The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-08
SOME NEW BooKS



Tho Romans the Riviera.
We are indebted 10 Mr. W. IL. Hall for an inter
estiug study OF a neglected chapter Of history
In tho book entitled The Romans on the Riptsrd
and The Rhors (Macmillans). This In a sketch
OF the conquest Of Liguria and Of the Roman
province known As Gallia Narbononsis The
present name, Provence COMMUNICATES the fact
that tho region so denominatod was long described
as the Provincial par excellence About the
Roman conquest OF this region We arc left very
much In the dark. owing TO the loss Of the books
Of Lvy. which treated Of tho subject Cesar s
commentaries on the Gallo War present only
tho second act In the drama Of the Roman con-
quest Of Gaui. The "Omnie Gallia,- 10 which
Cesar refers, means Gallia with the Rhone Val
Icy left out because that valley had been already
conquered and reduced TO a province II IL an
intimate acquaintance with the locality which
the author OF the book before us has acquired
aurfnx twelve winters passed on tho northwestern
shore Of the Mediterranean that has rendered
II possible for him 10 exc out the slender mate
rails available for tho bridging Of tho gap In Ro-
man history between the narratives Of Livy and
Cesar. II was only by degrees, Mr. Hall tells
us, that he became aware how much wider was
the ancient Liguria than the strip OF Italian coast
to which II is limited by modern geographers
He soon discovered that at Frejus, the old Forum
Julii he was In a centre which was Ligurian
before II became Roman. and that he was
placed at the most convenient point on tho coast
for exploring tho whole OF ancient Liguria, which
extended from the Rhone on tho west across
the Alps as far east the limo Of the Trebia, and
thence was prolonged acroas the Apennines by
the valley Of the Magra to the Mediterranean.
In Gaul II reached from the coast inland as far
a. the level Of the Isere and thus included part
nf Ia Inv all H. hnl~ Mt
Provence and q part Of Savoy. In Italy,
reached UP to tho level Of the upper half OF the
course Of the Po and at points. even beyond
It. In tho days Of Justinian Milan was con-
sldered tho capital Of Lguria
Who were tho Lguhansi Having been SET
tied for upward OF 5000 years In their pr~-cat
possessions along the northwestern shore uf the
Mediterranean, tho Lgurians can boast OF being
probably the Oldest family and tho purest blood
in western Europe. Tho latc Karl Mulenhof.
In his authoritative work, "Deutscho Altertum-
skunde." now appearing at Berlin In new edi-
ton, says Of the Ligurans OF tho Riviera: "They
had been longer settled hero than had the Celts
in Gaul or the Ausonians In Italy They be-
longed. like tho Rhaetans in the Tyrol and the
lborians on the Pyrennes to the pro-Aryan popu-
lahon OF Europe" II Is, in truth, now generally
accepted that the Lguhans constitute a branch
of the ancient Iberian family whereof tho Basques
are the only other survivors In Europe Elise
Reclus says Of the Ligurtans that they "proba-
bly, brothers Of our Basques" and tho late EN-
manuel Celosia OF Genoa found many roots COM
mon TO the Basque language In his native Ligur-
ian pa!ois Some modern writer's have asserted
them TO DO akin 70 the Celts and TO belong TO the
Ayran family. But Strabo expressly states that
the Lguhans arc Of o different race from the
Celta The physical typo Of tho Ligurian diff
fered as widely as possible from that OF the Colt
or Gaul, for the Lgurian was OF small stature.
nervous and why, far moro capable OF enduring
fatigue than the Gaul whose hugo soft body
melted away like wax before the scorching sun
OF Italy and Provence In a standup fight a
Lgunan was considered a match for Gaul
twice his size. At field labor. the Lgurian men
and women alike were renowned for their endur-
anoe Among tho ancient Greek writer's there
is a consensus that, at the dawn Of European
history. the Lgurians wore found scattered along
the coasts and In the islands OF tho western basin
OF the Mediterranean. Elba Is undoubtedly tho
Lguran Ilva word repeated in the Liguran
tribe, 1vates, located In the Apennines behind
Genoa In Corsica, NJ. DArbois de Jubainville
cites twenty names Of places ending in the dis
,inctvely Ligurian termination OF -asca In his
work. Les PremierS Hdbiants de rEurope no
cites 257 modern names OF places In Northern
Italy ending in -asca or a slight variation Of that
termination, whereof only thirty-six arc In tho
modern Italian province OF Lguria restricted to
the seacoast No similar termination Is to be
found In the north OF France though not few
occur in tho Liguran district OF the basin of tho
Rhone.
The foundation OF Marseilles In tho Ligurian
country b. c. 600, on territory coded to Phocean
settlers Is tho FIRST historical fact that can be
nected with the Ligurans Of tho Riviera The
next Is tho presence of Iigurians as mercenaries
at the battle OF Himera, in Sicily, d. c. 4S0 an
incident in itself sufficient TO prove that they
were amenable to some kind OF military disci-
pline moro than three centuries before their con-
quest by the Romans. To what extent the Ligu-
rians yielded TO civilizng influences Is doubtful.
That they ultimately repented OF their concession
Of territory to the Greeks. is proved by their per.
sistent acts OF hostility toward Marseilles and
her colonies along the coast Nevertheless, as
the Ligurians had enjoyed friendly intercourse
with tho Phocsan Greeks whilo tho latter were
building their city, and for some time afterward
II seems probable that they must have acquired
some degree OF civilization through this contact
In q passage however. referring to the Italian
Riviera. Strabo says that there Is nothing worth
mentioning about II except that the people dwell
In villages. ploughing and digging the inract
'hewing tho rocks" Elsewhere Strabo notes
that tho Lgurlans closed all the roads leading
from Italy to Iberia along the seacoast of au
and carried on system OF pilage by land and by
sea Mr. Hall hnds that there were two kinds
Ligurians, highlanders and lowlanders TIL,
former wore known to tho Romans as capillat
dong -halred), and the latter as tonsi (shorn)
The highlanders, unable to wiring even d bar,
subsistence out OF the rocks Of the higher ridge.
OF the Maritime Alps and Apennines among
which they found refuge were driven to acts O
brigandage and piracy. Like famished wolves
they could only keep themselves alive by cattle
lifting and raids any food on which they coulc
lay hands in the lowlands They chung SO des
perAtely, however, to their stronghods in the NJ ar
thine Alps behind Monaco and Nice, that ever
Julius Cesar failed to force a passage through
them These highland or long haired Liguran
succeeded in maintaining their independence o
tho Romans till the middle Of the reign of Angus
tus The monument OF La Turbie commentaries
their anal subugat and the opening In of IN,