Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/663

 POMrEII. culaiieum ; but his attention is directed principally to the circumstances of his uncle's death and the phenomena ivhich he had himself witnessed. From this time the name of Pompeii disappears from history. It is not noticed by Ptolemy ; and it is certain that the city was never rebuilt. But the name is again found in the Tabula; and it thus ap- pears that a small place must have again arisen on the site, or, more probably, in the neighbourhood, of the Ijuried city. But all trace of Pompeii was sub- sequently lost; and in the middle ages its veiy site was entirely forgotten, so that even the learned and diligent Chiverius was unable to fix it with certainty, and was led to place it at Scafati on the Sarno, about 2 miles E. of its true position. This difficulty arose, in great njcasure, from the great physical changes produced by the catastrophe of a. d. 79, which diverted the course of the Sarno, so that it now flows at some distance from Pompeii, — and at the same time pushed forward the line of the coast, so that the city is now above a mile distant from the sea, which in ancient times undoubtedly bathed its walls. There is no reason to suppose that Pompeii in ancient times ever rose above the rank of a second- rate provincial town; but the re-discovery of its buried remains in the last century has given a celebrity to its name exceeding that of the greatest cities. The circumstances of its destruction were peculiarly favdurable to the preservation of its remains. It was not overthrown by a torrent of lava, but simply buried by a vast accumulation of volcanic sand, ashes, and cinders (called by the Italians lapilli), which forms a mass of a very light, dry, and porous cliaracter. At the same time, it is almost certain that the present accumulation of this volcanic de- posit (which is in most places 15 feet in depth) did not take place at once, but was formed by successive eruptions; and there is little doubt that the ruins were searched and the most valuable objects removed POJIPEII. 647 soon after the catastrophe took place. This seems to be proved by the small numbi'r of objects of in- trinsic value (such as gold and silver plate) that have been discovered, as well as by the fact that comparatively few skeletons liave been found, though it appears certain, from the expressions of Dion Cassius, that great numbers of the inhabitants perished; nor have any of these been found in the theatre, where it is probable that the greatest loss of life occurred. It was not till 1748 that an accidental discovery drew attention to the remains of Pompeii ; and in 1 7.55 regular excavations on the site were first commenced by the Neapolitan government, which have been carried on ever since, though with frequent intervals and interruptions. It is impossible for us here even to attempt to give any account of the results of these excavations and the endless variety of interesting remains that have been brought to light. We shall confine ourselves to those points which bear more immediately on the topography and character of the town of Pompeii, rather than on the general habits, life, and manners of ancient times. More detailed accounts of the remains, and the numerous objects which have been discovered in the course of the ex- cavations, especially the works of art, will be found in the great work of Mazois (Les Ruines de Pompeii, continued by Gau, 4 vols, fol., Paris, 1812 — 1838), and in the two works of Sir W. Gell (^Pompeiana, 1st series, 2 vols. 8vo. Loud. 1824; 2nd series, 2 vols. 8vo. 1830); also in the little work published by the Society of Useful Knowledge (Pumj)eti, 2 vols. 12mo. 1831). A recent French publication by Breton (Pompeia, 8vo. P.aris, 1855), also gives a good ac- count of the whole progress and results of the dis- coveries (including the most recent excavations) in a moderate compass and inexpensive form. The still more recent work of Overbeck (8vo. Leipzic, 1856), of which the first part only has yet appeared, contains an excellent compendium of the wliole sub- 1. Gate of Tlercolaiie;.m. 2. Gain of Vesuvius. a. (iatii of Capua. -1. (at(' ofNola. T). (late of tlic Sarnus. (J Gate of Slaliiae. GEXKRAl. I't.AX OF POMPWI I 7. Gatn of tlic 'I'hi-atros. 8. IMiidiTii entraiu'u to the ci'. '.I. Koriini. HI. 'I'hc.itrrs. II. Ainpliillicalre. I ]2. StH;ot ol the TuniDS.