Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 29.djvu/318

•20J EXPLORATIONS IN r.OME. citizen, with no mosaic paveuKiit, and no fresco paintings, becaubc Augustus wished tu live the hf'e of an ordinary citizen. But the Senate Yas not satisfied -svith such a residence fur their chief, and a few vears afterwards they added state apait- nients to it. as we are tohl by Dion Cassius (himself a Kuman senator, a century afterwards). Augustus, we are told, had cho.^sen this site because it was near the liousc of Ronmkis, and in tlie Ar.. The^^e remains areinthearx or citadel, and the site of the house of Ivomulus. is recorded to have been very near to this spot. The house usually called the lioiise of Augustus, mder the Villa Mills, is part of the great palace of Domitian, whose brick stamps were found in the wall by Nibby, and the jdan of the adjoining building in this part ol" the hill cleai-ly shows it to have I'cen so. >Signor Itosa has been misled by what are called the Koman tradition.s, which are u.sually the conjectures of learned men in past generations. This large reservoir would be more properly called a CasU'l- lum Aijucr than a Piscina. It was no doubt part of the additions made by order of the Senate to supply the house and the fountains with water. Some leaden i)ipes, with the name of Julia stamped u])on them, were found there last year. There can be little doubt that Julia lived in the same liousc as Augustus. Ill the southern jiortion, formerly the pontifical part of the hill, bon;e other considerable excavations have been made in the place which Visconti calls the Stadium, ;iud these seem to show that it could not have been the Stadium, but was more likely the Gynmasiinn. The E.edra or State seats have been excavated, and some paintings of the third century found on the walls. JS'car the lemains of the early lemple before-mentioned, and so near as to touch it on the northern side, arc remains of the platlcjrm and marble ste| s of another temple of the time of Augustus, and at the foot of these steps a line marble statue of a gcjdde.s.s, or an empie.ss, was iound. The liead is wanliiiir, but the iiLrure is a <:;rand one, of a si/e larger than nature. Various conjectures have been made lelaling to it, but they are only conjectures. Some excavations have been made in the plalform on which the church and nionai-itery of S. f'rancisca llomana now stands, but oiHside the nu)nastery, lowaids (he Colos- seum,-- five great fra;;iiHiit.s of a V.wi^r cnliniiii ol )H)rj>h3'ry have been fomid, )ir<iliably one of the d<>uble row of columns