archaeological discoveries in italy and the mediterranean during 1930

Archaeological Discoveries in Italy and the Mediterranean during 1930Author(s): Thomas AshbySource: The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 23 (1933), pp. 1-13Published by: Society for the Promotion of Roman StudiesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/297201 .

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ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN ITALY AND THE

MEDITERRANEAN DURING 1930*

By THOMAS ASHBY

(Plates i-v)

Work continues in Rome with the same energy as before, and a fresh impulse may be said to have been given to it by the publication of the new ' Piano Regolatore ' for Rome, 1 which is. providing for the growth of the city to double its present size so that it will have a population of two millions. There is no doubt at all that numerous demolitions are necessary, if the scheme is really to be carried into effect.

That the necessity is regrettable, few will deny; but it cannot be too often repeated that the fundamental mistake was made long ago, when modern Rome was allowed to grow upon every side of the old city, instead of being put on the high ground to the east of it, as Quintino Sella and Haussmann had suggested. The old city must, therefore, inevitably be traversed by important arteries of traffic (pls. i, ii); and we can only hope that as little as possible of beauty and interest will be removed, as we are assured will be the case. And critics of the scheme, whether benevolent or not, must do their best neither to minimise nor to exaggerate the importance of what must inevitably disappear. Some of the modern buildings, however, are not altogether suitable for their sites; and Senator Scialoia, the well-known representative of Italy at Geneva, voiced the opinion of many Italians when he expressed concern at the erection on the site of the old Teatro Nazionale in the Via Nazionale of a building intended to house the Workmen's Accident Insurance offices, which

*At the time of Dr. Ashby's lamented death in May, 1931, it had long been his custom to contribute to The Times Literary Supplement a yearly letter on the progress of archaeological research in Italy. The paper here printed was designed to continue that series. Though it had not received final revision from its author, and though the discoveries described include some which have by now become familiar, the value of Dr. Ashby's opinions on the subject of which he was an acknowledged master seemed to justify, with Mrs. Ashby's consent, the publication of this article even without the final modifications which, in happier circumstances, it would doubtless have received. The manuscript is, therefore, printed as it was found among Dr. Ashby's letters and papers, altered only by the addition of a few references to recent publications, for the insertion of which we are generally indebted to Mr. I. A. Richmond. [EDD.]

I Described by Dr. Ashby in Town Planning Review xiv (1931) we are also indebted to the Editors of

this periodical and to Mr. Luigi Lenzi for the loan of blocks used in plates l and ii.



2 THOMAS ASHBY

is to have a tower nearly seventy feet high. One main artery of traffic has been carried down to the Theatre of Marcellus and the Piazza Montanara, and will be prolonged to join the road to Ostia so as to give a rapid egress from the city on the southern side.

(i) The ' Tarpeian ' rock (which, if we are to believe Dionysius. of Halicarnassus, is not the Tarpeian rock at all, inasmuch as, if criminals thrown from that eminence were seen by people standing in the Forum, it must have been on the other side, towards S. Maria della Consolazione) has been isolated, so as to be visible above the new road, in the making of which a number of discoveries of archaeological interest were made. It was, unfortunately, impos- sible to leave the remains visible; but a finely illustrated volume, entitled Campidoglio (the Capitol) 2 was published on the occasion of the inauguration of this road at the end of October, 1930. One of the most interesting relics discovered was a fragment of the ancient enceinte of Servius Tullius, built of blocks of the so-called cappellaccio, a lamellar tufa which splits up into comparatively thin slabs (rather than blocks) less than one Roman foot high. Various traces of it have recently been found, as described in an interesting paper by Lugli. He was able to enumerate not less than eleven fragments of it in various parts of the city: and there is considerable likelihood (though the point has not yet been cleared up for certain) that the wall originally did not include the Mons Oppius (the southern sum- mit of the Esquiline) or the Caelian hill, but ran from the neighbourhood of S. Maria Maggiore along the Mons Cispius, above the valley of the Subura, down to the Velia and so to the Palatine and the river. The enceinte would thus have been much more limited in size.3

The fragment of Servian wall to which I first alluded was discovered at the foot of the winding road which leads up to the modern Capitol, in the depression, that is to say, between the Arx and the Capitolium, under the corner house of the Via Tor de' Specchi; and this fact seems to show that the wall at the corner of the hill on the upper level, outside the Museo Mussolini, must in reality belong to the podium of the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, and not to the City Wall at all ; though Colini suggests the possibility that the two may have joined up, and this must still be kept in mind.

