The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-02-23
NEWSPAPERS OF OLD ROME.
Discovery Showing How the Acta
Diurna Urbis' Gave the News Of
Caesars Time.
London Express.

London Express. =.
After all. there Is nothing new under the
sun. London OF today and Rome OF yes.
terday are twenty centuries apart; yet
man and manners have changed but lit
tie, II we are to believe newspaper pub
lished when Julius Caesar ruled the
p pSI6 t. T p'e which Up soDE % Ihs
daily paper, with Phny as Its star report:
er. one might be reading . resume Of
a twentieth century days news twiste4
into quaint language.
The Acta was court Journal a. well
as a general newspaper. It printed the
laws of the emperor. enactments by the
Senate. the names OF incoming naE1s-
audience with the Emperor. or an In
vitation to his banduets. the sacrifices
to the gods. the games at the clrcus.
births marriages, divorces, and deaths
Of notable people. and general gossip
Tablets giving new insight into this
early day Journalism have just been dis
covered in Rome. The show that the
Acta must have circulated extensively
the provinces. 1t was posted every morn.
ing in the Forum. and copied and sold
In the Argiletum-the Fleet Street OF
ancient Rome. p;
Fine writing was not the forte OF
those ancient chrcnlclers. Dry state
ments were good enough for them. I'M
agination and facts seem to have been
statement Of a stabbtns. ARRAY can be
found a brief story of wonderful
phoenix being discovered near Rome ana
exhibited in the Comita-
Pliny wrote for The Acta. Pliny pos
sessed among other qualifications for
that position, vivid imagination. Had
he lived in the twentieth century he
would have written lurid and highly cir
events. His was the story of the phoenix
which story. by the way. seems to b
the direct ancestor of that familiar fable
of latter days-the sea serpent.
Pliny contributed to one number OF The
Acta an account OF an interesting phe-
nomenon. He says that during the trial
of Milo for the murder OF Clodius .
shower of baked bricks fell in several
however. whether the streets were pa led
thereby or whether the bricks piled
themselves into walls.
Pliny made the mistake Of living $500
could have used him in Berlin.
The Acta was frequently consulted by
literary men Of the dav. Back numbers
were deposited in q library accessible to
these files when he wrote the lives Of the
twelve Caesars, and found the birthday
of Tiberius. the birthplace OF Csliguia,
the three letters added by Ciard'H to
Tacitus admits having copied from The
Acta his description OF the funeral OF
Germ anicus and Of the apot aeosis OF
made by the same writer were the de-
hates In the Senate, when q temple was
to be erected to Mere, and when the SEN
ator Thraseus Indignantly protested
against the cowardice OF his colleagues
who applauded Nere's matricide. :.
Dion heard from the same source the
victories of Commodius In the amphithe-
atre, and other more disreputaole ex-
lloits OF that Individual
A glance at the news summary in one
copy Of The Acta, which Is undated. and
possibly apocryphal, Is. nevertheless, Ia
teresting. 1t shows that the world has
THE Consul Savinius will today assume
the duties Of his once.
"A violent thunder storm burst yester-
day over the city. A thunderbolt fell In
the afternoon on an oak tree in the VI
cinity of the Velia.
"A fatal ARRAY took place at the Bear
Wineshop, near the shrine Of Janus. The
landlord was dangerously wounded.
THE Aedile Titanus passed sentence
upon the butchers who VIGOROUSLY sold
to the people meat not previously sub
mitted to inspection The fines collected
will be devoted to the erection of
"Ansidius. the money changer. who
carried on business under the sign Of the
Shield Of the Climber. has ded with
considerable sum Of money. He was pnr-
money was found on his person. The
Praetor Fontenius ordered the money to
be restored to those citizens who had de-
posted their funds with him.
"Denniphon. the robber, who was lately
captured, was crucified this morning"
Not SO different from the daily run Of
news In the twentieth century. We have
defaulting bankers. whose loot is some
times divided for the benefit Of thtir
creditors: butchers who violate laws
governing the sale OF meat: fatal brawls
IL "wlne-shops." and robbers. who suffer
for their sins.
Likewise an occasional tale Of the
phoenix -sea-serpent variety.
RT-BURNINGs IN ITALY.