The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-02-13
Nero's Golden House.

hOmS-pSIy luIS1 SSIluS ChSoFet
tions are being made in Nero's
Golden House by the Italian gov
ernment, whose attention was drawn
TO the subject by DR.. Fritz Weege, a
young German archeologist, author
of treatise, published last July, on
one of. the rooms in that vast palace.
Nero's "folly,' of which the wits
said that it would embrace all Rome,
and that the good citizens, emigrat-
ing in quest of apartments to Veil,
would probably find that it had ex-
tended thither also, covered an area
about thrice that occupied by the
present Vatican with all it's appur-
tenances. Erected after the burning
of Rome in ga, the "Golden House,
which extended from the Palatine far
up the Esquiline, and of which the
artistic Emperor complacently re-
marked that "he was now lodged as
man should be-" was converted by
his successors into other edifces, ac-
cording to the time-honored fashion
of Rome, and, while the Colosseum
arose on the site of the Neronlan
Lake, the baths of Titus and OF
Traian respectively represent other
portions of the Neronian Palace. The
immense and richly-decorated gal
leries were more than half filled up
with earth; and, when visited the
excavations with Doctor Weege, we
had to grope through the dark, bent
double to avoid touching the ceiling.
The Importance of these excava-
tions is due to the fact that some of
the most famous paintings and draw
ings of the Sixteenth Century, when
the baths of Trajan were more easily
accessible, were copied, often erron-
eously, from the beautiful mural dec
orations, which the removal of the
accumulated earth is now bringing
to light. Descending from lovely
orange garden into the underground
passages, we found ourselves in the
room, marked No. 80 on Doctor
Weege's plan, in niche of which
the famous LAGOON" is said to have
been found in 1906. During the last
few days a marble hand of the same
marble as the "Laocoon" was un-
earthed here, and it was hoped that
it might prove to be part of the miss
ing limb of the statue. Of the mural
paintings the most interesting is that
of a warrior with nodding helmet, a
woman holding child (clearly Wis
ible in the painting, and another Wo-
man in the background) where
gate and battlements are also notice
able. Doctor Weege Identifies this
painting with the touching scene in
the "Iliad" of the departure of Hec-
tor from Andromache. The picture,
copied from here by Carracci and the
Bartoli, is to be seen (but without
the child) at Windsor, and has conse-
ouently been misdescribed as "Corio-
lanus and his Mother" Another
scene is likewise drawn from Ho-
mer-Paris and Helen introduced to
one another by Aphrodite and Eros.
Doctor Weege infers accordingly that
these Homeric tableaux were speci-
ally chosen in allusion to Nero's
poem, the "Troica," mentioned by
Suetonius and Dion Cassius and
satirized by Juvenal, an extract from
: mich the Emperor recited while
Rome was burning. Thus these dis
coveries enable students of art to
correct the designs copied from these
walls and now in the collections of
Windsor, Eton and Holkham Hall.
Besides the mural paintings, the
excavations have revealed a number
of historic names, scratched, after
the fashion of the tourist, on the
walls and ceilings. Nearly 200
names have been already noted
down, beginning with the year 1895.
Most of them are Dutch; but of Bri-
tons there are Cameron, Buchan and
John Parker. One King has scraWl-
ed his name there-Gustavus AdOl-
phus III of Sweden, with the date
1884, eight years before his assassin
alton. 1t is to be hoped that the
gigantic work OF clearing these i'm
mense passages of earth will be con-
tinued. Rome will thus gain fresh
attraction Post.