(2) Remains of later buildings at the foot of the Capitol were found all along this stretch, one a house in Via Giulio Romano, which is a rcal insula, and also a house, containing a room with a group of four mills and other rooms of less interest, and another large insula

2 Rome: Bibl. d'Arte editrice. 3 These views are now definitely superseded by

C. Saeflund's Le niura di Roma repubblicana (Lund, 1932), which shows the work in cappellaccio to be later repairs to the fourth-century wall, using local stone. The chief work of Servius was the agger,

the earthwork on the Viminal, which undoubtedly belongs to his epoch. See, however, G. Lugli, ' Le mura di Servio Tullio e le cosi dette mura serviane ' in Hlistoria vii (1933), 3 ff. For the Capitoline fragment, see Capitolium, 1930, and Arch. Anz. I930, 367, Abb. 24, 25.



ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN ITALY 3

under the baroque church of SS. Orsola e Caterina, extending as far as the church of S. Andrea in Vincis. Both these churches had to be sacrificed for the new improvements-and unfortunately the classical remains have had to be reburied almost entirely. The latter insula had a courtyard paved with slabs of basalt, which may, however, have been a small lane. Under S. Andrea in Vincis was found a room with a mosaic pavement belonging to a house which occupied a triangular site ; and a little further on were the remains of a thermal establishment which was probably public. The northern room contained a mosaic pavement, and another large room had in it some interesting paintings, including a fourth-century representation of the liberation of Andromeda, which had occupied the lunette of a niche over a bath basin. All these buildings belonged to the second century after Christ, though earlier remains were incorporated in the bath building.

Unfortunately, it has been necessary, as we have seen, to dest roy some of these ruins and cover up the rest, so that there is little or nothing to be seen on the spot; and we may be allowed to doubt whether the net gain is worth the loss-for we must add to it the destruction of the church of S. Rita, built in i66o by Carlo Fontana, with an elegant facade and an octagonal plan. Its removal, it is true, revealed an exceptionally interesting Roman house (pl. III, I).4

(3) In the Forum Olitorium the clearing of the portico on the east side of the Piazza Montanara under the Capitol has not yet been proceeded with-whether it is the Porticus Minucia Vetus or not is uncertain ; but the northernmost of the three temples which were situated there, into which the church of S. Nicola in Carcere was built, has been restored to view. There has been considerable discussion as to its identification, but it is probably the Temple of Janus. A few traces of the northern range can be seen, now standing free ; while the southern range forms the nucleus of the north wall of the church, and is a good deal better preserved. 5 A number of buildings in the Forum Boarium-the rectangular and the round temples (Mater Matuta and Portunus), Fortuna Virilis and the Janus Quadrifrons-have also been cleared and rendered more visible.

(4) Among the vast schemes of excavation is that of clearing the site of the Circus Maximus. As with the ships at Nemi, it is unlikely that the results obtained will be of sufficient value to justify the amount of expenditure involved. But it must be admitted that, if the work were not done, therc would always be, as at Nemi, the apprehension that something of real interest had been missed. And there could not possibly be an uglier assemblage of factories and

4Arch. Anz. I930, 364.

5 See the photographs in Illustrated London News, July 12th, I930. The latest discussion is by

B. Wijkstrom, in Eranos Xxviii (1930), 148-i67, summarised by Boethius in Italian in Bull. Arch. Corn. lix (1931), 230-23 i, also Corolla Archeologica (Lund, 1932), 17-30.



4 THOMAS ASHBY

mean buildings than that which disfigures the site of the Circus at the present time, even now that the gasometers, which were for so long an additional eyesore, have disappeared.

(5) On the Palatine6 the excavations in the former Villa Mills continue, and traces of an earlier impluvium have come to light, with the niches disposed in the same way as in the impluvia of the two peristyles of Domitian. It very likely belongs to the period of Nero- in which case it was filled in not long after its construction and its area paved with a beautiful marble pavement of opus sectile, like that of the Domus Transitoria under the triclinium of the first section of the Imperial palace.

