Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-06
UNEARTHED AT POMPEll
Interesting Relics Recently Recovered From
the Ruins.
One Of the Finest of Antique MOsaics-
No Mean Treasure-Fruit-
full Excavations.
From the Londor Times.

The excavations at Pompei have been
continued during the last year, and have
resulted chiefly in the discovery of small
houses containing objects of secondary IN
terest and Importance In the neighbor-
hood of the Gate of Vesuvius portion OF
the city wall belonging to the earliest pc
rod of Pompeiian building was laid bare,
and is interesting, as it is apparently more
ancient than such other portions of the
wall as have been discovered. Ii appears to
be of Oscar construction. being built of
large blocks of rough stone neatly Joined
without mortar, and resembles somewhat
the facade of The House of the Surgeon,
which is admittedly of oscan architecture.
though the stones are larger and not Sc
smoothly faced. This section of the eXca-
Vatons being exhausted. the ground al
ready appropriated being finished, the di-
rector determined to excavate the small
corner near the Sea Gate" which was the
only unexcavated spot in that part of the
city. Experts had long been anxious to
what lay buried there, for there
portion of a very large and handsome red
marble pillar which had long been above
ground, and had given rise to sundry con-
lectures
On removing the soil the site was found
to be occupied by the foundations of a
temple which was in course of construc-
ton at the time of the destruction of the
city in 20 A. d. This is particularly in
teresting, because it supposed that all
the sacred editces of the city had been
discovered long ago, no important deity be-
ing without a representative temple; but
unfortunately there is nothing in the rudi-
ments of the temple before US 10 indicate
to whom 1t was to be dedicated on its COM
pletlon 1t is evident that, though very
small, 1t was intended to rival in its deco
ration any temple which existed In the
city, and though it had scarcely risen above
the ground level, the marble architraves
carved with the usual egg-and-tooth mold
a re rirp
and the Corinthian capitals some finished
and others only partly executed, are dis
played in the Enclosure, as we'll as thu
base of pillar upon which the mason was
at work at the time of the catastrophe
which overwhelmed the city The tool
marks on this base clearly perceptible
ana look as II the workman had only Just
left his task.
AS to the handsome red marble niIlar tn
when we have alluded, 1t is reasonable to
conjecture that it the base for the
statue of the god. it is about four feet
long, and the only piece Of coiored marble
found on the site. The partly executed
capitals are extremely interesting as show
ing the methods of the Roman artist who
was engaged upon them, while those that
are complete are very good specfmeus in
ueeu' considering that they belong to an
age of decline 49,
IF Pompeii itself has not been productive
Oh sensation this year a small excavation
on private ground only a few wards outside
the walls has more than made nm for ~
by revealing one of the finest and most in
teFeStlns mosaicS of antiquity Surround-
eu ny d most exquisite garland of flowers
with theatrical mask thrown in here and
there to break the pattern, is a picture
representing group Of seven philosophers
one of whom is seated with a papyrus in
ms hand, and the others are grouped
around listening to him. In the background
are some ruined pillars and in the right
hand upper corner is a representation of
the Areopagus of Athens, with its rocks
and buildings.
The mosaic is poychrome and in dininu
1--WE cubes, of very fine Workmanship
equal in merit to those by Dioscor-
laes OF Samos. in the Naples museum,
"hlch are believed to be the only
signed mosaics of antiquity. It Is
about three feet square and was no doubf
intended for the center of the pavement
OF room. 1t had probably never been
useu' ana was new mosaic, because it
was not found on the ground but leaning
against wall, showing either that il had
neeh moved from some other pace or that
~ was ABOUT to be put down for the first
n r1.iie, US perfect condition leads one to
prefer the latter conjecture. The govern
ment has purchased it from Signor D'Ac-
qulno and it will shortly be exhibited to
Naples museum. u 'i'o
1t Is generally admitted that the earliest
InoSa!cS IN Italy date from about SO b C.,
anu ihGre can be no doubt that in many
.tSes tieS We're reproductions, or at all
the case before US the sketch of The Arc
opasuS, concerning the identity of which
lhefe can be no doubt in the mind of any
one VINO knows the spot even in its pres
eil state. displays the Greek origin Of the
worn ana the scene depicted must either
De some celebrated discussion on ..Nars
MN or, what Is more unlikely a casrat
s[oup OF one of the Attic schools of thought
Such as might be seen there any dav Al
any rate. sketch of the Areopapus when
Is recognizable at the end of the nine
teehth century is no mean treasure ana
we are encouraged to hope that one or
other of the archaeological schools of
AthenS may be able to throw some light on
the subject of this interesting mosaic
1t Is not thought likely that the D'Ae-
quino excavations Will produce other OBJ
JectS OF great Importance, as the house
SO Tar mas shown no signs of being any
thlnS more than a suburban villa After
the rich find of silver which was made
some three years ago in house about a
mile from Pompeii and presented by Baron
holhSchld TO the Louvre, it is unsafe TO
speak WIN TOO much confidence but the
above Is the opinion of the expert who is
IN charge of the excavation.