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H istor'y of the Days Before Roinulus, When the Vestals
First Carried Water in the Sieves to
Test Their Goodness, to Be
/ . .
x/I
Revealed inNeu) Discoveries
That Uncover the Strange
Customs of the
IDDEN in a recent announcement
H from the Royal Italian Adminis-
tration of Antiquities, devoted to
the interesting results of new excavations
in the vicinity of Rome, there is a short
sentence which is almost startling.
"Among these ruins." the bulletin reads
in its description of discoveries on a little
hill a few miles from Rome, “there seems
to be no doubt the first of the Vestal Vir-
gins olive observed her devotions and ex-
erted her influence over the an'airs of a
people who had built a great city on the
site long before the coming of Romulus.
In fact the footsteps of the first of the
Vestals may soon be almost completely
disclosed."
"To Walk again in the footsteps of the
first Vestal Virgin!"
Can there be a more fascinating prom-
lse held out to those who are watching
these n «v excavations among the secicts
buried in the soil of Italy? The Vestal
Virgin :lluays will be one of the most ro-
mantic il.~lltutlorm' of ancient Home. More
than I'llivuit‘SS, more than stateswnmnn,
indeed ,, fiend-goddess, she has l'l‘lllf'ii“ l
through .ll the centuries the epitome of
all that :‘ :cnile and splendid ii. lllt an‘c-
new: of \~. Nlldil.
“'hilv ii!) rices and the intrigues of Ph-
cio-nt it. ,. didull ozir adui': :itn for t’le
p:‘v.»tuv~< of the people “ho inith the
foundativ 1.; of our :fmdcz‘n t'iviliv’nilwii, \vc
Lillt'li".!1"’ilvli'viri. lullkuzwntl'e \cw’als
with W uder and an almost s~riitnciit.rl
regard.
Their origin always has been in doubt.
Legend has placed them as a (in-clan in-
Gtitution of the gods, brought to the banks
of the itiwr ’l‘ibcr in the train of Hercules
and Mars when
thus far afield. The, first of which there
ls tradition was Sylvia, daughter of a len-
endary long of a tribe of descendants {rt-m
the refuuves of Troy. She was the priest-
ess of the first Temple of Vesta, built not
long before Romulus. awording to beliefs
tip to this time, founded the city of Home.
Now it appears there were Vestals 0n
the Tiber before Sylvia. and that. indeed.
there was :1 city of Home before the (Will-
tug of Romulus.
How Chance Played Part
In the New Excavations
The new excavations have been made at.
the summit of the hill Monte Mario, just
outside ltome proper. There has stood for
many years a small rambling village on
this hill. Recently it was decided by a
new purchaser of the property covered by
the village to erect modern buildings.
While the workmen were digging up the
old foundations they suddenly came upon
the ruins of an old wall. The Government
promptly was notified, and the Adminis-
tration of Antiquities at once sent repre-
lentativeq to examine the ruins. They
were seen to be of an age reaching back
much further than any ruins unearthed in
the vicinity of the city.
The Government took charge of the prop-
erty and began an official excavation. It
was not long before there were signs that
this hill marked the northwest extremities
of a city built as far back as the Bronze
Age~ inn: before the Iron Age. which is
marked by the oldest relics so far discov-
cred.
To historians it came as a shock. this in-
dication that Rome existed before Romu-
lus. The legends which tell of a time pre-
ceding Romulus speak of the people of
Janus. the. son of Apollo, who lived near
the Tiber and ruled over a race of people
who were simple and pure. even thougl‘r
rude and uncultured. Of these, however, ‘
there has been no trace.
The secrets of the earth that have been
revealed have all marked the progress of
are descendants of the residents of the
Seven Hills who began with Romulus and
through the succeeding dynasties of the
Caesars built their temples and expanded
the city. _
Now. however. there is promise that we
shall soon be able to construct a mental
picture of a time before this—of a civil-
.Imtion that existed in the Bronze Age. that
hd laws very much similar to ours of to-
day, and who already had their Vestals
them they slew if, when one was su5.
pected, she could not successfully dip water
from the Tiber in a sieve and hold it aloft
u—not a single drop running through.
All through our known history of an-
dent Rome the stories of the Vestals of
each period are intermingled with the ac-
counts of the activities of the Caesars.
new accounts begin with that still legeni
thuse two gods \vnndtr’cd
. 5&1? time ofvSylvla“
”(this XSylvia was the heroine of the first
Bronze A ge .
tragic romance of which there seems to be
a record—that is, a record which despite
its vagueness and its mythological trim-
ming? seems nevertheless to have been
founded upon a tangible fact.