(6) The clearing of the Imperial Fora still continues, and the Forum of Augustus and the Forum of Trajan have now been linked by demolition and excavation. The intervening structures are the work of Domitian, a fact which may give some colour to the supposition that the Forum of Trajan was begun by him. The north-eastern hemicycle of the latter, behind which lies the Market (pl. III, 2), had already been laid bare (pl. Iv, I): counting in the corresponding one on the south-west and the Basilica Ulpia, it would appear that the open area of the Forum was surrounded by no less than three of these structures. Between the two fora ran a road, approached by a flight of steps from the Forum of Trajan: it is reached by other steps from the Forum of Augustus, which pass under arches through its boundary wall. The scanty remains of the colonnade of the Forumn Transitorium have been rendered more easily visible and it is intended to carry on further excavation immediately to the south of them. We may hope that the destruction which they have suffered will be less serious than in the southern portion, where the devastation had been so thoroughgoing that it was not thought worth while to leave any part of it open.

(7) In the Largo Argentina the fourth temple (Temple A, pl. IV, 2)

has now been completely cleared, and some stratigraphic exploration is being done all over the area. No light has yet been thrown on the identification of these temples, for there are so many possibilities that certainty is difficult to attain.8

(8) The dome of the Pantheon has been strengthened, the development of cracks in it having caused a certain amount of alarm and work is still being continued on the exterior of the building. It was found that the upper part of the dome was entirely composed of concentric rings of pieces of pumice stone and other light material,

6 See N. di Scavi I929, 1-29.

7 More recent discoveries have disproved the symmetrical arrangement postulated by Lanciani, and give us a library on the S.W.; see Year's Work in Classical Studies, 1932, Io8. For the Market of Trajan, see Boethiuis, Ronia x, 447-453, 501-514.

8 See Marchetti-Longhi, S.P.Q.R.: I templi della zona Argentina (Rome, I 929) and ' L'area sacra' ed i templi repubblicani del Largo Argentina (Rome, 1930) ; Wijkstrom, op. cit., has some interesting notes on the three main stratigraphical phases.




the fantastic schemes of arches and ribs which some archaeologists supposed to have existed there being thus disproved. 9

(9) Owing to the recent treaty between Italy and the Vatican, the latter has now become a separate sovereign state and the first report of archaeological discoveries made within its territory was recently given by Josi before the Pontifical Academy. A number of tombs of the first, second and third centuries A.D. were found, associated, in all probability, with the ancient Via Triumphalis.: some of them were columbaria, while others showed the mixture of cremation and inhumation which betokened their date as being second or third century A.D. In several cases there were small pieces of marble with holes in them in the mosaic floors; and, when the pavement was removed, it was found that they communicated with amphorae which were also filled with burnt bones. Libations were probably poured into these holes; and a similar case was probably that of small terra- cotta pipes, which have also been found in other columbaria. On the other hand, terra-cotta pipes of a larger diameter must be regarded as of uncertain use. In one case, such a pipe communicated with an alabaster urn for ashes (cinerarium), and was found, like the urn itself, to be full of burnt bones.' 0

(io) On the Lesser Aventine, above the Appian Way on the right before reaching the Baths of Caracalla, rises the fortified monastery of S. Balbina, under which are to be seen remains of earlier walling incorporated in his house by Fabius Cilo, the friend of Septimius Severus. The hall which now serves as the church, on the other hand, may have been actually erected by him, as Lugli thinks, 1 or may be of a later date. It is rectangular, with twelve lateral niches, alternately rectangular and curved, with a large apse at the end. Above the niches are large round-headed windows, which originally also existed in the apse but were filled in during the Christian period. Remains of frescoes ranging from the ninth to the fourteenth centuries after Christ have been found in the niches; and traces of the original schola cantorum have also been found.

(i i) The interesting church of S. Sebastiano, outside the gate of that name on the Appian Way, conceals, as is now well known, 12

the remains of pagan tombs (columbaria) of the first and second centuries A.D., of a house (or perhaps a schola of a burial guild) of the middle of the second century A.D. decorated with paintings (the best of which lie under the apse of the church), enlarged in the middle of the third century, when the columbaria were filled in, by

9 See Atti Pont. Accad. lxxxiii, 21 I; Atti 1I Congr. Naz. Stud. Rom. vol. i, 1931, p. z86 ff; Eranos, xxviii, 200-203 ; Bull. Arch. Com. lix (1931), 227-229.

1 0 Cf. R. E. M. Wheeler, Antiquaries Journal ix, 1929, 1 ff. It seems that new soipplies of ashes also passed in thuis.

