New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-15
HIDDEN TREASURE.
SOME RECENT DISCOVERIES IN OLD
ROME
po5o,fo Ianclani in The London Atheneeum.

ROME.
Rodolfo Lanclani in The London Athen4um.
The visit which have just paid to the excaya-
lions Of the Forum and of the Sacra VIA ai t
az, absence of four months. makes me reallZe
how little is known at home ana ABROAD apour
their Importance and magnitude. The rev pits
of information which was able to gatheT wlilie
absent from Roman papers, or from Roman
correspondence to foreign papers give very
meagre idea Of their development ana arch&o-
logical results. The Minister or Puphc lhsti W
ton Guido Baccei is so anxious TO MAKE an
advance in the direction of the Forum JuluH
and the Forum Augustnm and to open up Iui ,.
the Senate house, now represented ny tle
Church of st. Adriano. that the work OF eNcdSa
ton is carried without intermlsslon py udS
and by night. For the convenience OF reauels
of THE Athen@um" shall conslG ,1 III que que
order each building or group OF pulolnss' ue
ginning with the Atrium Nest8 Wllnln the
walls Of which the latest finds have taken place:
First Of all, must speak OF the rlposugHo
or hidden treasure OF gold pieces discovered
on the 18th in branch drain, near the west
corner OF the edifice. adjoining the Church
of St Maria Liberatrice. 1t consists OF nearly
four hundred aurei, which must nave Deeh
thrown into the drain in a leather bag, or done
up in a piece Of cloth, on the occasion OF one
of the barbaric invasOns Of the last quarter
Of the fifth century The oldest coin dates from
the time Of Flavius Julius Constantius Con
stantius IT, :31 1861 A. d. and shows the hg-
ures of Rome and COnstantinOple supporting a
shield with the legend Gloria reipuDhc&
Next come several aurei of Nalentinian III,
son Of Constantius III and Gala Pacldla, as
ISOLATED to the empire A. ID. 40 slain by re
tronius Maximus in 400 The reverse OF ms 80
coins shows the Emperor crushing WIN ms
right foot the head of a dragon, ana hoidlng
the sign OF the cross with one hand. the gIope
and the victory with the other. BY far the
greatest number OF coins-three hundred and
| mOre-beOng to the Emperor Anthemius, son
| OF Procopus, slain by his son-in-law Riclmer
| in 46I. The rarest set Of all is one or nlne
! pieces with the efigy and the name of Eha
| Euphpmla
| Marcanus, and wife Of Anthomius. Remarka-
| BILE. also, are some aurei Of Libius Severus pol
| soned by Primicerus in Ago, and of Marcianus'
| poisoned by Aspar in 45I while preparing an
| expedition against the Nandals The latest
pieces in the chronology of the 'ripostigho' be
] long to the Emperor Leo l. crowned in 41t,
| whose death took place in 4I4.
1t Is difficult to connect the burial OF this
considerable sum of money with any particular
event in the history OF the barbarlc inroads
which marked the end OF the htth century.
| There is no doubt. however that the gold was
| thrown into the cesspool under the apprehen-
| sion Of impending pillage. The House or
| the Nestals. abandoned by the SsterhOod since
its suppression in 1913. was probably falling into
ruin and the owner Of the gold selected the
hiding place skilfully that not only did II
escape being plundered by the barbarlans. hut
the owner himself could not recover ii after
the danger was over. Perhaps he lost his life
in the defence OF the city; perhaps he was
carried away into slavery: perhaps this wing
Of the coisters fell TO the ground. and the hiding
place remained buried under heavy mass of
debris.
Discoveries Of this kind are by no means a
rare occurrence in Rome. Six thousand four
hundred brass coins were found In 1870 in
drain the tomb Of Sulpicius Platorinus.
in the Trastevere. and almost as many in 1876
in another sewer near the present Piazza di
MagnanapO the Quirinal. This practice
may help us to explain. TO "A certain extent the
presence Of an enormous mass Of coins In the
beds OF the Tibcr During the dredging opera
tons Of the last decade about twelve hundred
pieces a month were brought up to the surface
by the dredgcrs. In desperate cases coins may
have been thrown directly into the Tiber TO
prevent their falling prey to the barbarans;
but II Is also possible that a fair percentage
may have been washed down from the sewers
into the bed Of the river.
Important discoveries announced from the
city Of Fano. the ancient Fanum Fortune on
me coast OF the Adratic. between Pesaro and
Slnigaglia. In the area Of the eX-convent OF ST.
FiIippo which Is now being transformed into
municipal school. remains Of a great public
edlnce nave been brought to light possibly Of
| the Basihca, or courthouse. described by the
| pseudo Nitruvius in the fifth book DE Archi-
tectura Here. embedded In wall OF much
later age. several magnificent pieces Of statuary
nave been discovered. representing members Of
the Julia gems, kinsmen Of the founders OF the
| empire These statues were probably set up in
| the local Augusteum.