Her father was one of the twelve leg-
endary Kings who‘preceded Romulus—-
Kings who ruled over the descendants of
the refugees from Troy. Her uncle, Amu-
lius. coveted the throne and, slaying her
father. captured Sylvia and. settle legend
goes. “made her a Vestal, building a tem-
ple for her to preside over."
Doomed to Serve State '
And to Forcgo Love
As Vestal Virgin. Sylvia was doomed to
many years of duties to the State. during
which she could neither listen to proposals
of love not marry. It was her duty to keep
burning the sacred fire in the temple. She
was, it is supposed, one of six- sometimes
there were nine. Each of the \‘estals had
slaves set apart for her; she was allowed
the privilege of appearing in the streets
uncevered~a privilege denied other
women: she was given other priv-
.ivlrts‘ uhicb were shared only by the
King. livrr counscl< were listened to
in all affairs of Snub—she was the
symbol of the purity and pride of the
women ofl1er time.
llut to S}l\'.’.i llu re came 0 tempta-
l’on. according to the lercnd.
form
in the
of none other than the noble
god of
war. Mars. it
is said. saw
h e r o n 9 day
while he was
resting on the
banks of the.
T i ll t‘ r. ller
grace and love
liness attract-
ed him. lie
wooed her with
all the impetu-
ousness every
soldier is sup-
posed to dis
play in a sim-
ilnr situation.
lie promised
the frightened
guardian of the
sacred fire di-
vine children if
she would lis-
ten to him with
favor.
When it was
learned that
Sylvia had lis-
tened to the
god she was
denounced and
it was ordered
that sh be
"put to the
test.” T1115
meant that
the beauti-
ful Sylvia
had to walk
down to the
edge of the
Tiber and lift its water above her head in
a sieve. The water run through—so her
doom was pronounced. She was put to
death and burned, and her ashes were
SDrinkled over the sacred fire she had
defiled. .
The two sons of Sylvia. twins, were, ac-
cording to the custom, thrown into the
““911 ~The legend continues that Mars
watched over them and caused them to
float harmlesgly to the foot of a big tree
-“ hiCh grew at the bottom of what now is
the Palatine Hill. Here he caused a she
\volf to rescue them. A statue representing
these two boys being nursed by this “'01!
was found near the base of the Palatine
Hill. a souvenir of an early Roman sculptor
who. perhaps, lived not long after Sylvia's
time.
Nothing Found Until Now
That Antedated Romulus
One of these boys became the Romulus.
who. according to tradition. later founded
the city of Rome. Of his time there is a
track-ruins that date back to him have
been uncovered. But beyond him the‘re has
been nothing known—until these new ex-
cavations at Monte Marlo.
Already there has been uncovered an in-
closcd chamber, on the walls of which
some primitive people older than Rome had
painted with vegetable stains figures rep-
resenting themselves in various attitudes
of worship and industry. One of these
shows three male figures, scantily clad, ap-
proaching the figure of a woman covered by
a diapbanous drapery.
'43
‘1. —.
nulls.
a
-.._..~—~.._,tc..r.....
The woman, evidently young and pleas-
ins. seems to be a Vestal. She stands ma-
5eStically while the men approach in atti-
tudes that suggest humility. This is held
to be a certain indication that there were
Vestal Virgins before Sylvia, and if this
be trud as u. undoubtedly is, the footsteps
of these firsf‘VeStals-surely will be traced
and the records of an unknown civilization
opened up to us. I“
Only Women of Prominence
‘ And Trusted Implicitly
It will indeed be interesting to know the
origin of this-custom of nominating a
group of young women, dedicating them
to the State and giving into their charge-
the sacred fire. tThey were virtually the
only women who were given prominence;
,they were considered wise enough to give
advice to the Kings at a time wb'en women
were looked upon merely as playtbings.
They wer rusted implicitly and allowed
the freed f the cities and the country-
side at a time when other women Were
closely watched and never allowed out of
sight of their masters} most trusted slaves
or attendants. A. ey were the most beau-
" tiful women in the kingdom, always young
and charming of manner—and yet there
are but: few records of a Vestal Virgin "
attending as did Sylvia.
It always has been a-matter of consider -
«é
"“3. -
W‘Iflfih“
Ruins of the Temple of the Vestal as
they stand to-day revealing much of
the glory of the ancient civilization.
At left an old relic of the worship
of the Vestal found in the ruins of
the time of Romulus.
able dispute as to whether or not the
Vestal Virgins of Romulus—and before—-
did not preside at human sacrifices. It is
known that human beings were sacrificed
to the gods, until Hercules—or the tem-
poral King whose identity has been con-
fused with that of. the god—halted the
custom. In the rites exercised by the later
Great Wall acme lest claw:
tar in the'Great Wall of China was
made at Shan-hal-kwan by a chem-
ist attached to the Bureau of Science at
Manila. He reports that the bricks are so
weak that pieces may be broken off with the
fingers.