" See G. Lugli, I monumenti antichi di Roma e suburbio i. La zona archeolo,ilea, ed. 2 (Rome, 1930), 413-

12 See Times Literary Supplement, January ioth, I924, p. 22; cf. also JRS xiv (I924), z86. For more recent work, see Rivista di Archeologia Cristiana, I929, 7 ff. ; 1931, I 5 ff.



6 THOMAS ASHBY

the addition of a triclia, i.e. a room for funeral banquets. It is on the plaster of the latter that we find the graffiti invoking the Apostles Peter and Paul, scratched by pilgrims in the second half of the third century, while early in the fourth century the church was built over all these earlier constructions, which were levelled down in order to clear the site.

But the dispute as to whether the Apostles actually resided here, or whether their bodies were temporarily deposited here directly after their martyrdom, or whether, in fine, they were transported here in A.D. 258, may be said to have been settled in favour of the second hypothesis, i.e. that they were brought here directly after- wards. Dom Henri Quentin, O.S.B., has, in fact, proved that the date A.D. 258 in the martyrology of S. Jerome, which has been taken to refer to the Apostles, really refers to the birthday of S. Cyprian. There is no way of ascertaining why the bodies were conveyed here, nor when they were conveyed for definitive burial to the places where they had respectively suffered martyrdom. Nor can we say where precisely the bodies were deposited ; but it is clear, as Mancini remarks, that if they had really been deposited in A.D. 258 and removed at the end of the third or the beginning of the fourth century, some trace would have remained on the spot, considering that the basilica was constructed only a few years later. It is equally clear that the Apostles never actually resided here ; there is no trace of any building of the first century A.D. which could have been their house, and the phrase ' hic habitasse prius sanctos cognoscere debes ' and ' domus Petri' must be taken figuratively. A considerable amount of work is being done by the Commissione di Archeologia Sacra in lighting and rendering accessible all this complicated series of buildings, and an immense space has been cleared out under the apse of the basilica, so that the whole group is now far more easy to study and understand than before.

(I2) Turning next to the neighbourhood of Rome, we find that excavations on the Isola Sacra, 13 between the two mouths of the Tiber, have led to the discovery of a large number of tombs which formed part of an extensive necropolis flanking the road across the island. They lie close to the harbour of Trajan, being separated from it only by the canal which was constructed by Claudius to connect his harbour with the Tiber, and which is now the navigable arm of the river. They belong to the middle of the second century A.D.,

and it was found that the site had been used as a rubbish heap at a later date, when the tombs were all full, so that they were entirely covered over with debris. At Ostia itself the excavation of the large thermae (pl. iv) near the Forum has been completed. 14

13 G. Calza, 11 sepolcreto del Porto di Roma (Isola Sacra) (Rome: Pallotta, 1932): Boll. Assoc. Internaz. Stuid. Mediterr. i, no. 3, 23, pl. V, vi, ii, no. 5, 8-I4, pls. iv-vii: Arch. Anz. 1930,

325, 347, Abb. 9-I0; Capitoliusn, I930, 358 ff.: N. di Scavi, 93I, 5I0-542 on the reliefs.

14 Memoirs Amer. Acad. Rome x, 143-144, pls. 43-47, for an illustrated restoration, right on general lines but poor in detail.




(I 3) At Ardea excavations15 have been made in connexion with the celebrations of the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of Virgil. After an unsuccessful search for archaic tombs in the neighbourhood of the modern cemetery, work was begun on the substructions of the large temple which lies in the centre of the modern village, which itself occupies the site of the acropolis of the ancient city. It was a massive structure built of blocks of tufa, eight to ten courses of which have been cleared. A considerable quantity of terra-cottas have also been found, which formed part of its decoration. An investigation of the walls of the acropolis has made it probable that only the weaker parts of the enceinte were fortified in this way, reliance being placed for the rest on the natural strength of the site.

(I4) At Anzio, the ancient Antium, near the lighthouse where Nero's celebrated villa was situated, considerable remains of an ancient building have been discovered It was described in The Times as a fine dwelling house, with beautiful mosaic pavements. One, with a ' net ' and ' carpet ' pattern is of especial beauty, and is in a part of the construction which is attributable to the Neronian period. Excavations on the further side of the lighthouse are said to have revealed what are probably the remains of some public building. A fine wall-mosaic depicting Hercules seated on a rock, a club in his right hand, a cup in his left, with a winged genius, and a boar awaiting sacrifice, 16 bears a striking resemblance to a painting and a relief of Hercules, which are to be seen in the Campagna below Tivoli-one of them described by me some thirty years ago."7 In the former he is represented very much in the same way as at Anzio, but the boar is lacking; while in the latter the relief of the god, when first discovered, had a beautiful little representation of a boar at one side, which has now, unfortunately, been broken off.

