Montpelier examiner., 1912-11-29

culaneum the city Of Resina is built and the ex-
preparation Of the land there is not 30 easy as In
the case OF Pompeii. We have under consideras
tion bill dealing with the proprietorship OF
archaeological subsoils. which will probably al
low us to excavate Herculaneum by series OF
underground galleries without demolishing the
pretty little town which stands smilingly above
It, commission has been appointed with this
object There is immediate call for the under
taking except that due to our praiseworthy curtos-
ity The world Of science can wait; 1t has yet to
study at least threequarters of the objects found
at Pompen and in the vicinity, and the jewels
of art which are hidden under the lava are not
perishing. On the contrary, the frescoes uncov-
cred at Pompeii some fifty years ago are spoil
ing and falling into ruin under the action Of the
air and damp"
1t is little wonder that the entire world has
been deeply interested in the excavations at
Herculaneum and that archaeologists and his
torians have treasured such an ardor for the
completion Of the unearthing OF the ancient city
for 30 many years. for the conditions of its
tragic engulfment were such that 1t 10 generally
believed these ruina more than amy others win
present complete picture OF the life OF the
times before the seputure of the city. The more
suddenly the forces OF nature did their work OF
destruction the more perfect have been found to
be all the details of the buildings and their fur
nishings when the work of excavation has been
completed. In the other cities where great exca-
vations have been made the destruction was more
gradual and great havoc was wrought before
the final sepulture took place. Thus, although
some OF the other points at which excavations
have been made were Of greater Importance in
the ancient world than was Herculaneum 1t Of
fers the most perfect opportunities for beholding
an ancient settlement as 1t existed, with few
important details destroyed disturbed.
Another point which contributes to the greater
Importance of Herculaneum as a field for archaeo-
logical investigation Is that the suddenness of the
disaster from which 1t suffered made 1t impos-
sible for the inhabitants to make effort to
any of the valuable articles of their homes
by attempting to remove them to some distant
place. In Pompeii for instance, there was ample
time to remove many of the most precious be-
longings of the inhabitants. But in Herculaneum
this seems to have been impossible. and the val
liable objects of the rich households buried
beneath the mass of liquid mud which inundated
the city securely II they had been locked
in impregnable vaults. This mud an extra
ordinarily successful preserving fluid. to Judge
from the finds which have been made, for instead
OF the surface of objects having been burned and
charred by hot ashes, as was the case at Pompeii,
at Heror'naeum the objects discovered by the
excavators ~era many of them In wonderfully
perfect e"rdition Bronze, marble and glass OBJ
tects were meme OF them severely damaged, and
manuscripts we're sufficiently preserved to make
possible their restoration to degree which s high.
ly satisfactory to archaeologists and historians
That the modern world will be able to obtain
better illustration of Hellenic culture as 1t was
represented in a GraecoRoman town from the
excavations at Herculaneum than from those at
Pompeii is the belief of many who have made
comparative study of the ruined cities. They ad-
duce this belief from the fact that Herculaneum
is believed to have been less of a commercial
settlement than was Pompeii. and that its In
habitants greatly more interested in the
fine arts and in all that pertained to the most
advanced thought and culture of the times. The
Inhabitants of Pompeii on the other hand, are be.