They are much larger than ordinary bulld—
lng bricks, gray in color. and resemble
pumice somewhat in struct‘bre. The mortar
which is pure white under the exposed sur-
face, is much stronger than the bricks. The
tradition that the bricks were dried in the
sun only has been confirmed by laboratory
tests. If they had been dried in a kiln the
appearance of the wall would have beérr
considerably different audits strength and
durability would have been much greater.
The general appearance and analysis of
the mortar indicate that no sand was mixed
w.th the lime. - L
- a N examination of the bricks and mor- .
HE sheep shearing contest. an annual
I event at the Agricultural College of
the Ohio State University, is thought ,
to be the only function of the kind held any-
where in this country.
Simultaneously with the ctarter's word
the‘competitors in the opening coptest close
their shears as one man and bend to the
work of removlne the fleeces in the shortest
The famous painting of
Leroux, “The Test of the
"Vestal Virgin."
It depicts a vestal before
the temple in ancient
Rome proving her honor
by holding water
in a sieve.
Vestals there was much to indicate that
originally it was these gentle young women
who wielded the knife with which the
humanflbeings set aside for sacrifice to an
angry god were l-utchered. It has been so
unbelievable. however, that authorities
have been hesitant at accepting this as
true.
Ceremony of the Caesars
Relic of Sacrificial Time
In the inter records it is shown that the
\‘estals of the (‘zesars in presiding over
feasts usually laid the blade of a sharp
stone or a knife on the forehead of a
priest about to be ordained to the service
of one of the gods. This is thought to be
a survival of a time when the \‘estals pre-
sided at a sacrifice of human life. This
is one of the interesting points it is
thought will now be cleared up, for the
new ruins go back to the time of Hercules
and the halting of human sacrifice by the
gods. and even beyond, and it is hoped
some sculpture or carving will be found
in which a sacrifice of that age will be
depicted. '
Janus, the god who. according to tradi-
tion, first came. to the western shores of
Italy and brought with him the first peo-
ples of that district, may now be found to
have been a very human being and, really.
the actual founder of Rome. If this proves
to be the result of the new discoveries
then there will be unfolded no doubt a
complete picture of the peoples who lived
long beyond the time marked by even the
oldest of the legends of the gods.
It was during the time of Romulus that
religion was supposed to have been “in-
vented." Ruins have been found, thought
to be the remnant of the first temple built
in Rome, where the people were taught to
worship after a definite plan.
Sylvia had been made a Vestal by her
uncle, and the sacred fire had been created
by him, the present legends run, but still
there is no record of a definite. organized
religion until Romulus built the temple
and dedicated it to Saturn. It was
Romulus too who established the "sacred
time possible. In the tense moments no
sound is heard but the rapid clip, clip of the
shears and an occasional restless moVement
in the large crowd of spectators in the am-
phitheater. ..
In a few minutes the first undressed sheep
is set free. The other clipped sheep are
turned out in rapid succession. After each
contestant has sheared two animals and tied
up his fleeces the judges make their de~
cislon. The various factors entering into the
determinatibn of the final score make the
speed of shearing- relatively unimportant.
Emphasis is laid on the correct and humane
methods or handlingand shearing sheep and
the proper tying of wool.
Individual timekeepers keep .accurate
count of each contestant. and the judges.
Well known flock masters and sheep men.
grade each man on the handling 0! the ani-
mal, his use of the shears and the character
and preparation of the fleece.
It is said .that American sheep men are
not only the most skillful of all handlers of
sheep but. that they are the most humane
as well. ' v;-
horse, weighing more than half a
, , ton, and adorned with widespreadinc
"antler-s. the bull moose stalks with ghostly
! LTHO‘UGH taller than an ordinary
er ~ .
wood" where Aphrodite reigned, a" 1 it wagi
he who captured the women of xix.- peoplea‘
who lived outside his city and brcughgl
them within the walls to be divided among,
his soldiers, so that his new Sluts mighgi
grow. :
Of these times we have only fragmentary
knowledge. It.is certain they will be morai
fully revealed by the new explorations.
80 m:- aa is known there is no recow
cred statue or carving which depicts that
Vestal Virgin in any detaiL There m":
several paintings on the walls at Pompelfi
and on other ruins which suggest her pres-3
ence or brr influence. but no ancient scalp}
tor from Romulus down seems to hard
dared to make of her a model. 1
The discovery of the carving in trig
ruins at Monte Mario, in which a womafli
. is shown receiving worshipers, will be of}
the greatest importance if, after farmer;
study. it is definitely decided :‘res‘
actually represents a Vestal of tb, ' ._-.-g be-
fore Romulus.