(I5) Important excavations were carried on in the cemeteries of Veii where some I,200 tombs were examined, and to a less degree in the city itself, in I9I3-I6, under the direction of the late G. A. Colini; and the results, which have long been eagerly awaited, are shortly to be published by Giglioli, who assisted him in the work. In the meantime some results of minor excavations which have been con- ducted on the site in the interval are published. They include two groups of tombs of the Villanovan period, of which there were a vast number, the characteristic urns being placed in small holes in the ground (pozzetti); while a group of inhumation graves contained some fine imported vases, beginning with the eighth century B.C.

and going on as late as the third. One or two chamber tombs were also excavated.

l 5Arch. Anz. 1929, 112, 1930, 355: Boll. Assoc. lnternaz. Stud. Mediterr. ii, no. z, i-is, ii, no. 4, 25:

Andren, Corolla Archeologica (Lund, 1933), 98-117 : rear's Work in Classical Studies, 1932, 112-113.

16 Illustrated London News, February 14, 1931. 17 Papers of the British School at Rome i, I902, 178;

cf. 7RS xxi, z8o.



8 THOMAS ASHBY

The inscriptions on the votive objects found in the excavations of the 'Temple of Apollo' at Veii have been carefully studied. They belong to the seventh and sixth centuries B.c., and are all Etruscan; so that the idea of some scholars, that the Etruscan language was not spoken at Veii, falls to the ground. Among them is an inscription of a member of the gens Tolumnia, to which belonged the king Lars Tolumnius, who died in battle in defence of his own city. Whether the temple is really that of Apollo, or whether it is not rather a temple dedicated to the three great gods, Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, as its triple cella seems to indicate, is doubtful. 18

(i6) The discovery of the tomb of a Vestal Virgin at Tivoli between the river and the ancient Via Valeria, close to the railway station, was described in The Times of January I3 and 2I, I930, and the official account is now available. 1 9 The tomb was intact, and with the body was found a jointed doll made of bone, but no other object or ornament: the style of the hair shows that it belongs to the end of the second or the beginning of the third century after Christ. Vesta was worshipped at Tivoli as at Rome, but the well-known round temple traditionally attributed to her above the falls is wrongly so assigned.

(I7) The first of the two ships which have been found in the Lake of Nemi has been successfully removed from where it lay to a hangar-a difficult operation which reflects great credit on those who carried it out-while the second has been exposed only to a very small extent, and more powerful pumps must be put in before the work can be continued.

The discussion as to the real character of the first ship still continues 2 0 but from the remains it is clear that it was never used for actual navigation. It was joined to the shore by a permanent gangway, or landing stage, the piles at the ends of which were decorated with large lion's-heads in bronze; and the lead pipes which were found on board must have been connected with others which passed across this gangway from a reservoir on shore. A very fine bronze watercock,2 so perfectly preserved and so well turned that it almost seems to have been made yesterday, served to admit the water for the baths, which were constructed of brick-faced concrete, and heated by hypocausts. The solidity of the whole construction reminds us of a similar installation on shore, for the upper pavements were of marble or mosaic; and the weight was very considerable. Some of the marble work was of great beauty, and reminds

18N. di Scavi I930, 302-345. The discovery of a graffito to ' Menerva ' (p. 329) seems to confirm the idea of the triad dedication.

19 N. di Scavi I930, 353-55; cl. JRS xx, I4, pl. i. For similar dolls, see A7A xxxiv, 1930, 455-479.

2 0 See rear's Work in Classical Studies 1931,

I 33 for references to this ephemeral discussion, the definitive account being still to seek.

21 Arch. Anz. 1930, Abb. I4.




us of the pavements and wall-facing of the Domus Transitoria of Nero. A number of wooden doors and the hinges, handles, bolts, etc. belonging to them must have served for the separate cabins for the individual bathers.

