Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-01-22

antiquity, bringing I0rtn treasures o.
information ITO light up its history
and aid in forming a picture of itt
civilization. Often from the mos
neglected remains sunexpected light il
thrown upon ancient institutions
For this reason Dressed, in his study
of the past, draws attention to an in.
teresting dissertation before the Ro-
man Archaeological Society at Rome
to the great importance attached tc
the stamped bricks so extensively
used in the structures Of the ancient
city. The city of brick which Angus.
tus transformed into one of mar
BILE has become to us, in some
degree, once more one of brick, for
the spoliation of centuries has not
torn from it its splendid marble man
tie. These bones of the grand skel-
eton have for us special Importance
as genuine documents, confirming
and correcting the other chronological
sources. During the time of the first
four Emperors the kilns in Northern
Italy were the monopoly of these
rulers, but the enormous manufacture
in Rome itself during this time was
in the hands of private persons, par
ticularly of one wealthy family, the
Domicii, who furnished the city
with brick from the middle of
the first century for more than 100
years. = The tendency which had been
increased on the part OF the Emperors
to get this industry more and more
into their own hands was still more
pronounced under Trajan, who ap-
pears on bricks as the proprietor OF
kilns, although under the concealed
name, "Our Cesar" More frequent
ly still has been found the name of
his wife, Plotina, who was the posses
sor of numerous kilns. The series OF
consular dates on bricks commences
before the death of Hadrian, to con-
tinue, with some Interruptions, down
to the year 164, the beginning of the
reign of Marcus Aurelius. The ques-
ton arises why the sudden Interrupt
ton at this point? The answer is
partly given by the an
nails of history. A terrible
malady, brought from the Orient by
the soldiers of L. Vero, invaded and
devastated, together with Rome, a
large part of the Roman Empire.
During the whole reign of M. Aure-
lius it scourged Rome and Italy, so
that whole cities remained without
inhabitants, towns fell to ruin, and
the abandoned fields ran to forest.
This blight on the city checked also
the industry in brickmaking, although
it does not explain why from now on
chronological notices on the bricks
should have ceased. In the family
of Marcus Aurelius were united a
considerable number of kilns, which
may be partly explained by
the fact that that Emperor
was the heir of Domicia Lucilla
of the family above mentioned.
But the existence OF many private
kilns along side of the imperial ones
shows that the administration did not
aim at the complete monopoly OF
brickmaking, and with reason, for the
factories were, to a great extent, in
the hands of persons illustrious by
birth and powerful by position, worthy
of Difference on the part Of the reign
ing dynasty. In fact, among the num-
Der OF these names, besides the high
persons attached to the imperial
house, were not few lords and still
more ladies, belonging to the high
aristocracy-consuls, knights, OF many
of whom no other record is left in the
history than is on these humble
tiles. The political shock which shat
tered the foundations of imperial
ism, and the events which followed
are reflected alss in the Roman bricks
Septimus, Severus and Caracalla are
not only the last Emperors whose
names appear in the stamps OF the
third century, but with them the pro
duction becomes apparently reduced
to minimum proportions, and the
custom of stamping, too, ceased fol-
the rest of the period. The epoch o
Diocletian and Constantine shows 6
revival OF the industry, due to the ex
tensive construction of new baths ant
other public edifices. The last perio(
in the series of stamps is that of Theo
doric and Atalaric, whose names arr
found quite frequently on series o
tiles.
Thus one of the least languiC
flashes of Roman life, before it spen
itself in the darkness of a miserable
ruin, found expression in the imprin
on bricks. So, also, broken bits o
pottery have their story to tell from
the olden Roman time. Among the
interesting results OF modern investi
grafton are those by Dressed concern
ing that unique object, Mount Tes
taccio, which has awakened the curl
osity OF so many Strangers. The ori
gin of the stupendous pile of broker
fragments of pottery and glass ha'
been explained as due to grant made
by King Tarquinius Prisolis t.
the potters, an opinion based on th'
statements of learned men of tn,
fifteenth and sixteenth centuries
De Rosi draws attention to the fact
however, that still earlier writer
Nicola Signorilli gives quite differ
ent explanation, saying that tn
Mount Testaccio, as the pottery bear
witness, is made up Of the piles O
fragments of vessels in which tn
yearly tribute had been brought t.
| Rome from the various provinces
and that any incredulous person ma.
satisfy himself by examining the frag
ments on which the names Of tn
provinces are to be read. This was
moreover, the opinion with regar
to the origin Of the mount prevalen
among the populace of Rom
throughout the middle ages and fur
nished striking instance of how por
ular traditions may hold nearer t
the truth than the wiseacres of science
Two NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and Dres
scion recently. investigating tn
fragments OF vases On the Testaccie
recognized such provincial names, il
particular those of Africa and Spair
Dressed, extending his observation
has also found many indications {
the potter's industry on the LEI
bank OF the Tiber, opposite Testaccic
i Attention is turned by Helbig to
!. valuable witness in tracing the origi