UNEARTHED AT HERCULANEUM

Hokitika Guardian, 18 February 1928, Page 4

UNEARTHED AT HERCULANEUM

RICH KOALA’S HOUSE. HERCULANEUM, Bay of Naples, December 18. A discovery which holds out a promise of interesting developments when further investigated has I cell made in the course ol the excavations on the site of the ancient Italian coast town of Herculaneum, between Naples and Pompeii—-with which latter place it was destroyed in the year 79 by an eruption of Mount A esuvius. The excavators have found a magnificent doorway leading into what obviously was the house of a rich patrician. Round the top of the house runs a fine cornice and tho doorway is ol noble architectural appearance. Unfortunately the subsoil showed signs ot subsiding when only the top fifteen loot or so of this house had been uncovered and made it necessary to suspend the work until it can be resinned with greater safety. It is possible that when the house is entered' it will be found to contain valuable articles. MECHANIC A L TOOLS. The use of mechanical excaviumg tools, adopted in Herculaneum for the first time in the history ol archaeological explorations, has enabled Prol. Alai uri, who is in charge of the work here to accomplish in a few months about half as much as was done in twenty years in the “Scavi Nitovi’ by the Bourbons. About 1,0:;C0,()(A) cubic feet of vegetable earth and of mud solidfied almost to tbe hardness of stone have been removed and one complete “insula” (an insula corresponds to a modern city block) o ftlie buried town Las been unearthed. The excavations are being pushed from the “ Scavi Nuovi ” in an easterIv direction along one ol the minor “ilectimiini” (the Latin appellation for the streets running in an east-aml-west direction). This insula to the south of tins decumamis has been completely unearthed and found to contain the usual shops and private dwellings, such as arc seen in such abundance ill Pompeii. Work has also begun on the insula to the north of the deciimaniis. Ibis insula contains the public baths, already partly excavated. In a few months tho excavators hope to reach the • decttlnanus immediately to the north of the one along which they are now working, and are looking forward with great expectation to the event, as it is thought that it may ho the “decumamis major,” or main street of the city. FINE AIOSAIC FLOORS. Several interesting hut not extremely important finds have been made. They include a certain number of houses with fine mosaic floors, several rooms with frescoed walls, a large selection of comparatively uninteresting pottery and bronze household implements and statuettes. Of greater value are a few wooden doors and window frames, as all wooden articles are very rare ill Pompeii, which was burned to the ground lielnre being buried by (lie ashes ol \ esuvius. I lie doors and window frames found iu Herculaneum arc all partly burned, and it is difficult to reconcile Ibis Inet with the generally accepted theory that Herculaneum was buried bv a river ol mud.