The construction of the ship is extremely interesting, and can now be studied in full detail. What is especially wonderful about it is its marvellous solidity and strength, which evokes the admiration of the naval architects of to-day, and the care with which its timbers are joined together by bronze nails or by mortising. The ship would appear to have had a rudder; but there are no traces of there ever having been either masts or oars-another proof, if it were needed, that it was never used for navigation. Two anchors 22 have been found, one of them. of bronze sheathed in wood, the other of wood with iron flukes: the choice of this material is no doubt due to the existence of a muddy bottom, in which an iron anchor would have sunk too deep. The small objects which have been found are of considerable interest. The bronze heads of animals, with mooring rings in their mouths, are for the most part similar to those which had already been found in the excavations of I895, though one or two new types occur-notably one in which the leopard's spots are shown by a difference in the colour of the metal. There are further remains of the bronze railing which ran along the bulwarks, with a fine Dionysan double-herm by which it was supported. 2 3 A pump for extracting the bilge water has also been recovered.

[Since this was written the second ship has been brought to the surface-and found to resemble the first closely. It is now hoped by lovers of Nemi that the lake will soon be refilled and resume its former peace and beauty, and that the unsightly workings may be cleared away.]

(i8) Taking now a survey of Italy from north to south, we find that at Trento24 a Roman gate, which muist be identified with the Porta Veronensis, has been discovered on the south side of the Roman city. Close to this gate, as his Acts record, S. Vigilius built his tomb: and it is probable that the oldest part of the cathedral, which is dedicated to him, was built over the tomb.

(I9) At Aquileia25 further interesting discoveries have been made. It has been found that in ancient times the river Natisone ran immediately to the east of the town, and that it was used as a harbour for the first two centuries of the Empire. Considerable remains of the harbour works exist, and the port must have been some fifty yards in width: but it was abandoned in the third or fourth century

22 Arch. Anz. 1930, Abb. I5, i6. 23 Op. cit. Abb. I3 ; Arch. Anz. 193I, Abb. 4, 5.

24 Boll. Assoc. Internaz. Stud. Mediterr. i, no. i, 2I. 25 Arch. Anz. 1930, 313-



10 THOMAS ASHBY

after Christ, and a new section of the city walls erected on the quay itself.

(20) At Sarsina, 26 in the east of Central Italy, not very far inland from Cesena, some interesting monumental tombs have been excavated. One of them, belonging to the first century of the Empire, consisted (as the reconstruction on paper shows) of a building in the form of a tetrastyle Corinthian temple resting on a square base, above which was a lofty pyramid, on which in turn rested a capital supporting a stone vase. Such a tomb has not as yet been actually found in Italy, but monuments of the kind exist in both French and Italian North Africa. Other tombs are of similar design, and must have formed an interesting group: they lay along the road leading to Cesena, some sixty yards of which have been cleared.

(2i) At Tarquinia27 a chambered tomb was found to have in situ at the end of the dromos (just over the entrance to the tomb and at the ends of the two rock walls on each side of it) three of the slabs of nenfro with decorations in relief, a number of which have been found here in the past, as long ago, indeed, as Dennis's time. This is a discovery of considerable interest, as their use has hitherto been uncertain ; and Rivoira, who was interested in them because of their similarity to architectural decorations which appear much later on in the development of art, was as yet unaware of their real purpose.

(22) The ancient city of Trebula lay on the range of hills to the east of the valley followed by the Via Latina from Casinum (Cassino) to Casilinum (Capua). The river Volturno runs to the north and east of these hills, and finally round their southern extremity to the modern Capua, where the Via Latina and the Via Appia joined. There was a mountain road from the Via Latina to Venafrum by way of S. Pietro in Fine, which I followed on foot in 1920: and further to the south there were more, including the pass, immediately to the south of the 'mons Callicula' (Pietravairano), by which Hannibal escaped from the army of Fabius by the well-known stratagem of tying lighted torches to the horns of cattle, in 2I7 B.C. The two southernmost were those which passed by Trebula (the modern Treglia) and Caiatia (Caiazzo). Both these places were defended by polygonal enceintes, and the fortifications of the former have recently been studied by Maiuri.28 The polygonal walls of the acropolis and of the lower city are easily traceable, and the former is further defended by internal terrace-walls. The style of construction and the date are similar to those of the Samnite citadels of which I spoke in my last report. As Maiuri points out, a thorough exploration of the site would add much to our knowledge of Samnium at

26 Atti 11 Congr. Naz. Studi Ronm. i, 193i: Arch. Anz. 1930, 327; 1931, 635-6.

27N. di Scavi 1930, 113-184.

