New-York tribune., 1899-07-23
FOUND IN TIE FORUM.
INTERESTING RESULTS OF THE EXCA-
VATIONS NOW IN PROGRESS IN ROME.
Rome correspondence of The LONDON GlObc.

AS we are coming to an end Of clearing out the
"Thous' in the Regia, the finds in 1T. few as
they are seem to sufficient to enable IL to tel
its own story. over thirty 'styli." or bone pens
have come out of the mud Of two thousand five
hundred years. They are in perfect condition
as have proved. But why so many pens? AND
again why is the ''Tholus," or store pit. so care
fully coated with cement inside, and what is the
reason which can account for that outer rim
with the dark puttylike clay filling up the inter
space between the two circles? Simply this
The "Tholus' used as the cornbin Of the
Pontilices. Into Il the corn was empted from
the jars in which it arrived. very few fragments
of which. however. have got into it, cerF
must have stood by keeping tally or the mum
Der of Jars received and empted therein. Occa-
sionally looking over the edge to see the cavity
filing up with grain. the stylus he used To pu
behind his ear. being Of smooth bone slipped
and fell and buried itself in the wheat. until to-
day. The thick wrapping Of clay was doubtless
intended to keep the "Tholus" cool and free IRON
perCOlatOnS.
a singularly interesting find has since come
out of it-namely. fragments Of the finely mould
ed well head mouth OF it, on the lip of whict
is the word "Regia." 1t is made of a superior
kind Of highly crystalline "travertino Th'
Regia a building seventy feet long an1
forty two across. it's southeastern termination
forming an obtuse angle. instead Of a rectangle
In one Of its three chambers was a hall Of con
vocation. where the Sacred College Of Pontiff'
met for deliberations. 1t also contained Sa
Crarium." or shrine wherein were kept tn,
sacred spears of Mars and 'sacrarum" OF
Opis COnSv8 goddess who was represented a:
a matr1n holding a loaf in her left hand. as Il
ready to assist the needy. As she was th'
Goddess of Earth people paid their homage e
Ter in n sitting posture. But more remains t'
be discovered in the site Of the Rega, in its cen
trail region. and ii is clear that its literature VII
be enriched by the discoveries | have been on
abed t. watch over hour by hour ard retail t'
your readers.
The history OF the buildings in the Forum car
only be known and that merely approximately
by intimate knowledge Of styles. and above all
by close familiarity with its various levels. The
Forum We have all known ii is not too much tC
say, has been chiefly late imperial and medic
val Forum. Beneath il lies Classic Republican
and EtrusCan Rome. For what originally
an extensive marsh lying between the Palatine
Esqulinc and Capitoline hills became drained bN
the skill and sCienc" of Etruscan engineers
ThencefOrWard monuments began to aocumulate te
and presently the soil began to rise by th'
process Of additions and improvements. Thi:
continued until the fall of the Empire. and ever
later. until neglect. deSertiOn ana destruction
caused ii to rise far more rapidly. and ii be-
came FIRST a rubbish heap for the city. then
quarry for the pOpes ard princes. and. finally
precious and sacred mine for the archeo!oSist.
THE BLACK STONES"
As nothing illustrates the early rise of the
ground more vvdy than intimacy with tn,
BLACK stones" and the exploration now pro
ceeding around and under them. shall make NJ
excuse Cor here saying something about the To-
cality and the monumental objects contained
in il.
The first fact that strikes the student is thai
the black pavement above does not observe the
same OrientatiOn as the tufa pedestals and Other
objects below. These latter observe the more
ancient and more correct OrientatiOn. whereas. Il
put II as simply as possible. the pavement like
the Curia (St. Adriano) in front Of it, and all tn,
imperial buildings IN the Forum. use the n E
for their y.
There is proof at hand however that this was
not always So with this black marble pavement
TAder the rough travertino frame which binds II
On earlier and similar in part is So n 10 survive
and it oriented a few points more in har
m1ny with the pcdestaS. etc. below. Tn" ques
ton at once suggests itself Has the pavement
been raised and relaid? The answer Will be II
the affirmative. 1t has been al one time in peri
OF being lost among the monuments which RAISED
the surrounding area. For this reason IL has
been lifted about two feet bodily and in relayinp
il the engineers Of the Empire have Oriented II
in keeping with the imperial edifices around.
In consequence of this. on dcsct ndinG under
the stones. at once that originally the
pavement must have rested on the nattened Oi
truncat'd tufa cone. which we met with there
nearly under its centre. Any who reColleCt the
famous tomb Of ArunS. near ArCCia commonly
called that Of the Horati and Curiatib. will cal
to mind the flat;cned cones which rise at tht
four corners Of its Vauting. The other trun-
Gated cone is precisely similar To them. Within
a couple Of feet south Of the cone stands the
quadranGular inscribed "cphus.' with bevelled
edges The inscription Of 1t. though OF tram ,ly
archaic (semi- -EtruSCam character. is in Latin
and the word "kalatOrem' is plainly 10 be- read
on one Of its faces. No sooner is one in that re-
cess with candle than one perceives that the
tufa base lines with sharp edges run straight on
into the yet uneXCavated ground westward, tow
ard the south end Of the Arch of Septimius
Sevcrus
There will quite probably, be found other
such cones and possibly other inscribed cpp
But This cppus is broken at the east face of
its top. and the inscriptions are imperfect. there
is reason to think il may be more ancient than
its fellow objects. and has been simply utilized
there as \ support. / humbly incline to believe
otherwise and that il will be found 70 be- most
intimately connected with the religious history OF
the spot. But the soil around and formerly inn
liz. hns =