Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 January 1878 — Another Pompeil. [ARTICLE]

Another Pompeil.

The new Pompeii, said to have been found near Manfredonia, Italy, on the Adriatic, in the Province of Apulia, at the foot of Mt. Garlgano, seems rather the rediscovery of a deserted city than the disentombment of a buried one. It is the site of the ancient Sipontum, mentioned by Livy and other writers, and the foundation of which by the Romans dates as far baok as 558 of the Roman era. Having been built on the edge of a marshy tract, it suffered much from malaria. For this reason Manfred, King of Naples, in the thirteenth century built another city—Manfredonia—in the vicinity, in a healthier situation, at the head of a fine bay. It was laid out in rectangular form, with spacious streets, and is one of the handsomest towns in Italy. A cathedral was left standing on the ancient site, and some remains of a temple, but all the inhabitants removed to Manfredonia. Whether anterior to the desertion of the place a part of the city had sunk in the marshes or subsequently it had been covered up by earthy deposits, it appears that large remains exist, and that they have been brought to light at twenty feet below the surface. Possibly an earthquake swallowed up the town. A temple of Diana has been excavated; a necropolis covering three and a half acres; a monument to Pompey for his victory over the pirates; houses; coins of Sipontum, etc. Although but little of the site has yet been excavated, it is evident that it will prove a valuable boon to classic antiquarians. Sipontum was one of the principal cities of Magna Groecia, and was famous for its commercial enterprise and wealth. Pompeii has come down to us In good preservation because it lay buried up for fiteen centuries. ‘As Sipontum survived to the Middle Ages, if there be any considerable relics of it yet remaining they must be connected with its earlier history. Further investigation, however, will remove all doubt on this subject. In the Tuscan maremme several of the old Etruscan cities have been found beneath the marshy soil, and others are known to be lying there to this day. In this age of archaeological discoveries and geographical exploration we are adding greatly to our knowledge of the antiquity of man, of ancient civilization and of the mysteries of nature. — Philadelphia Press.