28 N. di Scavi 1930, 214-226 (Treglia), Z26-z28 (Castellone).



ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN ITALY I I

this period. Another smaller fort of the same period was also explored at Castellone, overlooking the plain of Caiazzo.

(23) In connexion with the celebrations of the 2,oooth anniversary of the birth of Virgil, the tomb at Naples which (without any real foundation) is traditionally attributed to him has been placed in a good state of repair; and the exploration of the grotto of the Sibyl at Cumae has been continued, though a full account is not available. 2 9

The road connecting the temple on the upper terrace of the acropolis with that on the lower level is being cleared, and a fine piece of the Greek wall on the north-east side of the. acropolis has been rendered visible.

(24) At Pompeii a house to the south of that of Publius Teges, in which the bronze statue of an ephebus was found a few years ago, is fully described in a report recently published. 3 0 It contained some paintings of interest-some views of architecture, the marriage of Mars and Venus (a scene of a type already known), and a rustic shrine with a column, surmounted by a vase, and a priapic herm, both standing under a large umbrella pine of surprisingly modern appearance. The actual area of the small garden was enlarged to the mind's eye by the decoration of its walls with garden scenes, of the same nature, though not so well executed, as the famous decorations of the Villa of Livia near Rome. Here, too, there is a low fence between the spectator and the garden ; but here the field is limited by the existence of a painted portico, through the intercolumniation of which the trees are seen. Several examples of the kind have been found in Pompeii, notably one described in the official reports for I9IO.

The excavation of the adjacent insula was also completed, and a house with interesting scenes from the theatre was cleared: a statuette of Apollo of archaic type was found in one of four wooden cupboards in the atrium, which also contained some silver vessels and a number of bronze objects.

A cellar in a house in the Via dell' Abbondanza has recently yielded a remarkably fine treasure, including a large quantity of silver plate and some gold jewellery. The find is still under examina- tion, but some particulars have emerged and have been published in the newspapers. 31 There are I I 5 pieces, including three massive silver plates decorated with busts, which are said to be either portrait busts or to represent some distant Roman province: and of the bowls and goblets some are decorated with sprays, and others with scenes believed to represent the labours of Hercules. It is the finest hoard of gold and silver work that has been found at Pompeii, and appears to be a parallel to the Boscoreale treasure found in I894.

2 9 Boll. Assoc. Internaz. Studi Mediterr. 1932, iii, no. 3, 2I-29, pls. Vii-ix.

3 0 N. di Scavi 1929, 3 54-476.

31 Provisional accounts, Boll. Assoc. Internaz. Studi Mediterr. ii, no. i, tav. viii; Gnomon vii, 4, 219-222.



I2 THOMAS ASHBY

The restoration of the tribunal of the Basilica and the completion of the excavation of the Villa dei Misteri32 are two other items of interest at Pompeii. It has been found that the latter, a country house outside the city, was raised on lofty terraces above the ancient road: its west front, in continuation of the side from which the well-known Dionysiac frescoes are approached, has a projecting semi-circular terrace, with an exedra and two gardens. This terrace is supported by a large cryptoporticus, in which some skeletons have been found, exactly as in the Villa of Diomede. On the north-west is a large peristyle. Miss Toynbee has suggested that the whole cycle of Dionysiac frescoes represents a prenuptial initiation, and explains all the scenes in this sense, including that of the flagellation, which, she holds, is intended to stimulate fertility; while the Silens scene shows divination by water, for which there are many parallels among country folk right down to the present day.

(25) At Paestum33 the altar of the so-called Temple of Ceres has been, cleared, and remains of the other buildings have been uncovered. A Greek theatre has been found, a segment of which was cut into in order that the so-called Temple of Peace might be erected in the centre. But the most important piece of work has been the clearing of the city walls, which have a total length of something like three miles and are extremely well preserved. Two periods can now be distinguished in them, the Greek (fifth century B.C.) and the Lucanian (first century B.C.). In the former the gate towers were circular, but in the latter massive square towers were substituted.

(26) At Fonni,34 the highest village in Sardinia, and one of those where the traditional costumes may still be seen, an inscription with a dedication to Silvanus, the tutelary deity of the nemus Sorabensis, has come to light. The name is identical with that of the ancient post station of Sorabile, on the road through the centre of the island from Carales (Cagliari) to Olbia (Terranova), which took a very- different route from that followed by the modern railway; and of this post-station some remains may still be seen at a place not far from Fonni, which has retained the name of Sorovile.

