The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1889-04-03

and especially the innumerable little volumes
written for children.
ANCIENT ROME IN THE LIGHT OF REoEST DIS
CovERIEs. By Rodolfo Lancisni, LII D.. F.
r. s., Professor in the University Of Rome
etc. With One Hundred Illustrations. Bos-
ton and New York Houghton Mifin & Co,
Riverside Press Cambridge 1889. Price Sc.
This is lovely book in binding, typography,
paper, and illustrations. Messrs Houghton,
Miflin & Co. have shown in its mechanical ex-
ecution the wonderful progress Of the bookma-
kers art In America. But the subject we'll de-
served 1t. In this day of archaeological research,
should not the great capital Of the Latin Race
and of the world give up its treasures Of art and
the monumental records of its early kings of
the Republic, and of the Ce airs and the Popes
Since 1872 down to January, 1886 80 miles OF
streets have been opened in Rome, 270 600 900
Of cubic feet of earth turned up, houses contain
ing 95 600 rooms have been built, and thus we
may estimate that on such surface innumera-
BILE precious relics of the ancient city have been
found. And accordingly our author tells us in
his Preface, that in this time there have been
stored in the Capitol 1872 marble statues, 81
marble figures of animals, 266 SITS and heads
Is marble ssrcophsgi 152 bas-reliefs n col
umns of rare marble 405 works of art in bronze
$50 works of art in terra Gotta, 705 amphora
with inscriptions, 1850 terra Gotta lamps I'll
gems, intsglios, canoes, AZ objects in gold, 81
pictures in polychrome mosaic, SO 679 coins o.
gold, silver, and bronze, besides an Incredible
number of other objects too numerous to men
ton. They have also discovered "a new arch
biological stratum totally unknown before =
the stratum of prehistoric or traditional anti
quitIes including a metropolis older than the
walls of Servius Tullius, with vast multitude
OF archaic objects in bronze, amber, stone and
clay. They have also unearthed the remains Of
numberless houses, palaces IMPLIES gardens,
roads porticoes fora, fountains aqueducts.
1t is of these profoundly interesting dis-ove
ries as Director of Excavations for the Italian
Government in which he bore the chief part,
that our modest and intelligent author writes
The work discusses: The Foundation and Pre-
historic Life of Rome The Sanitary Condition
of Ancient Rome Public Places of Resort The
Palace of the Caesars; The Houses of the Yes.
tails: The Public Libraries of Ancient and Me
diavel Rome; the Police and Fire Department
OF Ancient Rome The Tiber and the Claudian
Harbor; The Campagna; The Disappearance of
Years There are 100 finely executed illustra-
tons. The Frontispiece is a complete figure of
a Bronze Statue of Boxer discovered in 1885,
between the second and third foundation walls,
at depth of Is feet, superb work, and the
author remarks with we'll warranted enthusi-
Asm: L have witnessed, in my long career,
many discoveries; have experienced surprise
after surprise l have sometimes and most unex-
pectedly met with real masterpieces; but have
never felt such an extraordinary impression as
the one created by the site OF this magnificent
specimen of a semi-barbarlc athlete, coming
slowly out of the ground as If awakening from
long repose after his gallant fight"
The book is intensely interesting full of curl
GUS and valuable information, and calculated to
throw much new light on the life and manners
the art and civilization, the splendor and the
moral degradation of ancient Rome It's value
lies in the fact that 1t is prepared by an expert
professional archsologist, resident in Rome
who has been engaged in the study of Roman
Archaeology, and in the work of archaeological
research among it's ruins, for many years, and
who was chosen on account of his eminent fitness
by the Government itself to conduct these inves-
legations.