The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-10
A ROMAN MAIDEN.
Curious and Interesting Discoveries IN
the Tomb of Young Girl.
From the Pal Mall Gaaette.


From the Pail Mall Gdaette.
During some recent excavations in Rome.
al the ancient gardens Of Domitian, a coffin
was discovered, which. from its contents,
has proved one of the most interesting ever
brought to light. 1t contained the remains
OF young girl-Crepercia Tryphaena by
name, according to the inscription-and a
bas-relief on the coffin represents her Sleep
ing upon her bier with her head inclined to
the left shoulder. An older woman ia rep
resented sitting at the foot of the bier, while
at the head stands young man in an atti-
tude OF mourning.
By fortunate accident, the coffin seems
to have been filled with water from an in
definite period, which has aided greatly in
the preservation of the remains The head
Is stlll covered with long, fine hair, which
has perfectly resisted decay. This resistance
of hair TO decay is very characteristic, and
in a museum at York, England. there is a
mass Of human hair still cooled in a classical
knot, and held in place by pins of Jet from
the neighboring deposits at Whitby, all the
rest Of the body of the ancient Roman
woman having crumbled to dust York
was an important British-Romam set
Element, and this interesting relic is
doubtless Of approximately the same
age as that of the Roman maiden described
above.
IL is evident from the contents of the
coffin of Crepereia Tryphena that she was
betrothed, probably TO the youth repre-
sented in the bas-relief. A crown of nvr-
tie leaves, sacred to Venus, was found at
her head, fastened by a silver clasp, very
much oxydized, from which we may as
sumo that the metal was an impure alloy.
Several gold rings were also found, one set
with piece of dark-colored glass, another
with an onyx engraved in relief with the
word "'F'iletus'-probabIy the nanas of her
lover.
Another very interesting ring contained a
piece OF red JASPER engraved in intaglio,
with two clasped hands holding in their
fingers some stalks Of ripened wheat. This
was doubtless the engagement ring of the
Roman maiden, the wheat being an allusion
to the ancient rite of marriage by confar-
reatio. Two other riugs-or bangles, as we
should call them-were found in the coffin.
to one of which was attached miniature
key, while the other was composed of two
separate circles joined together into single
ring.
The brooch is ornamented with an ame>
thyst engraved with classical group refer
ing to Apollo and Diana. Two fine chains
depend from the brooch, to the ends Of
which are attached two miniature ivy
leaves. Other ornaments found were an
amoer halr-pln, TWO small combs, two ear
rings, necklace and two metallic mirrors
these last being objects of value in these
ancient days.
Perhaps the most remarkable object Of
all was the wooden doll. which had evil
IDENTIFY been laid in the coffin as a souvenir
of the childhood of tho maiden. 1t is about
foot in light, carved with considerable
artistic skill, and, very curiously, the joints
are artlculated, just as may be seen in GER
tain dolls OF the present day. The hair is
represented as arranged in a classical knot,
and the features are said to resemble those
of the Empress Faustne.
Such discovery as this renders the life of
the Romans much more real to US than all
the ruins or statutes or records of battles
they have left The Roman history, as we
read it, is a sad record of war, bloodshed
and crime but the great mass of people
must have lived out their lives as at present.
with little reference to the quarrels of
emperors, generals and politicians, and
when Crepereia Tryph9na passed away the
brightness went out of the world of her
Roman lover, as 1t has in the succeeding
centuries and doubtless will for ages to
come. 1t seems almost sacrilege to dis
play the ornaments and treasures of this
poor girl to public view, but those who are
interested will Fl nd them in the Capitoline
museum at Rome, together with many
other relics of that wonderful ancient civil
iZatiOn.