Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1886-07-29
AROUND PERUoIA.
A Hilly Country, Honeycombed with
Etruscan Burial Vaults.

Etruscan Burial Vaults.
The old town of Perugia is well
worth visiting on many accounts, writes
q correspondent of The Journal Of
Commerce. Travelling by rail from
Rome to Florence, one sees large clus-
tiers of houses perched high on the hill.
side. They are crowned with campa-
niles and domes, surrounded by high
walls. and provoke ones curiosity to
make their closer acquaintance. But
on consulting his guide-book the tour
Isl finds that these elevated settlements
contain few objects of interest, better
examples of which can be found else
where. He also learns, which is as
much to the purpose, that they have no
good hotels. Now, Perugia is very old,
very quaint, full of venerable historical
associations. center of Etruscan tombs
and other antiquities, LOO feet above
the sea, and has a first-class hotel.
This modern structure occupies the
highest ground of the town, and COM
mands magnificent view of the Um-
brian valley. East, south, and west i
survey all the details of landscape OF
variety and beauty unsurpassed. 1t is
intersected by the Tiber and some
smaller rivers, which flash in the morn
ing sun. Many villages are visible as
brown patches, among them Assassi,
famous as the birthplace of St. Francis.
Mountains bound this view on all sides.
Some of them are still tipped with snow,
and their SUBMITS would easily be taken
for clouds. if the latter were not sour
rying past in the south wind. This
wind will soon melt the snow, and Is
already making Perugia uncomfortable.
AS write haze is beginning to blot
out the more distant villages. A heat
ell term is threatening. But Americans
are not to be frightened by that. Only
l wish the roads were not quite so white
and dusty.
This country is vast cemetery. No
one can say how many races were
buried here before the Etruscans passed
away in their turn and left the ground
honeycomed with their tombs. When
one sinks well or digs a cellar for a
house he is apt to strike his spade
against rock. which gives back a hol-
low sound. 1t is the roof of an Etrus-
can burial vault. From this subter-
ranean chamber the air has been ex-
cluded for more than two thousand
years. i am told that strange things
are sometimes seen in these tombs at
the moment when they are opened, and
then vanish forever. They say that
glimpses are caught of old Etruscan
lords and ladies sitting at banquets, and
that these disappear the instant the
outer air touches them. When the
finder proceeds to open and examine
the tomb he discovers nothing but
heap of dust in place of the vision that
had startled him. These are obviously
fables, for the most part. Though /
believe that it is true that an Etruscan
knight in full armor collapsed to dusty
nothingness in precisely this way when
his tomb was invaded few years ago.
We have been to see the sepulcher of
the Volumnii, about five miles below
Perugia, and found it and its contents
very strange and interesting. 1t is sup
posed to date back to the third century,
b. G. A descent of some thirty steps
leads down to it from the road
side. First, chamber about twenty
five feet square is centered, and from
this smaller apartments branch to right
and left. The sepulcher is hewn out of
the tufa rock. 1t is very damp and
cold. Heads of Medusa, dol phins, and
serpents are carved with much skill on
the top aud sides of this tomb. All
around stand small stone urns. each
one bearing in alto relieUo the repre-
sentation of a fight. One man is always
killing another unless the scene is var
led by the sacrifice of bound and
helpless woman or child on an altar.
The covers of these urns are higher
works of art. They are surmounted
with recumbent figures of men and
women. These are dressed in the cos
tune Of their age and sex. and each
has in his or her hand bowl for tears.
Lifting OF the cover | find inside the
urn about hat full of ashes. run my
fingers through this mass and feel frag-
ments Of burnt bones. But | am rude
ly stirring up all that remains of some
gallant warrior or some naughty beau
ty, and l withdraw my hand with a
sense Of remorse. A great many per-
sonal ornaments of exceeding richness
and grace have been taken from these
receptacles, and are separately exhibit
ed by the custodian. But If one wishes
to realize the full extent Of the arts and
sciences to the old Etruscans he should
inspect the splendid collection In the
university museum at Perugia