Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-12-19
NEW FINDS Ar YOMPEIr.
A street or Tombs and Their interest,"
ing Contents.

city OF Herculsneum beneatn .ne
modern towns Of Resina and Porncl'
The same operation on the part oil the
owner of a vineyard situated some DIS.
lance 10 the east Of the Ampitheatre oil
Pompeii led to the discovery, about Six
weeks ago, Of a street Of tombs running
in direct line from Pompeii to Nocera'
Taking advantage of the visit OF an
Archaeological friend Of mine, who had
lust returned from a scientific tour 10
ptresmon, | yesterday accompanied
him and Professor Sagiano, director OF
the excavations, to visit the newly DIS
covered ruins.
The little space at present dug out
has brought 20 light, deep below the
sorface of the ground, tolera6le VIDE
and well-made ancient road, OF kind
Of mscadsm construction, slightly
Arcted in the centre so as to allow tho
rain.water 10 run off, and with Low
earthly bank on either side, on the top
Of which are the seven tombs recently
cxcayated, four on one side and three
on the other. This road runs nearly
due east in the direction from Pompeli
to Nocera, the portion now ezcayaled
living about LOCO feet from the Pom
peiian Ampitbeatre, and it is supposed
that when it is all eXcavated back to
Pompeii a city gate will be found at ITS
commencement. 1t is also not impro-
bable that near the city it will DO found
to b. paved with lava, like the cele-
brated street Of Tombs on the western
side. Should the whole be found to be
as closely lined with tombs as i the
portion laid bare, it will DO one Of tbs
most important discoveries lately made
in this part Of the world. Unfortu-
natoly, money is wanting, and the ex-
cayaticn is going on but slowly. The
ancient level Of the street being here
very low, the road is first covered to
The depth Of ten or fifteen feet with
pumice-stones elected from Vesuyjus
during the great eruption Of 1872.
Then comes thin layer Of ashes then
again a stratum of pumice about ten
inches thick, another thin line Of ashes,
and over all earth several feet deep.
Just below this upper earth were found
seven large statues, which had evident
" surmonnted the tombs beneath. On
the road itself can be seen the slight
deuressions or ruts caused By the
wheels Of passing vehicles. TIE tombs
are erected in o straight line on either
side, and Whtre ono is sc: rather back
it has low stone balus.raie, which
keeps the lire and extends beyond the
tomb, probably inclosius 0 space p1r-
Chased for subsequent tombs, and then
the next tomb il again built forward on
the original line. Thus tbs little por-
ton Of eXcayated street has neat and
symmetrical appearance. The four best
preserved tombs lie on the north side
Of the read, and are pretty much Of the
same general size, though each has
different arrangement Of architecture.
They arc separated from each other by
about foot and a half; they arc I'D
built OF alternate layers Of DiIcS md
line, and co7cred with etucco, While
some Of tho pliers aud p..stCrS ert cf
tu..tonc, with Coriu.ni3u Or lor!. clD.-
tails. Some CT the tomps have vat..
beneath, and all are provided 6'.a
inches for ibe reception Of the ci09,ay
urns. They ye,y much reuiui ono Of
he little chapcls ia modern Catholic
cemetery, such IS the Naples Campo
San;o. The first tomb e&-aga.sl, bee
ing the one nearest P0mpeii Oh the nor-n
side Of the road is covered With Tl1a
inscriptions painted in rel, one Of
which Is notable IL is al advertise.
ment sppINiug the passeTs.by that a
runaway horse has been l'En! Of sucG
size ana color, and that the ownar
may have it by apylJ ing to snIlh
RON Noctra, at the bridge over -bs
Sarno, toward S.abia. Ia fac, such
inscriptions are found or oil the .Omhs,
Hhich have evidently served 90 a puo-
lie newspaper on the thjckly frcquaA.ed
road. There ere besides many gra-
pbtes. One person h,s scratched his
name With the word "Remem1er'
beneath. In one the letter Y IS very
interesting from the fact thai II d
marked with n dot N the fork of '1a
Y, which Is arcminiscence OF the Osctn
character, causing the to he pro-
nouuccd more like o. Nearly al ne
ru1ely traced inscriptions (Which.
Of course, have nothing to do With the
true Inscriptions on marble slabs thai
denote tho name and qualities o! the
d,ceased) relate to Nocerl. showing zoe
influence of that neighbJIing town on
Pcmpeii. OIe C the marble insclip.
tons Owes to No:era the surname )f
in relation 10 It's faithful .
ness-a surname, | belieye, seen mere
in this connection FIR the first t'ne. .
Onc Of BE tomb5 had been summarized T
on IFS four corners with stone pine. .
apples, interesting, as suggestive Of .
this style Of decoration as noticed IN .
the immense single pineapple said 60 .
have crowned Gajfiaa's TOMB in Rome. /
Il Is curious that il the inches Of one I
OF he tombs stands tEo small head /
stones instead Of urus.
The slqtpes, ciaerary urns, lose .
marble tablets. skulls, and bone have .
been deposited in the room of c)H1-
Try cottage hard by, I'll eXcep. ono /
statue, which lies prone on the ground .
near thc excavation, and serycs, by .
string passed round its neck, to hold /.
fast ,ho end Of a ragged canvas .
stretched on small tree as shelter
from the sun-a mental Office to which.
no doubt, the man who was Of sufficient .
TO have a statue never
dreamed that his eiigy would be oe-
graded. The full.leDgth statuas are all
portraits, and evidently very good ones,
for each Of the faces ara highly charac-
te1stic One elderly male figure has
4 fine head ard the mouth Of an orator
another is a handsome young man Of
Grecian type; one is a dlgnifed old
" oman, grave with years and horors,
with deep lines at the corners of the
very peculiar and firmly pressed lips,
aud sly le Of dressing tho hair which re-
minds one of the statues of Liyia. Then
there are, besides, a middle-aged and a
young woman, Of smoother counte-
DnnceS fha latter with small r,thar