Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 29.djvu/235

 THE ROYAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 191 are, however, not very rare on Roman sites, but are more commonly of small size. Two of these, now in the Museum at Ziirich, may deserve mention as having three hooks. This unusual arrangement is shown in the sketch sent for examination. In Rich's " Dictionary of Antiquities " no such specimen is given ; the stilyavds, as there shown, have two hooks only. Possibly some example with three hooks may have occurred with Roman relics in England." •'Supplementary Notes on the ancient portraitures of our Lord," by Mr. Albert Way, were tlien read. (Printed at pp. lUi) — 119 of the pre- sent volume ) Mr. C. D. E. FoRTNUM read the following " Notes on a Vase or Urn of the later Bronze Period, from Marino, near Albano, Italy:" — "In the year 1817 a discovery was made at Marino, not far from Albano, of certain curious earthenware hut-urns, and other cinerary vases, of so singular a cliaracter, and discovered under such singular circum- stances, that they excited tlie greatest curiosity among the archajologists of those days, and have been ever since regarded as objects of unusual interest. I have the pleasure of exhibiting to this meeting an example of these sepnlcliral vases, which I procured on my last visit to Rome. For an accoiuit of the history of this discovery and its results, I would refer to a letter by Dr. Alessandro Visconti, addressed to Signor Giuseppe Carnevali in 1817, on the subject of those urns, found near Alba Longa, by which we learn that on January 7th, 1817, excavations for deepening the soil were made in a vineyard belonging to Signor Carlo Tomasetti, at Marino, near the road to Castel Gandolfo ; a layer of peperino rock was broken through, beneath which fragments and one entire vase were found. Nigh at hand Signor Giuseppe Carnevali, of Albano, found several others xmder similar circumstances. Together they then examined the vineyard of Signor Tomasetti, and on the 4th of February, in the presence of many respectable and learned persons, beneath a thickness of about 20 in. of the solid peperino rock, in a white cretaceous soil, various frag- ments ancienth' broken, but no Avhole vase, were found. These pieces were compared with the othei-s at Signor Carnevali's house, and found to correspond in character, and other similar discoveries were attested. Visconti describes one vase, a large jar 3 palms high (30 in.) as contain- ing a cinerarv urn of the form of a hut, in whicii were calcined bones, an unffupntnrium, bronze fibula, a bronze wheel, and a clay object like the trunk of a tree ; round it were a number of other vases, four of barrel shape, one an askos, supposed for wine, oil, milk, honey, watei-, etc. ; a rude figure of a man in terra cotta, a lamp, throe paterte and a shallow bowl. The lu-n was marked with zig-zag and meanders, and the door closed with a bronze pin. Near the jar a small bronze lance head, two knife blades, and a stylus were discovered. This vase and its contents are figtired in Dr. Birch's "History of Ancient Potter^'," vol. ii., p. 197, retluced from Visconti. Subsequently Signor Carnevali died, his va.ses being left for sale in the hands of Depoletti at R<)me. Specimens were se- cured for the Musco Gregoriano ; Baron de Bonstetten purchased some hut- urns, and a fibula ornamented with a human tooth; others were dispersed. Dr. Visconti supposed the age of this pottery to be previous to 1 176 B.C., as the production of a race anterior to the Trojans, by whom Alba Longa is said to have been built. Similar hut-urns, l)ut diflering in the i>:itiire of the clay, have been found in various parts of Germany, and ow vol.. X.MX. D i»