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22 December 1880 — Naples | |
Wednesday. 22nd [December 1880]. After a violent thunderstorm just after we had gone to bed & a deluge of rain we found a lovely morng & set off at 9 from the station where we met M. & Mme Castellani & Signor Rugero & the engineer for Pompei. We took a train that went to Torre d’annunziata. Giovanni & Cortellazzo completed the party. At Annunziata we got carriages & drove to Pompei. It was a bright day & the distant hills were a beautiful deep purple. We first made a rapid tour to some of the most interesting ruins in the city. In the little museum we saw the casts of the dog & of the young girl lately found & had the system of the locks & keys explained to us. Then abt 12 we went to the guardian’s house & eat our luncheon. Both Mme C. & I having taken provisions & we were happily able to feed the whole party. We had few knives & forks but we managed very well & had good appetites. Then when lunch was over we went by devious paths always wanting to stop & see the things we passed, till we got to the place where the scavo had been prepared for us. In a house with a large court yard all the room round had only been half emptied of soil– The men were ready with their implements & at a sign they unbarred the doors of their stones & set to work. In one room an amphora was found leaning against the wall but when touched it fell to pieces. In another corner were found some weights & what appeared like dumb bells wh were also probably weights. In another corner was found a common bronze pot & some coins. So far we were not very fortunate. At last Sr Rugero suggested that we shd go to a chamber nearer the bank not yet excavated. It was so small that the spectators had to go to the top & look down over the wall. Then began the excitement– First a marble table appeared the top of wh was broken but the pedestal stood still & it consisted of a terminal figure with a female head. It was curious to see the head gradually appear to the light– It seemed to open its glass eyes with astonishment at seeing the sun– Round it were found the lock & key & nails of a wooden box—the wood having decayed & vanished—then a glass vase—then a very fine terra cotta one with vine garlands in relief—a nicely carved ivory dagger handle & a kind of round bronze instrument for the toilette. In another corner were found the remains of a much larger box—a wedding ring of 2 serpents—coins—& then a crushed lead box containing a quantity of lumps of different colours for house decoration—then endless pots big & little all containing colours wh had been mixed for use & remained in cakes at the bottom of the pots. Next an iron helmet with a terra cotta vase in it—near it a lance head—& in the other corner a large bronze vessel—a little bronze lamp with a heart on the handle. All the while I either knelt or lay on the ground looking over the wall & Mme Castellani kept screaming to the workmen to be careful. The remains of a lamp with chains also was found. A shower of rain & snow fell but we heeded it not & could hardly tear ourselves away when we had to return to the railway. We found we were so early that we went to a caffé & had some coffee & then took a little walk in the town. We got back in time for the table d’hôte– All night I had visions of ruins & labyrinths of houses. | |
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