The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-01-06
Italian History Begins With
the Stone Age.

4ldiidii AAiStOaI DSShiS
the Stone Age.
The interest IN Italy At the beginning o.
this century was mainly for the sake Of II:
secondhand version OF Greek art. and fol-
the architecture and painting Of the Re
Nuisance. On the contrary. now the object.
from Greece itself have far eclipsed the
Italian copies. and the interest lies IN the
early italian civilization and its purely Ro-
man derivatives; while modern taste value
I the medieval art Of Italy far from the
bastard products OF the ford age which
followed. The first detailed studies in Italy
were those Of Pompeii. especially by Cell
$50. which made that debased style very
popular and paved the way for appreciation
OF better work. The various isolated discov-
cries OF Etruscan tombs were summed up
IN the admirable work Of Dennis Qs4s), which
presented q general view Of that civilization
which has not been superseded. The earlier
Italic culture has been examined in many
places where accidental discoveries have re-
vealed Il during the latter half Of the CEN
fury. and especially In the systematic work
OF Zannoni at Bologna CS70-75. and OF Orsi.
lately IN Sicily. Tn history Of the city OF
Rome has been almost rewritten in the last
thirty years. owing 10 the great changes OF
the new Government. These have been large
- WV ~ oAA1 t1OLAN1 W AAD
and Middleton. The view Of Italian history
at present begins in the Stone Age. which
has been well studied. and has links with
the later periods. as IN the general use OF
black pottery. The earliest metal objects are
very simple blades or daggers, found in
graves mingled With flint arrow-heads and
knives. The admirable Italian plan OF pre-
serving whole burials undisturbed in mu-
seums enables US TO see these graves COM
plete in the Kircherian Museum. A special
branch OF the early Bronze Age life WIS
the system of lake dwellings NATURALLY OF
srtifcially water-sirD. which abound IN the
northern Italian lakes and over the plain OF
Lombardy. There towns C"terra mare') are
arranged in q rectangular plan. and form
the earliest stage of many OF the present
cities. The full development Of the Bronze
Age civilization seems to have been later
than IN Greece. at about 500 B.. C.. to which
belong the great discoveries Of tombs weap-
ons and tools at Bologna. and the cemetery
OF Falerii.
Upon all the nativs Italio civilization
came an entirely different influence from
the Immigrant Etruscan. Traditionslly
coming from Asia Minor. he brought art and
religion which had no relation to the Italic.
The earliest Etruscan paintings are strong
ly Northern In style. Influenced by North
European feeling Vein. But soon the Etrus-
can borrowed largely from other races from
the Greek mainly. but also from Assyria
alu Ely 4AUS IL ldSClldllIlA DIOpltIIl
IN Italy Is to distinguish the various sources
OF Italic. Etruscan. Graeco-Etruscsn. ORR
ental-Etruscan and pure Greek. which are
found In all degrees OF combination before
Roman times. and which can still be traced
through the Roman age. The characteristics
OF Etruscan taste are: ID The extraneous
objects and figures, such as rows of pend
ants TO a metal vase. monstrous heads
standing out from a bowl. and statuettes
placed for handles: 81 in forms of vases
and furniture the combination Of many dif-
ferent parts and curves which never form
a whole design; CD and in sculpture. the
large. round head and staring eyes-in gem
eral. an air OF clumsy adaptation by a
race deficient In originality. The glory of
the Etruscan was his engineering. which he
handed "a a legacy 10 Rome. Strange to
say. although thousands Of Etru>can in
scriptions are known. and many words are
yet the language Is sealed to US. |
and none OF the many attempts to read Il
has succeeded The scientific study of
Etruscan tombs has been well followed late |
ly. as shown IN the Florence museum,
a separate room Is devoted TO each ;.
city.
In the South OF Italy Greek art prevailed.
and many Of the finest works belong to this |
civilization The Greek In Italy had rather
ideals TO those of Greece; he start |
ed more from the level of Polykleitos and
than from the severe age; his
type Is that of youth and Adde'S |
cence. never Of maturity. The grace and /
feeling Of such bronze statues as the
and so-called Ssppho OF Herculane-
UNI are peculiar to Southern Italy. And !
when the Greek penetrated North and allied
himself with the mechanical skill Of the
Etruscan such splendid work was done as
the Orator OF Sanguinsto."
Rome In the earlier centuries was an
Italic town which came under Etruscan IN
huence as Tuscany was conquered. But
T-Aa ~
First Century b. c. Greek art in a de-
based form ruled over all else, and ran in
20 utter degradation IN the Third Century
D. II was this art that the power of
spread around the whole Meditsrrare-
IN from Palmyra to Britain. and which 10
he parent of most modern decoration. But
n the great reconstruction OF the Empire
inde- Diocletian the debased Greek taste
Vas mostly shaken of. and Rome went
'ack to the old talic-Etruscan style and
The statues have the round heads
Ind staring eyes OF old Etruria; the taste
'or quaint accessories. such as lions sup
PORTING objects. came back and passed into
art; and the exaggerated lengthy
OF men and animals reappeared.
or the Christian period De Rossi's work
n the eatacombs has given a firm base Of
acts for the Third to the Sixth Century
A. D.; the actual tomb and body OF 81
caecilia being the most striking result. tn.
alter Roman and medieval age In italy u
ul of interest; but in that as in the rest
" mediaeval Europe-research has been
mainly on architecture and objects winch
ire not the result of excavation, and space
prevents our noticing II.
The Hindus have never been chronicle
lists or historians. and their great Sans !
lrit literature tells practically nothing
bout the rise OF Buddhism. the invasion
Alexander. or the spread OF civilization
n lndo-China- All before the Islamic con-
iuest in the Tenth Century A.. ID. Is in a
mist OF Puranic mythology. Here then.
moro than in other countries. archaeology :
las restored the history. and lone so en-
rely within this century.
The existence of Sanskrit literature was
evealed to the West by Sir William Jones I
I the end OF the last century. and this gave
cope to Oriental scholars. while antiquities {
interested the collector. But serious
xploration was led by Prinsep, whose de- (
iphsrment OF the Aseka inscriptions n