The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-30
ANCIENT HOUSES.
Ruins Which Prove the LUXURY of
Early Roman Eab. tatiQns

Early Roman Fab tatiQns.
From the Louisville Courter-Jo,unul.
The diligence with which III recent years
the work of excavating ancient cities and
ruins has been prosecuted has given US much
valuable information concerning the habits
and household equipments Of the earlier
world, but it leaves still open that question,
deeply interesting to students, scholars and
antiquarians, if not to the general public
namely, whether the anclents attained a
higher degree OF civilization than the pres
ent generation possesses. That it is a prob
lem that can never be decided does not
check the discussion, nor does it detract
from the interest that it excites among a
special class
Ignoring the comparative degree Of in
tellectual developments attained by the
ancients and the moderns, about which one
could argue forever, the question of pro-
duction in material matters affords more
substantial oasis for decision. For instance
we now have very good idea OF the con-
struction and furniture Of a Roman house.
and it is easy to conjecture how the Roman
citizen of wealth lived and had his being.
Among the most interesting of these devel-
opments are the excavation Of Roman villas
in England.
The history of the Romans in Britain is
y
the island was once one of the most i'm
portant provinces of the empire. Hadrian
visited 1t, Constantine was declared en-
peror by the soldiers at York, and the
Romans fought to retain it with a courage
and tenacity that showed the appreciation
OF its value. That the wealth and civilza-
ton OF Britain have been exaggerated by
the conjectures of historical writers Is now
sufficiently proved.
Wood ~,
Roman villa of the grand type has been laid
entirely bare, and the magnihcencs of its
ruins shows that 1t was equal to many n
modern palace, although this was merely
the residence of private citizen Every
thing is on q great scale. There are sitting
rooms fifty feet sqaure ranged about courts
or gardens themselves 100 feet square The
floors are splendid tesselated pavemeuts:
the walls are covered with fresco paint.
lngs, and scattered about are fragments of
marble groups and statues, rich Samian
ware aud numerous other evidences of art
and luxury.
Ia Britain, as well as elsewhere, wherever
R0man dominion long rested, enough is
left to indicate that the wealthy Roman
citizen had an ease and plenty that the
world was unfamiliar with after the fall Of
the Roman empire, until the Venetian mer-
chants began again to accumulate from
ury. Although the rich old Romans lacked
some things that are modern inventions,
yet their houses were in many respects supe-
rlor to the best of to-day. They were
larger, built with more solidlty, and adorne I
with more taste and richness. Very few
modern mansions, after $50 years, would
remain in as good preservation as are the
Roman houses found in Britain. And if
they reached such splendor In Britain,
which was merely province, what must
they have been in Latium, which was the
seat of empirel
The ancient architect planned and the
ancient contractor built for all time. Won
wager our last sesterce that there were no
Buddensieks in Rome. When Cicero gave
dinner party The did not stand in mortal
fear of the roof falling in or the walls
tumbling down on his guests. Seriously,
when one contempiates the magnificent
architecture of the Romans, whether ex-
pressed in uses or bridges or aqueducts,
though exposed to the decay of many cen
turtles he cannot withhold admiration for
the solid character of their work, nor can he
avoid reflection that we Americans aud
English AID Germans aud others have many
things 10 learn that were know well enough
1900 years ago.