Relics of a Destroyed City that Astonish Archaeologists.
THE ANCIENT city of Pompeii lay on the shore of the beautiful Bay of Naples, at the foot of Vesuvius. It had various industries, but its distinction was due to its vogue as a seaside resort for the Roman patricians. The site of the city is now some miles from the coast, owing to the recession of the Mediterranean.
Pompeii’s most magnificent houses were the abodes of women who ministered to the luxurious habits of the time. They were two and three stories in height, the upper stories of wood, and were richly furnished.
The eruption of Vesuvius, which buried the city, took place on August 24th, A. D. 79. An overwhelming mass of red-hot ashes fired and destroyed the upper stories of the houses and all else that was combustible. This was followed by a deluge of hot mud, which covered everything left, and this, in turn, by ashes, which completed the turning of the city into a vast tomb.
The latest discoveries are regarded as the most important since excavation began. They were made in the Street of Abundance—a title appropriate to the luxury of the neighborhood—and disclosed seven or eight houses. The walls of one of these are covered with white stucco, on which are inscriptions in favor of a duumvir, indicating the progress of an election at the time of the catastrophe. They are supposed to have been written by two women, and, if so, this would show woman’s part in “electioneering, ” if not in voting, in the ancient city. The inscription, roughly translated, is to this effect: “Asellinas and Smyrine say, ‘Vote for Fuscus as your Alderman.'” The names are written aslant beneath, in angular but grand characters. Some adversary or wag had crossed out the name “Smyrine” in a thin line and substituted another, not decipherable.
Beyond a wall comes the door of a wine shop or “bar,” similar to others found in Pompeii, but remarkably well preserved. In front is a counter, with top of glazed white tiles. In round apertures were inserted terra cotta wine jars. At the back of the shop was found a large copper boiler, with a square hole beneath for a fire. A number of amphorae of various dimensions lay in a corner of the shop against the wall. On the counter was a small, square box of bone, containing gold and silver coins, while copper coins lay scattered about. Among other objects found here were two clay amphorae in the shape of cocks, the beaks forming the spouts, and a jar of opalescent glass with delicate handles and small neck, ending in a tiny orifice, through which the contents could only issue drop by drop—apparently a receptacle for some ingredient for a rare tipple similar to the modern “cocktail.” Glass cups, clay lamps, a small tub with iron hoops and a copper tap are among the eight hundred objects brought to light. All these utensils are admirably simple and elegant.
We are fortunate in being able to give a photograph of this quaintly interesting room, in conjunction with pictures of other articles secured especially for LESLIE’s. Here we have a folding table, more ornate than those usually made to-day; a set of surgical instruments; a collection of steelyards and balances, the weights themselves being beautifully modeled in the semblances of gods or heroes, and the lighter holders being sustained by chains of delicate workmanship, the material being bronze; glassware that rivals the output of modern artisans, and charcoal stoves for hot-water heating.
It has been estimated that two thousand persons perished in the destruction of Pompeii. In many cases corpses have left perfect molds in the ashes that enveloped them. By careful drilling and pouring in plaster of Paris, archeologists have secured perfect casts of bodies of men, women, children and animals.
Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly, New York, NY, May 16, 1912
