
} was sometimes done from jealousy by
their immediate successors.
Another pedestal was dedicated to
: Vestal who was celebrated for he
chastity, modesIy, and religious doc
> trine. Her name had been ubliteratet
as we'll as that Of the consul's, Phillip
, pus A. d. PA, who was found afte
: his death to have been Christian
: Who knows whether she always ma,
, not have been one, and that her re
! nown for religious doctrine" cam
/, from her Christian principles.
A third was erected in honor of Ceri
Clariana by one of her patrons, and tn
II inscription contains the wish that, a
5 she had reached her twentieth year {
!, service and become vestal mother wit
y honor so might she reach her thirtiet
, y year. 1t was in the time of the En-
l. peror Jovianus A. ID. 363), who va
$ tolerant of all religions, and publishe
an edict saying he would severely puI
K ish any one attempting to practic
II witchCraft OF imposition, hut that a
IS were free to worship any God the
d choose; and it is supposed this pedesti
a was put up thus in haste, for fear til;
rt the Emperor might die before the We
d tai had completed her thirtieth yea
:, and be succeeded by a less lenient on
ar The inscription on the side is tamol
id and curious, as it contains a word n
rs found in any Latin dictionary" Pc
IN ganiOrum."
Near these pedestals commences
ne walk or open corridor, which has
a. mosaic floor, IL row of columns on eat
n, side, and the space between the CT
Ia umns inclosed by parapet about tv
It. feet high, built Of rubble and cover
he with white marble. The cOlum
as were carried away ages ago for bull
e. ing purposes, but their bases, or rath
he the blocks of stone into which t
re bases were set, are still remaining, al
nd extend in a straight line from the thr
he pedestals towards fourth one, whi
A has been discovered little way o
DIS but there is bank of earth betwee
We some fifteen or twenty feet high, viii
Ter is being taken away as fast as possib
full This last pedestal was found VIII
following out the Via NuOva, the o
,rt est road in ROme-which has also j
net been discovered close under the Pa
,ac tine-and is standing on floor of sls
his of the richest marbles, leading off fir,
wv which atrium, by a rise of four ste
as which have a base for column
ant statue ON each side, is n series
he rooms, one of which has been clear
The and could be looked into from the I
he of the bank, though no one is yet
nd. lowed to enter it, an asphalt pavem,
he having just been laid to keep the
ow manning slabs of marble in place, a
his that they may not be carried away.
,tv walls, also, of this room are faced W
eG' marble slabs, much Of which rema
the just as it was so many centuries age