The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1904-02-25
A Strange discovery.

Among the elRly highways of Italy
was the road leading from Monteleone
to Norcia, the ancient Etruscan city of
Nursia. One of the chariots that once
rumbled along it has recently been
brought to light.
A band of peasants, while making an
excursion near the hill "Il Capitano,'' >
at the base of which the road ran, un-
earthed an old sepulcher. In 1t was
this blga, or chariot. The woodwork
of the body, OF which enough remained
to show that black walnut was the ma
terial used In its construction, had al
most entirely crumbled away, but the
bronze sheathing and most OF the 9TH
or parts remained practically intact.
The Metropolitan Museum of New
York, which purchased the relic for
forty-eight thousand three hundred
and eighty-three dollars, has succeed
ed in restoring it, and it is now on ex-
hibition in that institution.
Judging from it's delicacy and wealth
OF ornament, the chariot was not in
tended for use in war, but for ceremo-
nlal or festival purposes. 1t was evi-
IDENTIFY the property of some Etruscan
"blood," who, two thousand five hun
dred years ago, used to race his smart
pair OF ponies by the very spot where
the biga was found. That the horses
were hardly more than ponies in size,
is shown by the shortness OF the pole.
The bits of the little beasts have been
preserved, and 1t is interesting to note
that they are jointed, form common
ly supposed to be OF modern origin.
Probably most OF us think of the utill-
tartan works OF the ancient artisans as
massive and rather clumsy, sacrificing
lightness to strength but this biga is
of very fine work rkmanship. and could
hardly have borne the weight of more
than one man.
| Its entire height is not moro than
four feet the front higher than the
sides the wheels so low-about two
feet in diameter-that the driver
could easily::step from the road to the
floor OF the chariot. Both front and
sides were sheathed In bronze, barely
as thick as thin sheet of cardboard,
on which are three scenes In strong re-
lief. According to General Di Cesnola,
director of the museum, these repre-
sent three deeds of Hercules. The
bronze plates are further covered with
minor symbolic figures and minute
decorations.
When it was new the chariot must
have been a gorgeous sight. There
are traces to show that the eyes and
lips of the various figures had been
brightly enameled. The reliefs were
lightly gllded, and there seems to have
been an ivory rim for the chariot
body. The wheels have no decoration
except eagles heads at the ends of..the
axles. They are made of stout wood,
and have each nine spokes. Both
spokes and felly are sheathed with
bronze. The pole of the chariot
emerges from bronze boar's head, and
terminates in that of an eagle.
|, Like Egyptian art, the art of the
Greeks, Romans and Etruscans in its
earliest stages was so severely fettered
by religious conventions that it is a
matter OF no great difficulty to deter
mine the time to which given work
of art belongs. We know that it was
only after 600 B. G. that the head
dress of Hercules was lions head, and
and before that time the lion was also
placed upon his shield. We also know
that in the earlier statues he appears
with pointed beard. It is by the
study of such details that the date to
which this chariot belongs has been
placed with a fair degree OF certainty
between 700 and 600 B. G.
Probably in ita time it was "the last
cry of fashion," Its noble owner would
have opened his eyes pretty wide if he
could have caught prophetic glimpse
of our whirling, putting automobiles.
But time may come when distant
generations will consider our steam and
gasoline carriages quite as archaic as
we think the Etruscan biga.
| MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCE.
One was pale and sallow and the
the other fresh and rosy. Whence the
difference? She who is blushing with
health uses DR.. Kings New Lite Pills
to maintain it. By gently arousing
the lazy organs they compel good d.
gestion and head off const, patton. Try
them. Only 25c at E. T. Whitehead
& Co.
"Better keep away from that jay
hawker," cautioned the first bunco
steerer. "What for?" demanded the
other. "I worked that old fellow my