Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-09-12
.HERCULANEUM And PONPEII
nc Rev. W W. Taylor IN .presoyil,srlan jour


story to elderly people, but the
recital may be acceptable and inform
Ing to the young generation OF readers
Tor whom this article is prepared.
On several important points the au-
thorities are conflicting, but from vari-
Gus writer's the best account that can
be gathered shall be given.
Both the cities were in the same
Deighborhood, near Vesuvius and not
far from Naples, Herculaneum being
west Of the volcanic mountain and
north Of Pompeii, which was south
east of the volcano. Herculaneum was
the smaller city, lying between
Pompeii and Naples, five or six miles
from the city, at the foot of Vesuvius
OF its founders an early history moth
ing is known, but in its latest times
many noble families Of Rome built
splendid villas in the suburbs and
dwelt there in the hot weather.
Pompeii was founded by the Oscans,
600 B. c., at the mouth OF the river
Sarneus, looking out into the Bay Of
Naples, and must have had large
trade, for it was the port for several of
the inland cities. AS these cities we're
90 near, it is reasonable to suppose that
they were all founded by the same
Italian tribe but in the course of time
they, with the rest Of Campania and
the whole OF Italy, came under the
power Of Rome Pompeii also became
q summer residence for the arts tocracy
Of the capital if not for the Emperors,
Caligula and Nero, where, also, 1t is
said, Cicero had a villa. For this
reason it was called "Roma super
mare" Rome upon the Sea-" and
because of such visitors 1t became a
gay and licentious city, Astounding in
public monuments, as arches, temples,
public baths, fountains and theatres,
two of the latter of smaller dimensions,
with an amphitheatre capable of seat
ing 5000 spectators. One of the tenn
I pies was dedicated to Isis, an Egyptian
Hgoddess, whose worship was then cult
waited in Italy; another was named for
Jupiter, and another for Juno, but
this is conjectural. In Juno's temple
200 skeletons vera found. A barrack
has been identified, assigned, by some
authorities, TO gladiators, but others
judge it was the soldiers quarters,
as some military implements were
found therein and Ga skeletons, as if
Of soldiers standing ON guard and
faithfully keeping their posts. Gran
aries and prisons have also been un-
earthed. All these spots were opened
in 1865.
The time of the great catastrophe was
the year 70 A. D., in the reign of the
Emperor Titus, and the day generally
set is the oath Of August. The latest
Investigations, however, place it in the
fall of the year, three months later,
about the oath Of November,
This was not the first calamity that
visited this region. Herculaneum and
Pompeii were largely shattered by
earthquakes, one as late as a. d. 63,
and the rebuilding, it is said, was
done with less taste and magnifcence
than the original.
M The eruption began with clouds Of
dense, black smoke, expanding like an
umbrella, thick with ashes, pumice
and red-hot stones, impelled by the
M force of water Jets and brought down
IN by torrents of rain. Impenetrable
" gloom covered the sky for three days,
during which the people kept flying
away; but on the fourth, it is thought,
some returned to POM oil and carried
4 of dead friends and many articles Of
value. From Pompeii many escaped.
but fewer from Herculaneum, which
first persisted because the burning
food that overwhelmed her cut off the
retreat towards the sea. The masses
fearful burial were composed of min
gled matter-lava, ashes, mud, sand,
pumice and lime--which fell in such
quantities as to bury everything far
under ground. In process of time the
growth of vegetation, dust and debris
increased the covering to such degree
that explorers had to go down from
twelve to an hundred and twenty feet
to their work. The history Of these
cities gives another example of mans
tendency to false security and procrasti-
nation. Like the people in the days of
Noah and the inhabitants of Sodom,
they gave no heed to signs of warning,
for there are indications that the thea
tire was filled with spectators while the
dark clouds were floating and the show
ers of ashes were beginning to fall.
They lived in sight of the smoking
crater and had often seen the fire roll
down the sides. All kind of warnings
|, were unheeded, and their names and
N homes were SO completely lost from
human record and memory that men
walked over the heap of hardened mud
and ashes or sixteen or seventeen hun
dred years without suspecting that
large populations once lived and loved
and moved deep down under their feet |!
AS to the finding and opening of these
cities, it is said that some indications
OF their existence were discovered as
early as 1892. In l70S some workmen,
in digging well, brought something
to light that looked like underground
relics, but nothing was thought of
= the discoveries. In 1713, the Prince
OF Elbeuf, in digging for crushed mar
BILE, to make plaster, found many more
indications of buried city, but still
no systematic work was entered upon
until 173S. The digging was con-
tinued for more than 40 years, and in
1850 Herculaneum was abandoned and
Pompeii taken in hand, where some
discoveries had been made in 1865.
In 1927 the opening of Herculaneum
was resumed, and now the whole city
lies wide open for the inspection of yisi-
tors. The work at Pompeii has also
been 30 continuously and vigorously
carried on that the greater part has
been cleared. So completely has
quent tourist Eustace, describes il in
these terms, and doubtless the same
might be said of Herculaneum "a
whole city rises before us, untouched,
unaltered, the very same that it was
1,s00 years ago, when inhabited by
Romans. We range through the same
streets, tread the very same pavements
behold the same walls, enter the same
doors, repose in the same apartments
and look out of the same windows as
did the old Romans. Wandering
through the abandoned rooms, you
:, may expect to meet some of the former
inhabitants In the streets you are