(27) A report for I928-9 on Libya has recently been published: and from it we learn that progress continues to be made at Leptis. MVlagna,35 where the main street, or decumanus, is being followed. Among the buildings found is the Macellum, or meat market, consisting of a rectangular portico, in the centre of which are two octagonal buildings, with a circular building between them, where the meat was actually offered for sale. The podium of a large Roman

32 Maiuri, Villa dei llIisteri (Rome, 1932) cl. Toynbee, JRS xIx, 67 ff.

33 Maiuri in Discovery, Oct. 1931.

3 4N. di Scavi 1929, 3I9-323. 3 Arch. Anz. 193T, 693-696.



ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN ITALY 1 3

temple was also excavated ; and another temple was cleared, which was situated on the southern quay of the harbour.

At Sabratha36 the Roman theatre has been completely excavated, and a number of inscriptions have been found.

At Cyrene37 work was continued in the level space in front of the fountain of Apollo, and a monument was found which had been dedicated to the god by three strategi of Cyrene, probably in the fourth century B.C., but had subsequently been re-dedicated to Tiberius. The fountain of Apollo has itself been completely exposed, and has been found to be one of the finest monumental fountains known to us; while the cave from which it issued forth is extremely imposing. The Agora has also been cleared, together with the gymnasium, which was situated on the northern slopes of the height on which it stands.

(28) In Rhodes38 a number of interesting discoveries have been made, both in the necropolis of Jalysos where some eighty tombs of various kinds have been found, and in that of Kameiros, where, despite previous excavations of Salzmann and Biliotti, some fifty or sixty tombs of the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. came to light, containing some important vases. On the acropolis, traces of the defensive walls were found, and a curious building no less than i8o yards long was cleared, consisting of a large number of small chambers side by side, the purpose of which is uncertain.

In the area of the ancient city of Rhodes, a rock-hewn shrine of some aquatic deities was found, while on one of the terraces below the stadium there were discovered a number of inscribed pedestals for statues of municipal officials of the end of the second century B.C.

(29) In Cos39 three small theatres were excavated: one of them, of the Roman period, just outside the modern town, produced a number of statues.

36 Africa Italiana iii, 1-5z. 37 Africa Italiana iii, 141-ZZ9.

38 Clara Rhodos, ii (Ialysos), iv (Kameiros). 39 Boll. Assoc. Internaz. Stud. Mediterr. i, no. ,

21, pl. x, 2.



J.R.S. vol. xxiii (1933). PLATE I

CY

o t

H0

H0

0

.7i~~~~~~~~~~~~h



J.R.S. vol. xxiii (1933). PLATE 11

A t

ROME: I. NEW MAIN ROAD LEADING FROM THE PIAZZA VENEZIA, PAST THE BASILICA OF MAXENTIUS,

TO THE COLOSSEUM AND THENCE TO THE LATERAN. (See p. i.)

2. BIRD S-EYE VIEW OF PIAZZA VENEZIA AND TRAJAN S FORUM (ON THE LEFT) AS

REMODELLED. (See p. i.)

By courtesy of ibe Editor of ' Town-Planning Review' and Mr. Luigi Lenzi.



J.R.S. vol. xxiii (1933). PLATE III

ROME: I. MODEL, 30 IN. HIGH, OF A ROMAN TENEMENT-HOUSE AT THE FOOT OF THE CAPITOL NEAR

THE ARA COELI STEPS. (See P- 3-) Photograph, SPQR Archivo Fotografico delle Antichi:&.

2. TRAJAN'S MARKET. (See P.. 4) Photograph, Fratelli Alinari.



J.R.S. vol. xxiii (1933). PLA'I'E IV

-.. -

ROME: I. TRAJAN'S FORUM: HEMICYCLE BEHIIND NORTH EXEDRA. (See p. 4.) Photograph, Fratelli Alinari.

2. LARGO ARGENTINA: TENMPLE A. (See p. 4.) Photograph, D. Aniderson.



J.R.S. vol. xxiii (1933). PLATE V

4L~~~~~~~~~~~~~6

OSTIA PUBLIC BATHS EAST OF THE FORUM (See p 6) Photograph, D Anderson

.~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

...~~~~~~~~~~~'1 .m WE

OSTIA: PUBLIC BATHS EAST OF THE FORUMI. (See p. 6.) Photograph, D. Anderson.



archaeological discoveries in italy and the mediterranean during 1930

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