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Show ' CENTER OF ANCIENT CITY OF ROME Prof. Bonis discovery of the "mun-dus "mun-dus ' or center of the ancient city of Rome is only now beginning to be generally known. There were some difficult natural obstacles to bo over come in the course of the excavation. The mundus." a pit in which the instruments used In founding Rome were deposited, was reached after a close examination of the geological structure by the sinking of a shaft. The site, which is at the northwest angle of the ast lmpluvium in the atrium of the Palace or Domitian, was entirely covered b the solid foundation founda-tion of a second century building. The Romans themselves lost the site of what was once the most sacred of sacred spots, and apparently Augustus Augus-tus made unsuccessful efforts to find it. Prof Boni laid bare a shaft filled jwiih debris of the Augustan era, ! which was probably sunk in the ex plorations carried on by order of the emperor Prof Bont's report has not yet been prepared. Meanwhile, archaeologists archae-ologists are recalling that the references refer-ences to "lapis manalls" and "sulcus primi-genius" and the phrase "mundus "mun-dus Patet" in the writings of Cato, Varro, Plutarch and others are now unexpectedly illuminated by the out-l out-l come of Prof Bont's patient work for ! fifteen vears, which has laid bare much that seemed to hae been hidden hid-den forever. The "mundus" was sacred to Pluto and Persephone and was venerated until the fall of the republic as the center of the furrow which traced the ritual boundary of the primitive city. It was the Innermost shrine of the ancient an-cient religion of Rome. The "lapis manalis is a square rough hewn stone of tufa, one of the kinds of stone used in the construction construc-tion of Rome, pierced with two round holes. Prof Bonl appears to have braved the "terrible shades," which legend says guarded the "lapis manal Is.' and he found the vaulted granary and faviasae below the granary. The favissae, excavated forty feet deep In the tufa below the clay of the summit of the Palatine hill guarded the sa cred seeds for the primitive Romu laen race. The "lapis manalis" concealed the most ancient mysteries of the "mundus," "mun-dus," whence germinated and spread forth the fundamental energies of the Roman people, mysteries more ancient an-cient than the Roman race itself. New York Sun. no 1 |
