The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-01-29
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: WILL sEABROOK'S TRAVELS ::
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(Bv ". B. Seabrook.


pei. Narbonne, and every other in
portant city Of the ancient Empire.
Aries had her forum, a public square,
which still exists. and has retained
the characteristic appellation Of ''La
Place des 'Hommes. and which is
still the social and political center of
the community. Formerly it was
surrounded by a double colonnade,
supporting series Of arcades. richly
decorated, paved in marble, shelter
ing innumerable shrines and statues;
today it is entoured by hotels and
cafes, the marble pavement has been
replaced by cobble-stones, and anti
que statues by street lamps; but the
peculiar function of the spot has been
preserved, and the Arlesians of today
repair habitually to the ancient for
unn- as did their ancestors two thou
sand years ago, to discuss their poll
teal affairs. drive their bargains, and
pass their idle hours in flanerie and
friendly conversation.
However, the ruins Of the ancient
forum have not entirely disappeared,
and the remaining fragments bear
eloquent testimony to its former
grandeur The forum was consider
ably larger that the Place des HON.
mes, and traces Of its monuments and
temples have been unearthed, not on
" within the boundaries Of the pres
ent public square, but in the cellars
of adjacent buildings and beneath the
soil of neighboring streets. In sub
terranean vault beneath the Hotel
Pinus a number of richly ornamented
arches are visible; many broken col
umns, capitals and friezes have been
transported to the Lapidary Muse
um; and the magnificent facade Of
a temple Of Apollo, still facing the
square, calls to mind by its noble
entablature and graceful Corinthian
columns the Maison Carree Of Mines.
In another quarter of the city were
temples dedicated to Mars, Diana,
Jupiter and Mithra, but they were
destroyed in early Christian times
and are known today only by their
fragments, their foundations, and the
descriptions left by ancient histor-
Ians-
4 massive circular wall and tower,
dominating the Rhone a hundred
yards below the point where the Ro
man bridge traversed the stream, has
been Identified as appertaining to
the imperial palace of Constantine.
The palace is built in alternate lay
ers of brick and stone, lavishly OF
namented, and constructed with an
infinite attention to detail. It was
truly a royal edifice, lnlerior only to
that Of Consrantinople. In the inter-
ior Of the palace, hidden between two
heavy walls. Monsieur Revolt, Pro-
vencal archeologist. has recently dis
covered a spiral staircase, the earliest
existing example of an architectural
principle that was later commonly
employed in the towers of feudal cas-
ties and Gothic cathedrals.
The amphitheatre or coliseum of
Aries, older and more interesting than
that of Mines, dates from the first
century of the Christian era. It was
commenced in the time Of Claudius
Tiberius Nero, father Of the Emperor
Tiberius, and the first gladiatorial
eombats IN the Province were lnau-
gurated under the patronage Of this
second ruler, who sent from his royal
garrison and dungeons host of
gladiators, wild beasts, and an occas-
ional martyr, to furnish amusement
for his distant colonists.
It is probable that scenes Of this
character we're never enacted IN the
amphitheatres of Mines and Narhon-
ne. but it is certain that the sands Of
the Arlesian arena, like those Of the
Roman circus, we're more than once
stained with Christian blood. Ac-
eording to an ancient ecclesiastical
history, it was in this amphitheaire
that the Jew, Lazarus. Che. whom
Christ raised from the dead) per-
formed a remarkable miracle. After
he had been banished from Jar1;SG-
lem, Lazarus. in the course Of his mis-
sionary. Journeys visited Aries and
entered the aphitheatre on the day
of a great fete: there, in the presence
Of 10000 Romans, he mounted tri-
bu2e and with inspired eloquence con-
demned their dissolute, ferocious
eastimes. denounced their false gods
and proclaimed in laundering tones