The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-04-18
DIGGING N Old ROME
Possible Ciceronian Relic
Brought to Light.
HOARDS OF ANCIENT COIN
Objects That are Found at the
Bottom of Wells.

New York. April IS. A correspondent,
from Rome writes to the New York Ev-
ening Post: Since writing to you last
June concerning the the work of excava-
rion then being carried on in the Forum,
many more discoveries of varid interest
and importance have been made. The ex
ploratons have been pushed to the chur-
Oh Of SAINT Adriano at one end to Fran
cesca Romano at the other, and from the
foot of the Palatine to, partially over, the
site of the Basilica Aemillia.
AT the western end of the Forum, be-
tween the Rostra and the modern road,
much dirt has been cleared away, so that
/ The very early foundation of tufa blocks
( Of the Temple of Concord can now be
/ seem Considering the softness tufa,, it is
| TO be hoped that these foundations viii
not long be left exposed to the weather.
The scanty remains of the so-colled
House of Romulus" on the Palatine and
the neighboring buildings have weather
ed away to such a degree since they
We're uncovered, some twenty years or
more years ago, that in a few decades
! they will, if left as they are now, entire
iy disappear. The rsquirments of stud
ants would be amply satisfied by photo
graph and accurately meashered plans
and elevations, and it will be great pity
II, when the work in the Forum is com
pleted, the traces of republican Rome
which Signor Boni has found are left to
perish by expouser.
Besides showing the foundations of the
Temple of Concord, the removal of earth
from this reagon has brought into prom
fence the curved structure behind Rosta.
and has given a new impulse to discuss
ions concerning it. This has usually been
ctlled the ''Graecostasis," but there is no
solid proof of the correctness of this de-
signation. A new hypothesis has ben
suggested by Mr.. O'Connor, one of the
studants of the American Archaeological
School It is that this building is the
Tribunal Aurelii mentioned several times
by Cicero. Modern authorities disagree as
TO the character and position of the stru-
cter.
This monument is not far from the
Comitum where late last spring the lap
is niger was found. The explorers have
pushed their way carefully all about this
| BLACK stone" and have laid bare the
pavement Of the Comitum, even I'D to
the the walls of SAINT Adriano. This was
made possible by the removal of the Loop
of the electric car line which ran past
SAINT Adrtano. and over the sight of the
BaSilica Aemila-a removal suggested in
my earlier letter to you, and which turn
al ciy1, RI
ell oft he Comitium little was found.
Many medieval graves in frontof the
church were cleared away end some in
scriptions interesting to scholars were
turned up. On the original level or the
Comitium or-to be, prehaps, more accur-
ate-on the seemingly Republican level
of the Comitium, were several bases, one
of them set up by Maxentius, bearing the
inscription: MART Invicto Patri ct act
ernae urbis suae conditoribus Dominus
Noster Imp. Maxentius P Jus F felixI
Invictus Aug" At some later time the
name of Maxenti,fs had been partially
erased and the pedestal reused. The
finding of this base Though not abso-
lutely in sitW on this level, which Is
practically the same as that of the black
tons, Of which those of Professor Hulsen
are apparently well founded.
The love of Maxentius for the city of
Rome is well knowen. He strove as best
he knew to reanimate the traditions of
the city's old-time glory. What the sta
tue represented that stood no the pedes-
tai we cannot Say. There is no good rea-
son to suppose, as has ben hastily sug-
gested that 1t was the famous Wolf But
as this base is on the level of Dioclet-
ian,s Cura, and as the 'black stone"
is on practically the same level and ORR
ented on the same lines as Diocletian's
Cura, Prof. Hulsen suggests that all this
RECON was put in order by Maxentius. and
that the "blacg stone" is. as We see it a
restoration of the same Emperor. Before
this view can be accepted as proved. the
relation of the levil of the monuments be
low the "black stone" and of the layer
Of sacrificiaI objects to the BLACK stone"
itself will need to be explained. For the
present, however, the explanation is very
plausible.
One great difficulty met by Signor Boni
all over the Forum has been caused BY
the drains and wells. ancient and med
iaeval which have to be pumped out CO.
tinually. Some of the ancient drains can
be made TO serve their ORIGINAL function
and in the m, as also IN the wells OF
which latter some twenty have been ex-
ploredC many valuable fragments have
been found: but in the main they have
been a hindrance TO the work one cur
ious point in regard to the ancient wells
is at the bottom OF them q believe IL ev-
cry case) there is layer OF river Sr-v-
81 in which are many objects and bones
of animals As a similar layer OF gravel
and objects was found under the BLACK
stone surrounding the inscribed cippus
il seems likely II had some sacred sig
nifcance. The object fsound in some OF
the ancient wells chose Of Republican
times) are, IN the main. vases OF rude
make, styluses, bones. astra galoi. etc
For instance, in the dome shaped cisterns /
Of the Regia were found some seventy
ctyluses and small writing tablet II
has been suggested that this underground |
chamber Is the sacrarfum OF Ops >Consiva !
bU- that sac-arium was on certain occas- /
ions entered by the Poncfex Aaxiuns /
and the yestal Virgins. and we can scar
cely imagine their being let down into
this dark. damp vault But IL the ssc-a- /
rum OF OPS Constva has nO1 been discov- |
cred. II IS probably that traces % an ecu
ally important sacrariGm hove been and |
~Iz- -1a -s--,,r,- fo-st7a-fors =, tha rs-,