ROMAN LIBRARIES
ing villa libraries beginning with the so-called villa of Piso where the Herculanean Mss. were found. This also had the busts of writers, as commonly found in public libraries—also—mosaic floors, and bookcases of inlaid wood "the height of a man." In the center of the room which was perhaps 12 feet long, was another bookcase in which some of the books were in little boxes (capsa)—eighteen in one. This was of course a storage room only, the reading room adjoined. It is the best example of what the many storage rooms of the public libraries may have been like. The wall cases were divided into large pigeon holes. An excellent idea of this arrangement is given by a relief from Neumagen described by Birt (Buchrolle p. 247) after Brower's Antiquities of Treves. This shows pigeon holes, with their rolls and labels in "three layers one above the other". The capsa is perhaps referred to in the New Testament. The
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