Show Pompeii IN the year 79 A. A D. D a time when the Romans still worshiped idols one one of the most beautiful and progressive cities in inthe inthe inthe the world was suddenly obliterated from irom the face of the globe by the ashes and mud belched forth from that now famous volcano Vesuvius I It t was high noon and the people were greatly enjoying a gladiatorial feast at the amphitheatre but how soon this barbarous joyfulness was to be turned into terror and sadness t I The feast was wasat wasat wasat at its height when the earth was suddenly suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly shaken and a large black mass in the shape of a pine tree was observed on the summit of Mount Vesuvius It rapidly grew larger and finally covered the whole city Rocks came down like rain and the day was turned into night The people were terror-stricken terror and fled in all directions Some fled to the sea others sought shelter in their cellars cellars cellars cel cel- lars and others less fortunate were stricken in the streets by the falling rocks Oh what a scene of terror and death this must have been but it was soon brought to an end for the mud and lava finally reached the city and slowly winding its way through the streets encased the town in a grave sixty fe feet t deep and on this grave over dead Pompeii another town grew and flourished for more than one thousand years unconscious of the city beneath it One day as a peasant was digging a awell awell awell well he came upon one of the old houses of Pompeii This discovery aroused the curiosity of the whole world for the destruction of Pompeii had long been regarded as a fable Men were immediately put to work excavating the city and now 1800 years after its destruction destruction destruction de de- one may stand at the foot of Vesuvius and see the ancient city as it was in the time of Christ He sees the narrow streets the majestic but clumsy architecture of the Romans that old monument of barbarity the amphitheatre and still farther in the distance the beautiful Bay of Naples As one enters the city he discovers the streets all neatly paved and in the main streets he finds ruts two and three inches deep worn in the pavement evidently evidently evidently evi evi- dently by chariots On examining Ig the y houses he observes that they are all J very much after the same style The They are built of marble and very seldom r 1 more than two stories high the upper story being the abode of th the slaves The y with its floor of ground apartment marble marble marble mar mar- ble slabs was divided into innumerable small rooms connected by folding doors i iThe The walls were decorated with beautiful gold ornaments and paintings that are unexcelled in beauty and art to this very day He also finds that bath tu tubs bs are 7 common to most buildings this and the fact that in another building evidently evidently evi evi- dently a public bathing house are a 4 number of of large basins leads us to the conclusion that the Romans must have h 4 been a cleanly people When one enters the amphitheatre he is struck with awe at the h horrible 5 scenes that must have taken place there 4 He imagines he sees so some e wild beast j tearing a gladiator limb from limb he Jr hears his cries yea even smells his r very blood and is about to run rqn to his i rescue when the guide turns his attention attention attention atten atten- tion to the network of pipes once used j to sprinkle fragrant and cooling scents upon the audience In the excavation t of this building a large number of mangled mangled man man- j skeletons mostly those of women were found showing what a terrible i rush for life there must have been when Vesuvius began its awful work of de de- 3 bw In excavating this city any amount of a relics were found In one building j eighty loaves of bread though now completely completely completely com com- e carbonized in another writing materials consisting of papyrus a black substance and a hollow reed cut in the shape of a pen and in still others t articles carved from bronze that cannot N even be equalled today i The mud formed so perfect an encasement encasement encasement encase encase- ment about the bodies of persons who f had fallen in the streets that it retained the form of the body after it had decayed decayed decayed de de- and from this encasement we are today enabled to tell the form and texture texture texture tex tex- tex tex- ture of their clothing and even to see seethe seethe f. the horrible expressions of pain in their f faces aces Although it has cost an exceedingly large sum to to excavate this city the world is amply repaid by the insight it gives into the life of the ancient Romans and by the vast amount of ancient history that it confirms I F. F E. E Eliason 11 |