The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1897-01-27
m THE COLISEUM
What the Excavations At Rome Have
Revealed.


Revealed.
The excavations which have been
carried on of late around the Col-
iseum at Rome for the purpose, OF
giving more complete view of the
best preserved side Of the amphi-
theater, have brought to light g.
number of interesting points, says
the independents. These excaya-
lions were started on the square
opposite the street leading to ST.
John Lateran, and were continued
along zone, about 80 meters wide,
around the entire monument, up to-
the beginning of the new Via del
Serpent The ancient pavement of
travertine, which surrounded the
amphitheater, was found at q depth
of four and half meters below the
present level. This subsidiary zone
of the monument measured 17.6
meters in width. Along the edge
of this pavement the ordinary street
pavement began, made of large
polygonal blocks of basaltfc lava.
The paving blocks were in part.
wanting, as the ancient pavement
was mostly destroyed in 1882, when
water conduits were put in and the
width of the pavement could, there
fore, not be exactly determined, but!
lit was followed to the width of ten
meters. The space which surround
led the amphitheater was limited
legally to Terminal cippi, or boun-
diary stones, placed between the.
area of travertine and the pavement
iof the public street. Five or six of
these cippi were preserved in their
Original position, on the eastern
side of the monument, owing to the
fact that they were incased in the
foundations of the ancient Church
iof S. Giacomo di Coliseo, demolished
in 1875. The cippi are Of traver-
tine, and terminate in q semicircle.
Throughout this entire surround
ing area of the Coliseum Christian
tombs of different periods were dis
covered. They are placed at va
rious levels, some being on level of
the ancient road of the amphi-
theater, others on higher level, and
number as high as two meters
from the roadbed. It seems prob
able that the majority of these
;tombs were connected with the
church which stood on this site, and
of which no traces remain. These
tombs are built of tiles and covered
by caps; some of the tiles were
stamped and came from ancient
buildings which had been destroyed.
One of the latest tombs, belong
ing to group on the highest level,
dates evidently from the seventh
century, judging from an inscrip-
ton engraved on a marble slab on
the front of the tomb. This in
scription closes with formula of
imprecation, menacing the yiolator
of the tomb with the punishment of
Judas, and this very imprecation is
found in number of inscriptions of
the seventh century, with several
changes in the wording of it. In
earlier inscriptions of the fifth and
sixth centuries the prayer that the
tomb be not violated is never fol-
lowed by any imprecation. At the,
point where the large group of these
tombs was found there was discov-
cred, in the foundations of the hole,
a large rectangular mass of traver-
tine, preserving a portion of its
plaster coating, on which was a
fragment of fresco belonging to
about the eighth century The
fresco represents two saints with
circular nimbus and robed in long
tunics which are decorated with
Greek crosses. Each figure holds
his right hand raised to his breast;
the one on the right holds a crown,
the other an open book.