Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-05-08

Imperial Rome, the city Of the Cae.
sars, as 1t appeared at the height OF
Its magnificence, has been restored
on paper-through the Ingenuity of G.
Gattnecht, German artist, who has
based his plausible reconstructions
upon the results of Signor Boni's exca-
vations in the neighborhood Of the For.
UNI. In these pictures Of Herr Gait,
necht satisfying vision. of ancient
Rome may be obtained.
1t is the topography of the great cap,
ital, however, that is presented, being
an architects rendering from plans,
fragments and measurements. The life
Of the Imperial City is, OF course, lack
Ing. Yet, while the restored Stadium
OF the Palatine pictures TINT great
track rs deserted, 1t is conceivable that
such place was, even in the palmiest
days of Rome, solitary, peaceful and
devoid of life.
In the reconstructed Forum and on
Palatine Hill evidence OF living Rome
Is marked. Artifclally, perhaps, but
still in keeping with the accepted idea
OF Roman life. In the picture showing
the Forum in Its heyday, the great
building In the background is the Basil
lea Aemilla, and to the right Of 1t is
the Temple of the Deified Julius, which
was built by Augustus. Below 1t is the
Rostrum Julia, on which were placed
the beaks of the ships taken at Actium.
On the left is the Rostrum proper,
where orators addressed the Curies,
A City Not Finished.
AS the artist includes the column of
Phocas. which is the first one toward
the spectator, the view Of the Forum
must represent 1t at comparatively
late day. AT that time-A. d. 6OS-the
glory OF Imperial Rome really had de-
parted. The city had been sacked 60
years before, but the barbarians had
carried away only portable loot The
ruin of the magnificent buildings some
OF which have been found under 40
feet of rubbish and earth, occurred
later. -
-r
Not only is 1t a truism to say that
Rome was not built in day." but It
might be added that 1t is a city which
never was finished. Recent excavations
by Signor Boni have carried the archae.
ologists spade and pick deeper than
ever they were employed before, and Dis
result 1t has been brought to light
that before the time of Romulus, Its
reputed founder, the city was old. In
fact, there have been uncovered traces
of Celtic occupancy, probably while
that people We're in transit to their
final home In the west of Europe.
Rome's architectural glorles, how
ever, were at their height in the time
OF the empire, when the world, as the
countries bordering on the Mediterra.
mean collectively were known in Eu-
rope, was ruled from 1.-THE seven hills"
on the Tiber. Even in the days Of Its
triumphs the real city was confined to
the valleys between these hills The
streets and alleys were narrow; those
which led over the hills appear to have
been intended only for foot passengers,
and to have consisted of immense
flights of stairs. The one street, which
wound an irregular course between the
Palatine and the Capitoline, which ex-
cavations have uncovered, was so near
ly like modern thoroughfare that It
became known as Via Triumphalis and
Via Sacra. 1t was fairly broad, COM
paratively straight, and was COM
mon avenue for men, horses and We
hicles. The gorgeous professions, the
triumphal entries Of the Caesars, had
this street for their scene. At the Col
osseum, Via Appia led out from the
city, road still familiar to the tour
list as the Appian way.
Majesty II the Forum.
Each emperor strove to leave last
ing memorial of his reign by erecting a
building, a column or an arch. At
times the ambitious ruler did not care
to import costly marbles for master
pieces. and proceeded to tear down an
other structure for its material.
Excepting for certain costly palaces
which were reared on the Palatine and
Capitoline, much of this memorial
building was carried on in the Forum,
which, indeed, is the center of interest
In ancient Rome. The Forum was an
open space, about 600 feet wide by 1000
feet long. During the early republic,
and even In the times Of the emperors,
1t was appropriated to the civic bust!
ness of the Roman people. 1t was early
decorated with statues of illustrlous cit
liens, some Of wood and some of stone.
The Comitlu.n, shown to the left Of
the Basilica and In front Of the Curia,
In the restoration, was an open, raised
platform where the patricians held
their meetings, the Curla being a kind
of town hall. Opposite to 1t stood
the rostrum, or pulpit, from which the
orators addressed the meetlngA
julius Cesar Is credited with the
first considerable plans for the res
toratlon and adornment Of the old city,
for even in his day. remote as we view
1t, Rome was regarded as very an
Client city. His architectural plans,
although they were not completed by
him, served to direct the policy of his
successors For the next few centuries
the rebuilding and embellishing of
Rome became national taste, and to
carry out the ideas money was spent
without stint Augustus, in addition
to turning his attention to restoration
generally, added a few temples of his
own. The most important Of these were
that to Mars Ultor, In the center of the
Forum, which he added to the Julian,
and Of Apollo on the Palatlne. He also
built the portico of Octavia, the Thea
tire of Marcellus and the mausoleum in
the Campus Martius.
For half century Augustus built
and built The populations of whole
districts were turned out and their
dwellings RACED to make room for mag
nlncent structures. At the close Of his