The record-union., 1899-07-08
THE EXCAVATIONS AT ROME.
Resnlts Of the Recent Archaeologi-
Gal Work In the Forum.

GAL Work In the Forum.
When the Peuot1x Ministry was
formed at the end OF June. and Signor
6aceni became Minister Of Public In
s.rucuon, 1t was assumed by archaeolo-
sis.s tnat something would be done to
push Forward the work of excavation
anu arrangement of the classical re-
naaihs In the Forum Magnum, and that
wen known enthusiasm of Signor
Daceiil Tor all that belongs to the his
loFy OF Rome would be sufficient to
overcome the objections certain to be
ialseu on the score Of expense.
remember walking around the Pala-
4is k1lil one hot morning in July and
nearing the speculations of the guar
uians and the ciceroni as to what could
pe done II Signor Bacelli had his way,
nao enough money at his disposal, and
remained long enough in Office to carry
through his plans
Sagnor Bacelli did not disappoint ex
peceatlons, but a great proportion of
Tue credit for the discoveries lately
inaoe 1t due to Signor Boni, a Venetian
engineer and architect, who is animated
ny a passion for archaeology in general
anu the Forum in particular. The
means at his disposal were small, being
only 900 lire Cess than f20W, and
When 1t is seen what Signor Boni has
zone for that amount, in conjunction
with the fact that the gilt letters placed
on the Pantheon during Signor Bacel-
lis last term of office cost f3O0, it will
be admitted that on the present occa-
sion Italy has obtained good results at
a cheap price and with an absence of
jobbery
First of all, below the floor of the
Temple of Vesta four brick walls were
discovered (probably built in the time
of Hadrian), which form kind of
chamber. Searchers for marble in the
sixteenth century may have spoiled one
of the walls. The chamber is supposed
to have served as depository for the
ashes of the sacred fire, which were
taken from the temple once a year.
No discoveries, properly SO called,
were made on this site, which stands
at the northwest corner of the house of
the Vestals, but the inscribed frieze
with the capitals and bases of columns
and pilasters were replaced in their
original positions.
In the neighborhood of this monu-
ment the really important. discoveries
began. In front of the~temple was a
wall built of tufa. Between that wall
and the hemicycle of the front wall of
the temple was found the core of the
base of the honorary column, which,
after Caesars murder, was set up par
emit patriae. This column was built of
the marble known as gallo antico. The
core of the base is made of concrete
formed with chips of gallo antico and
of gray Carrara marble. The fact of
this base being in concrete seems to
show, according to some archaeological
authorities, that the fragments now
found must be a reconstruction and not
the original one, as concrete was not
used at the time of julius Caesar.
Several fragments of the reconstruct
ed Temple of julius Caesar have been
found in a retaining wall which forms
kind of embankment to that side of
the Forum. They seem to have been
built into the wall Unfortunately, as
We're also several pieces of the Basilica
Emilia. One of these fragments, nearly
a cubic yard in size is very finely dec
GRATED with a bulls skull or boucran-
ion. The wall or embankment in which
these blocks have been found must be
made up in great part of similarly in
teresting remains, but excavations
have had to be suspended on account
of a protest lodged with the Govern
ment by the jewellers in the wretched
little houses which stand on the brow
of the embankment itself. The only
way out of the difficulty would be to
have money enough to appropriate
these tumble-down buildings and re-
move them. Here is chance for
wealthy archaeologists to intervene,
buy the wretched novels, and make a