Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1925-03-06
The New Excavations at Pompeii

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trees in flower, orange treesladen witt
golden fruit, and in the background
the great. purply-brown cone of We
suvius with its long white cloud o.
steam at the summit. outlined agains
the pale sky.
Very foolishly we allowed ourselves
to be persuaded to take ian English
speaking guide" at the entrance to the
city. He was undoubtedly the worst
Iguide that ever lived. and as soon as
we awoke to the fact he cleaned his in.
formation by sneaking up on other
Iguides and then volubly translating to
us we got rid Of him.
We passed rapidly through the
streets open to the general public, and
soon came to high board fence with
heavy door in the middle-a very
stern gentleman with immense NOUS
taches and a suspicious expression,
took away our umbrellas, our pocket
books, our cameras, our extra coats
and even our packages of lunch-I
wanted to give him my two hat pins
and my wrist watch, to complete his
collection, but my friends prevented
mel He then allowed us to present
our tickets to another official who
merely told US we had the worst guide
in all Europe Il now agree with him)
land at last we found ourselves inside
the fence.
| At first glance the street in which
we found ourselves, seemed like all
the other streets we had seen. a broad
stone road with huge stepping stones
from curb to curb at intervals. A
narrow sidewalk and two lines OF
shops and houses. Looking again, We
find that there is far more to attract
the eve here than in the older excava-
( tions. In the new excavations you|
can easily see the different means of
the living burial of the city-first six
foot layer of burning pumice stone,
then six feet of boiling lava, wherever
the ground has been sharply cut the
strata are easily seen.
Looting again at the walls we find
that many of them were daubed with
rude paintings. just as we have ad-
vertising posters-names of election
candidates are praised or calumniatedI
"a little shrine has its little statue still
in it. In this part oil the city the in
expressibly stupid custom of carrying |
objects to museum, has not been |
foliowed-everything has been left just
as it was found.
We enter little shop, exactly like |
one of ours today. 1t has marble
counter, hanging lamp of bronze, a
pair OF scales. 1t was lamp Dealers
shop, and all the lamps are left just as !
their dead owner arranged them, So
many centuries ago. He was evidently
very proud of one terra Gotta lamp,
made in the shape of asrooster, for it'll
had the place of honor near the street.
Other more ordinary lamps lie around
it, including several little vases of
irridescent glass, and alabaster.
next, wine dealers with the great
earthen wine jars sunk level with the
counter, like the ice cream containers
at our soda fountains. This counter is
very elaborate, with design Of color
ed marbles. and Fittings.
Now we come 10 rich mans house
of which only one room has been ex-
cavated. In it was found a perfectly
preserved mattress, exactly like our
modern ones, of springy black horse.I
hair. The great doors of this house
withstood the destruction-the wood
petrified, l. so we can see the actual
doors with the enormous nail heads
and huge lock.
Then a poor mans house-it has al
small reception room, opening onto a
little garden with narrow, gallery and
bedrooms beyond.
| At last we reach the beautiful ''House
| of the Seven Fountains the most
beautiful house in all Pompeii.
All the Pompeian houses were built
ON the same plan. First you enter a
small vestibule leading to court. The
roof of this court was cut open in the
center and built sloping so that rain
water would fall into beautified mar
Bile basin below. Sleeping rooms for
the men. and sometimes formal din
ing room and reception room, opened
| on this court. From there you come
Ito a colonnade. rooted over, and en-
circlinp a second court with a garden
in the center, containing trees, fower-
ling plants, statues, marble benches
| and tables, and generally fish pond
and fountain. The family dining room
and chapel, and the women's apart
ments opened on this colonnade. Be.
youd were the slaves quarters, the
baths and the kitchens.
In the House of the Seven Fountains
the walls of the colonnades are beauti-
fully frescoed and the wall paint ings
are unusually charming-but it is the
gardens that attract one Imost-the
wall paintings and even the rooms are
. very much alike in all Pompeii-bu
j this garden is gem
/ The first fountain throws clear ie
sparkling into the marble reservoir
Then there is delightful little garde,
Of round laurel bushes and thick mat
Of myrtle seemingly peopled will
. little white marble figures fauns
satyrs. huntsmen. peeping out iron
. the dark leaves.
II From this garden you cross the col
lonsde 10 the big garden, which
! marvelously beautiful-a little cans
J with banks Of white marble was bull
in the form offs "T"-as you approac
from the first garden you see spra
Of ten jets Of water playing over
/. littIe nvmph sitting In sea shell. BIZ