314 THE ROMAN CAMPAGNA 



At the epoch when our story begins, however, this 

 chain was still incomplete, and probably a good deal 

 lower, as well as narrower, than subsequent upheaval 

 has made it. Instead of forming, as it now does, 

 the lofty axis of a broad peninsula, it then consisted 

 of a series of parallel islands and islets, separated from 

 each other by long and often narrow sounds or chan- 

 nels. In general appearance it must have resembled 

 parts of the coast of Dalmatia on the opposite side of 

 the Adriatic. Manv of the more prominent mountains 

 of the region stood then entirely surrounded by the sea. 

 The Sabine Hills, for example, rose as an island, while 

 Soracte formed another island farther west. A long 

 strait ran northwards by Rocca Sinibalda and Rieti 

 to Terni ; another of narrower width stretched towards 

 Perugia and formed then the estuarv of the Tiber. 

 All the Roman Campagna. together with the low 

 grounds on both sides of the Apennines, was at that 

 time submerged under the sea. The great band of 

 volcanic heights and cones that extends from Aqua- 

 pendente to the Bav ot Naples had not yet come 

 into existence, but over their site the waters of the 

 Mediterranean lay manv fathoms deep. 



The climate of Europe had for a^es been of so 

 genial a character that sub-tropical types of life had 

 lone flourished both in the sea and on the land of 

 this quarter of the globe. But in the period of 

 geological history with which we are now concerned, 

 a remarkable diminution of temperature was in pro- 

 gress all over the Northern hemisphere. As the 

 warmth grew less, the distribution of plants and 

 animals came to be seriously affected. Many southern 



