E. J. SEWELL^ ESQ., ON POMPEII. 



123 



have been altered from the Oscan to the Eonian size.* So also 

 many of the measurements of the older buildings are only 

 intelligible when referred to the Oscan foot, which was shorter 

 than the Eoman foot.f 



The Oscans were brought by conquest under the rule of the 

 Saninites in the fifth century B.C., but under both Oscan and 

 Samnite rule the influence of Greek art and civilization w^as 

 predominant in Pompeii, as in other parts of Campania, a fact 

 clearly illustrated by the character of the paintings and bronzes 

 which remain from this period. 



Eoman rule succeeded in the third century B.C., but it was 

 only in 80 B.C. that the town became completely Eoman, a 

 colony of Eoman veterans being settled there under the 

 leadership of a nephew of the Dictator Sulla.J 



Analogy with modern instances is a very useful method of 

 making our notions vivid and definite. As a place combining 

 business interests with being a centre of pleasure and recreation, 

 we may compare Pompeii with Brighton (though, of course, 

 Pompeii was much smaller than Brighton), wdiile from the 

 social and ethnological point of view, we may think of a coast- 

 town near the Welsh border wliere the substiatiim of Welsh- 

 speaking people was overcome by the Saxons but eventually 

 both Welsh and Saxons passed under the rule of the Normans, 

 the art and literature of the place being almost entirely French 

 or Italian. 



Such a town as this was in 79 B.C. sealed up, as it were, by 

 the huge quantities of volcanic ash and dust poured out by 

 Vesuvius in the memorable eruption of that year. It is, of 

 course, a mere popular mistake to suppose that the town was 

 overflowed by lava from the volcano. Had that been the case, 

 not only would tlie heat from the molten lava have destroyed 

 all perishable objects, but the resulting rock w^ould have been so 



* An inscription tells us that Aulus Clodius Flaccus, son of Aulus, 

 and Numerius Arcaeus Arellianiis Caledus, son of ISumeriiis, dnoviri 

 juridicundo (?'.e., officers combining judicial with administrative functions), 

 in accordance with a decree of the decuriones {i.e., the city council), had 

 these measures made equal {i.e., to the Roman measures). This inscription 

 dates from the time of Augustus, about 20 B.C. ; it testifies to one of 

 the means used by Augustus towards the unification of the Roman 

 Empire to have a uniform standard of weights and measures adopted 

 throughout the Empire. 



t The Roman foot was 11 '64 inches, the Oscan 10"82 inches. 



X The Roman name of the place was Colonia Cornelia Yeneria 

 Pompeianorum. Needless to say, so cumbrous a name never really 

 replaced Pompeii in general use. 



