The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-02

A scientist Of the Smithsonian Insti
tuition says: Explorations made this yeal
In the buried ruins Of ancient Rome !iav,
resulted in the discovery Of an archaeo
logical treasure which will take its place
In the very first rank Of Roman antiQui
ties. This is the altar stone Of the Gle
Romans 1t was brought to light in tn,
course Of the excavations made by Prof
Bonn Of the Italian Department Of Antiqui
ties and the work of deciphering wna
remains of the inscription has Just beer
completed and announced by Signor DO.
mencio Comparetti, one of the mos
learned antiquarian scholars in Italy.
| The site of the discovery is near the
spot where another highly important fine
had been made short time before; the
column erected over the spot where Julius
Caesars remains were buried. Near the
base of the column Prof Boni unearthed a
pavement of smooth black stones. He i'm
mediately concluded that he had come
upon the famous Black Stone which, &C.
cording to some of the old Latin writer's
marked the grave of Romulus. Nobody in
this age expected to find the bones OF
Romulus under the stone or anywhere
else, as the wolf-bred founder of the
Eternal City and his twin brother have
long since been relegated to the limbo
of myths, but monument on the spot
where the old Romans believed Romulus
to have been buried was of the greatest
archaeological interest. Underneath this
pavement, however, discovery was made
which relegated Romulus' possible mouu-
ment to place of minor interest.
I'm the midst Of debris lay two columns
Of tufa. One, perfectly preserved. Is with
out inscription. The other. broken off short,
is chiseled on its four sides with an archaic
inscription, the oldest extant Latin
known. The sculptor who made the in
scription was dead and forgotten centuries
before the birth OF Christ and now In the
last year of the nineteenth century the
fragmentary words o: the broken legend
have been brought to light and read Long
and patient study by Signor Comparetti
brought out enough to show that the stone
is a sacred monument of the earliest period
Of Roman history. II is regarded as one
Of the great archaeological finds Of the
century.
''All that remains OF this column is from
seventeen to twenty inches high. 1t is an
eighteen-inch cube at the base, sloping
gradually toward the top, like an obelisk.
the inscription is somewhat worn.
The obelisk, when intact. was probably
no taller than six feet. so it Is clear that
about half Of the inscription is lost AS
the inscription ran lengthwise, there re-
mains only the lower part, giving but the
beginning Of the lines of writing. So large
are the characters that they would have
been, when new and clear cut, legible at
distance Of several PAGES. Owing to the
fragnentary condition of the lines an ex-
act reproduction OF their sense is impos-
sible-stiil there are enough suggestive
words yet legibIe to indicate plainly the
character OF the column and Of the spot
marked by it.
The first line reads Quot honce' Ito
whom this). and the second 'Sacros esed'
(be cursed; which, being nlled in with
the missing words. may be taken to mean
in substance, Cursed be he who knowingly
violates this place The sacredness Of the
spot is further suggested by the words,
tod (road throush-be sacred. Then,
too, the word 'sord' (sortes. the sacred
lots cast at the altar shows that the
monument marked the sacrifcial altar OF
early Roman times. Sheep and oxen were
the common sacrifices of the Romans, and
around the obelisk were found the bones
Of these animals, together with small
bronzes and other relics of votive offer
ings. On the monument Is found the word
'boivoivoid;' evidently combination of
the Latin words for oxen and sheep tbos
ovis.). Indicatio OF the date of the Obel- |
isk is found in the words 'fas' and regei.'
having, respectively, the meaning of
priest and king. The period at which the |
priestly and kingly functions were united |
In Rome was the sixth century. B. c., and |
this, together with the archaic character |
Df the letters, would place the date at |
least as far back as that An interesting |
point in regard TO the lettering Is the |
Greek character Of the letters, showing |
that even as early as the sixth century.
B. c., the literary influence Of the Greeks |
Was felt in Rome.
.'Signor Comparettis deciphering of the |
inscription proves that this lettered obel- |
SIX marked the entrance to an ancient |
emple. possibly the first of the temples /
,eld in reverential awe by the early Ro-
mans. This was a place Of refuge.
THE altar became the site OF the later |
.ostrum from which a man pleaded for
his life before the people assembled to /
Judge him. In later days the rostrum
became the centre of the political life OF |
he Romans, but in primitive times 1t was /
he religious centre. 1t is well known /
rom other discoveries made before in this
that the rostrum Of the
Drum was regarded as a sacred spot, and
hat the sacrifcial idea was connected
herewith is evident from various refer
noes thereto in Roman literature. The
r;bune of tie people when seated in the
Drum was inviolable, not subject to ar
est for any crime whatever.
That the actual history Of the site
marked by the obelisk was forgotten when
was buried, and that the myth of the
urial of the remains of Romulus the
ounder of Rome, beneath the block pave
nent was treasured up as accounting for
he sacredness of the spot. is not in the
east surprising TO the student of the de-
elopment of myths. The burial of this
belisk is easily accounted for by the
urning of the temple there, which took
lace at least twice during the first 400
ears of Roman rule. The connection of
his temple with the old fable OF Romulus
nd Remus having been reared by wolf
lother is best proved by the statue of the
off which was found in the subterranean
hambers of the capitol, the figures of
ne boys being evidently later restora-
on
"Excava ions are now going on in the
icinity o. the spot where the sacred
lonument vas found, and it is expected
nat other ancient objects of great value