Miscellanies XXX FL Vol ir. No. ì$. 



POMPEJÜM DISCOVERED 



1 ompejum, a little Roman town, was fituated 

 near Hercuianum and 12 Italian miles from Na- 

 ples. The explolion of tlie mount Vefuvius which 

 in the Year 79 deftroyed Hercuianum buried alfo 

 Pompejum under a coucli of leverai feet of ashes 

 and pumice Hones. Some ages after, its fituation. 

 was entirely unknown, and it was only in the 

 la ft century that fome peafants by chance disco- 

 vered it again. In the Year 1755 they began to 

 dig, and, as the couch of ashes was but a few 

 feet high, it was' eafily removed from the grea- 

 ter! part of the Town. The many valuable an- 

 tiquities that were found, were like thofe of 

 the Hercuianum brought in the Royal Mufeum 

 at Portici. 



The annexed picture reprefents two princi- 

 pal views of the discovered Pompejum. 



Fig. 1. The gate of the Town and 

 the entrance into one of the ftreets. 



We perceive in the front the ruins of the 

 Gate (aa) and through the gate-way one of the- 

 ftreets of the ancient Pompejum. The houfes 

 l'eem to be built againft rocks (b) but it is only 

 the ftratum or couch of ashes which covered the 

 town , and on the furface of which as may be 

 feen (c) fome modern houfes were built. The 

 ftreets are only i2 feet broad; on the pavement 

 of Lava the old tracks are diffcinctly feen. On 

 the fides of the houfes runs an elevated foot- 

 path (d) for the Convenience of people going 

 on foot. The houfes are finali and low, qua- 



drangular, and commonly but one flory high. 

 The doors are large and give light to the fore- 

 part of the houfe, for towards the ftreets no 

 windows have as yet been discovered. The 

 rooms were fituated around an inner Yard , in 

 the middle of which generally a fountain fio od. 



Fig. 2. The Soldier's Quarter of 

 Pompejum. 



In the Year 1772 the Soldier's Quarter was 

 discovered which probably was called fo, becaufe 

 it contained the Barracks and Parade of the Ro- 

 man Garrifon. 



A row" of Doric Columns of Stucco, 11 feet 

 high furrouncled an oblong fquare, (parallelo- 

 gram) the covering ashes of which as may be 

 feen (aa) are not yet entirely removed. Appa- 

 rently it was the place where the troops were 

 exercifed. Behind thefe columns there was a 

 gallery, open towards the fquare and covered on 

 the top. The barracks or lodgings of the fol- 

 diers (bb) were contiguous to this gallery; in 

 fome of them roman armours were found; but 

 one especially offered a pitiful aspect. It was 

 the military prifon. Some of the Soldiers impri- 

 foned at the time of the fatal cataftrophe, were 

 forgotten in the general con item a ti on , and de- 

 prived of the power to escape were pitifully 

 fuffocated. Several fkeleîons were found fitting 

 in a row, the bones of their legs fiili loaded with 

 heavy chains. 