Other Interesting Discoveries
Made Since War Erin“!
pther excavations of tie lact \'-.:i in
Italy have produced many other lz‘ .~ :g
discoveries. Principal of these “t’r ten,
ducted under the site of the farm: Ger.
man Embassy in the heart of ..e ity.
This building directly after the way
torn down that certain indicaiicr > .y : “8111i
it thought to be the ruins of an i.:. (2!:
temple might be investigated.
The ensuing excavations early . u 213
the ruins of ancient walls, and i ’v n l 7g
it was seen that the (scanners 2 ,8 L'lI-l
covering a temple to Jupiter, bu .413
ately after Romulus. The foam}. 1m. said
are well preserved. They are l 2. " ‘1’ 1:521
blocks of a volcanic stone, mt: " , 7.; ..re
signs that they withstood the 'g— ve-
ments made on the upper rm: »f 1:5
temple by several succeeding: d; . '
A: Anzio, the ancient Amt-"x ‘1 ‘h a
famous temple sacred to Fort“. .-,« 'f
the favorite resorts of Ncre. ti ' 'e-
tcntly come to light. in the rcr- 6
Villa of that Emperor, the 3,
brought as rubbish from ti§l'«' - : a
calendar painted on the “bite ~' ' ' f
a wall in black and red. ‘\7« 1' ' ’ )
small pieces were carefully 1'1' ' r,
and the result has been that u t ‘ re
us the only Roman crib near 1»: - '9
its reform by Julius Pasar in 4:7
It has thirteen months instcat. o,
the extra month of twentyscven (. 'r-d
Mertkedonius) being intermlatr n
nate years to make up the lur. t
355 days to the length of the r r.
Only twenty~two or twentytbree '9
actually added. for fear or five . :a
taken off February.
The nundinal or ,n;..rket (in): ‘e
festivals of the various. deities : .-.
fully noted in this ca!” dar, “1;: . ..3
of the highest intciesl.
The famous subtennxxran lur t
outside the l‘crta Vaccine. u? .3
found under the rrilvxay line ,i‘.‘«' ‘e
the main staticn during the war. 'TO‘
vlded one of the greatest surpr; 7.11
not far off another interesting 7-
ground building has come to “21' :5
of a very different character. it ’-
tainly a tomb, and in all pr 'Y
Christian. It is decorated with . s
of interesting paintings, the lr.'~ '4-
tion of which is by no means cert.
It is not improbable, however. 7' “'6
have here representations of St. I" ’~ ? J
St. Paul belonging to the begin. ; it
the third century B. C—the .. ” t
painted portraits of them. that t
have come down to usAtogether \ .6
rest of the Twelve Apostles. one I.” ' ‘ “:n
has been made to give place to St 3 .- .1.
Above the full length fiputw "8
scenes of various import and of ~ ‘ .t
interpretation. In the upper part . '6
of them we see a number of d “a
animals—cattle, asses. herccs and “l.
with small houses on the right and 373.
and a woman by a foxlntlin rm..." "a
letter. On the lower b-sei three
figures approach a large loom; "GI
other side stands a woman, 1 hr:
toward a man seated on the £rouml. " 0
seems to be speaking to her. Tl» . :-
nificance of this s-‘rue Will H.“ l“ " “'
termlned.
is. .
I?
f 7, 4H
.
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silence through the thickest fl :r~‘c. ‘~
man can scarcely move without ht". ..
trayed by the loud crackling r 2‘ Cr} 1“ .
In summer the moose lrvic low i'.
swampy forests. intersprrsnl vx ti: 5 -V
lakes and sluggish streams. Ii: such 3 r!
it often wades up to its nctk in a i9 r ‘M
feed on succulent water Iliullls, and n
reaching to the bottom brrrn’es .:'w.y
SmePl’R‘c-d. These visits to the warm or!
some‘imes by day. but usually by hi.
especially during the season “in n ~hr \ ms
are young and the horns of the l ulls an .1:
partly grown.
Late in the autumn, with {ill I' “Tl
antlers, the bulls wander through the it 9
looking for their mates, at times utterly-1 r:
reaching cries and calls of dc fiance to"
rivals, and occasionally Clflrlilllg til‘t‘ll
against the saplings in the mobs ”1120.;
masterful vigor. « , .
.12.
Other bulls at times a 1!
the challenge, and hasten to meet the“. - .c
for a battle royal. At this Sta-sun the a”: K:
“the cow moose also brings the pin». .1-
bulls quickly to her side. Hunt-cm ti]? a
vantage of this, and by imua‘mg b 7‘ “’1
through a birchbark trumpet buns t e ....
aggressive bulls down
Norwalk Chronicler