The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-12-31
FIND LIKENESS
OF AUGUSTUS
Archaeological Discovers Splendid
Statue of Roman Emperor
at TivoIi.
LIFELIkE STUDY BY ARTIST
Valuable Addition to Portraits of Ro-
man Emperors and Is Only One
Extant Done During En-
peror's Life.

Rome, That lovely llttle CITY
pePched above Rome, called Thur by
the ancient Romans, has just given to
the archaeological world two new art
treasures-an augusteum, or hall,
and a splendid head Of Emperor Au-
gustus.
Prof Alessio Vale, one Of the arch
aeologlsts who have made Tivoli a
special study, long believed that
Tiyoll should reveal an ancient hall
of importance, considering the -four
ishing state Of the city In Roman
days He began to dig near a newly
discovered weights ana measures Of
fee, also dating from the Roman en-
plre, thinking that the public weights
and measures must surely be near
some important hall.
lie was not mistaken. He has
opened up hall with Roman pave
ment OF white and green marble
which looks as If 1t were put down
this morning. so fresh Is it, and the
statue OF Augustus, broken but with
the head intact as the picture shows,
With The lifelke lines cut out of the
marble by some unknown sculptor Of
evident genius.
Likeness Of Augustus.
The statue is a likeness Of Angus
tus when he had grown old. An in.
scrlption underneath It, which dedi-
Gates the statue to the gods, FOR the
happy return in good health Of our
Augustus Caesar" proves ii was done
during the famous emperors lifetime,
a votiye Offering TO the gods by a
loyal Tivoll citizen who signs himself
NJ. Veranus Dllhlus. The same man
gave the public weights and measures
to the city.
History lets US date this statue be-
tween B. {. 81 and A. d. II, when
Emperor Augustus died near Naples,
aged seyenty.six. Experts say the face
is tie face Of a man Of fifty. In the
worn lines, The ill-tenpered mouth. IT'S
upward twist at the left side, we have
40 hatiering picture OF the great
emperor, but lifelike study by an
artist who dared to cut his statue as
he saw the human model. For this
reason, and because Of its surely be-
ing done In Augustus lifetime, it is
Il very valuable addition to the col
lection OF portraits Of the Roman
emperors. and probably the only one
extmt OF Augustus done during his
lifetime.
The figure, which originally sat on
the pedestal at tile head Of the hail.
is graceful, as Suetoius, that Cos
slpy historian from. whom rater
scribes have learned nearly all they
know about The Roman empcrors
told US, SAYING
Graceful Person.
He was very graceful person
through all the stages Of life, though
he was very careless in his dress aud
would set several BARRIERS to work
upon his hair together, and would
sometimes clip and sometimes shave
his beard, and at the same time
would be reading or writing"
Augustus, though emperor, called
himself a democrat anG says Sue
toius, always abhorred the title OF
lord as seandalous alTront' He
tells us, too, that the emperor caught
cold easily and wore wooden under
wear In winter. with a thick wool
toga.'
This broken statue, with the base
on which It stood, unearthed after so
long bridges the gulf of centuries and
brings one of the greatest rulers the
world ever saw very uear,