The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1897-12-18
POMPEII AS 1T WAS.
BYlTS RUINS THE ANCIENT CITY
is RECONSTRUCTED
Embalmed by Vesuvius its Wa lis, Temples
Courts, Theatre and Forum-Process of
. Evacuation Slow but Results are the Open
Book of Ancient Pompeian Life.
Continued from End Col


village. put two large temples facing each
other across the square; for the green grass
and trees and the liberty pole in the center
substitute stone pavement, and we have q
good idea of an ancient city and its forum.
Here all business was transacted, both public
and private, and for a long while even the
athletic games Rome finally outgrew it's
forum, and buik the Coliseum, and the small
or towns of Italy, copying her example, re-
served the forum for civil business and built
theaters and emphitheaters for the amuse-
ments
The forum at Pompeii is 524 feet long by
40 feet broad, including the porticoes. no.
ticeable feature is the pillars. They are Of
three kinds: fine, white caserta stone resem-
bling MARBLE; yellowish tufa Ia volcanic
rock), and brick, plastered over. At first
thought the brick pillars to be mere make
shifts, to have been soon replaced by marble
Or stone, but it was not so. They were put
there to stay; the brickwork was made beau
tirul by coat of fine white stucco that made
It resemble marble. 1t is supposed that at the
time of the eruption the forum was being en-
larged.
The temples, all but two were situated
along the forum, and all but one, the PAN
theon, clearly indicate the purpose for which
they had been built. The temples are very
unsatisfactory to look upon. My learned
friend showed me this spot where stood the
temple of Mercury, and that spot where had
stood the temple of Jupiter, and all that could
be seen was bare piece Of ground, with de-
tached bits OF partition walls and here and
there PROSTATE column. 1 was reminded Of
the skill Of scientific men who find tooth and
from 1t reconstruct mastodon, or q single
Vertebra and reproduce the ichthyosaurus,
There is one temple, however, OF interest to
the non-scientific tourst-the temple of Isis.
The walls are still standing, so that we could
pass from one apartment to another; there
Is no doubt about this building since an in
Icription naming it has been found; also men,
lion made of its restoration, from the effects
Of the earthquake shock through the liberal
pty OF a private citizen. In one room were
found the famous basat tables; one was bro.
ken; the other is in the museum at Naples.
On the border around the top are carved thir-
teen figures, turned toward larger figure.
taken to be Osiris. There are also hero
glyphies interpreted to be an invocation to tine
Egyptian deities. In this temple was found
beautiful statue Of Isis, holding in one hand
musical instrument and in the other the key
to the sluices Of the Nile. Her drapery was
painted purple, with gilt trimming. On the
walls were frescoes representing the priests
as they ofaciated at worship. The guide called
our attention to one Of the few wells found
IN Pompeii 1t was both deep and wide, and
Us descended to by steps. 1t was the
hrst Oriental we2l had ever seen. A skele-
lOA WoS AOuuu 1DVdT ny, ana DGS1Qo IL an ak.
The man had broken through the walls in b.
effort to escape, but was suffocated before no
could reach the outer court There were
numoer or other skeletons found on this spot.
Conjunction of Ancient Theaters.
The temple of Hercules is interesting be-
cause it plainly shows the Greek architecture
and is probably the Oldest temple of all. I am
quite sure that it is this temple that fixes the
date Of the founding OF the city fully as early
as 800 B. G:
The theaters and amphitheaters similarly
betoken a Greek origin. At the beginning Of
the late unpleasantness' between the Greek
and the Turk, newspaper correspondents fur
nished us sketches OF Greek things, beth old
and new, and the ancient theaters came in for
their share of attention; they seem to have
been built on the sweep Of a hillside, the peo-
pie sitting around and above, and looking
down upon the stage. The theaters at Pom
peii are exactly like them, and quite different
from the Roman theaters, which were coa-
Itructed upon arches, and usually built uren
level ground. The seats in the Pompeian
theaters are narrow and most uncomfortable:
steps, almost, we would call them; they were
cased with marble, but that has nearly all
been taken away, only small fragments re-
naming Even the copper filling in the in
scription around the base of one Of the statues
was dug out. 1t does seem strange that there
was such a wholesale carrying off of material
from Pompe1f, and yet no mention made CT it
In history. The theaters alone show that
Pompeii has been used as quarry and then,
allied In again. The stage in the theater was
long, but not deep; the scene was a solid
middle one for the chief actors in the TRACE
lies, and to the right and left smaller door
lot the minor actors. The drop curtain vas
pulled up instead of being let down. The audi
forum was separated into divisions by ais.es
and steps. The most important personages
G. fha
In Importance, up higher, and further away,
the common people and in the very back seats
under the portico sat the women. 49,
II had always wondered why the ancients
made such use of the mask; not until was
studying Pompeii did find a reason that was
satisfactory. 1t was used not to disguise, but
to exaggerate the features, so as to make them
visible. And, again, the mouths Of the masks
were large, and oftentimes formed Of metal,
60 as to throw the sound Of the voice as far az
possible, the theaters as iwell as the amphi-
heaters being without roof, although there
was way Of stretching an awning over the
entire structure. 5Ei
From the theater to the amphitheater is
quite little walk, especially when one is
tired, but it IL too interesting to be missed.
You recall that Bulwer puts all the people in
the amphitheater at the timo of the destruc-
ton Of Tie City, and here they probably were.
for the Pompeians, like the Romans, were
fond Of games Of skill, and there is no reason
to doubt that they were equally as blood
thirsty. There was warning and plenty Of
time for the people to escape. A number Of
skeletons was found here, presumably the
bones of gladiators. who had fallen early in
the day. The amphitheater is similar in form
to the Coliseum-an ellipse; it was capable Of
containing 10000 people. 1t is supposed that
not only the inhabitants of Pompeii but also
those of adjacent towns repaired thither on
great occasions. Unlike the Coliseum there
is no substructure except the foundations.
POmpefps Courthouse.
On the western side of the forum IS tire
basilica or hall of justice; it is the largest
single building in the city, cblong in form,
220 feet in length by 80 broad Inside the
open space are two rows of columns. There
are also half columns attached to the sur
rounding walls. The space at each side be-
tween the columns and the wall was covered
by gallery that in turn was reached by
staircase. At one end Of the great hall was a
raised platform for tho Judge; underneath it
two dungeons for the temporary imprison-
ment Of criminals; on each side Of this plat
form were small rooms, robing rooms perhaps.
When this building was excavated no trace
Of the pavement was found, except the COM
pound in which it had been laid. The ancients
had probably come there to search for docu-
ments and then had carried away everything
else, even the mosaic flood. There is a double
row of pillars inside the structure, forming.
as 1t were, an inner court. Above is agallery
reached by q staircase, portions Of which still
are standing One popularity Is that these
pillars are broken OF at an equal height. =
cannot imaEine why they shdGld have been