The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-11-17

puG IL the present slow raGe VI eAcaFa-
ton be continued it will take another
so or 60 years to lay the whole city bare.
Ihe shape of Pompeii is nearly oval; the
city walls follow the slopes OF the lava
hill on which it is built, only crossing
that hill at the part whele IL rests
against Mount Vesuvius.
Pompell was laid out on nXed plan.
The two principal streets, straoa oil
Mercuio and strada di Nola, crossed 1t
nom north to south and from west to
east. The side streets run crossways to
these two, and only slightly deviate
from the straight line at certain points.
The city wall is preserved in its northern
part and a.great portion OF It's southern
course; but on the west and AT the west
corner of its southern course 1T was al
ready pulled down in ancient times and its
place occupied by houses. The wall has
eight gates, to which distinguishing
names have been given. The public
buildings that have been found are situa-
ted In two great groups: one around the
forum and the other near the Stablan
gate. But the public baths are distribute
ed irregularly all over the city. The
most important houses have been named
according to very different reasons;
some after distinguished persons who
have witnessed their excavation, Tor ex-
ample, the Blouse of the Grand Duke
of Tuscany others after objects of art
found therein, as the House of the
Faun," and others again after their sup
posed proprietors, as the House of Sal
lust" 1t is we'll to take notice of these
names, as il is under them that the
guides point out the buildings. A more
reasonable method of naming is that
from the bronze seals discovered in the
houses. engraved with the names of the
owners, or from Inscriptions.
The oldest building in Pompeii is the
destroyed Doric temple, which belongs
to the sixth century, BIC. The city wall
| is also extremely ancient but even an APP.
proximate date cannot be determined.
pThe rest of the buildings belong to two
distinct groups, according as they were
built before OF. afSer the founding of the
Roman colony in so BIC. The pre-
Roman edifices are artistically the best.
| They were built under the direct influ-
| ence of Greek culture, and show the
pure, beautiful forms of the Doric,
Ionic and Corinthtan styles. Especially
remarkable is the spirited style of the
Corinthian capitals, built of no costly
material. The columns and the beams
are generally of gray tufa-stone, coated
with white or colored stucco; marble IS
rarely found. The technical work is also
imperfect. But the Roman buildings,
| though of an inferior and often coarse
style, are made of superior material,
! such as marble, or the fine limestone
called travertine; and the workmanship
is better. The basilica, the temple OF
Apollo, and probably the temple of
Jupiter, oldest protions of the forum,
| the so-called school" the Stabian baths,
the large theater, the colonnades of the
triangular forum, the barracks of the
gladiators, the 'palestra, the outer por-
tion of the porta marina, and the inner
portion of the other gates all belong to
the public edifices of the pref Roman
period. To the early time of the Roman
colony belong the baths near the forum,
the small theatre, the amphitheater, tine
temple of the Capitoline divinities, and
the inner portion of the porta marina.
All the other public buildings were
built in the later Roman time.
The mural paintings belong to four
successive styles. The first style, that
of the pre-Roman period, consists in
limitations of marble decoration in plas-
tic stucco-work. There are no figures OF
pictures in this style. The second style,
belonging to the time of the Roman re-
public, consists in painted imitation OF
| marble, and also in realistic, not fantas.
tic, pictures with architectural subject.
showing edifices such as might have
actually existed. The third style, that
! Of the Roman imperial period, TIN about
| 50.A.D., is ornamental decoration in
the Egyptian taste, distinguished by
pure and beautiful forms in tender and
graduated coloring The fourth style,
belonging to the time Immediately previ-
GUS to the destruction of the city, shows
peculiar love for fantastic, splendor,
playful architectural subjects, and is the
kind generally understood when we
speak of Pompeiian wall paintings. The
coloring is less delicate, the ornaments
not SO pure in form, but all are stronger
and more effective. Especially admira
BILE is the rich fancy displayed in the
architectural decoration. Almost all the
figure subjects in the paintings OF
Pompeii belong TO the third and fourth
styles.
Pompeii was well and entirely paved
in its earliest days, and well provided
with drinking water The Oscar and
Latin Inscriptions engraved or painted
in red color generally relate to elections;
few are announcements OF games;
what can be deciphered of the "graffite'
or scratched Inscriptions show that they
were individual effusions, the expression
of good wishes, the mention of games,
verses etc. A number of wooden tablets
coated with wax, and inscribed, which
4 l kn f%H <H ~ IN ~ mr.