The ruins of Pompeii : a series of eighteen photographic views : with an account of the destruction of the city, and a description of the most interesting remains . rates mto the city beyond the inner wall. This mode of constructionafforded an advantage to the garrison by enabling them to ply assailants withdarts, arrows, stones, and other missiles as they thronged up the narrowpassage. When viewed from within, the gate appears to have been partlybuilt of blocks of hewn stone and partly of brick, the latter portion beingdoubtless of a later date. On the keystone of the arch is sculptured a hea
The ruins of Pompeii : a series of eighteen photographic views : with an account of the destruction of the city, and a description of the most interesting remains . rates mto the city beyond the inner wall. This mode of constructionafforded an advantage to the garrison by enabling them to ply assailants withdarts, arrows, stones, and other missiles as they thronged up the narrowpassage. When viewed from within, the gate appears to have been partlybuilt of blocks of hewn stone and partly of brick, the latter portion beingdoubtless of a later date. On the keystone of the arch is sculptured a headin high relief, as was customary among the Etruscans—an object which like-wise serves to show the high antiquity of this gate. There is at the side of itan inscription in the Oscan tongue, the wrong interpretation of which causedthis gate to be called for a long time the Gate of Isis; but scholars havenow discovered that the inscription has no reference to that goddess, thewords only meaning that Vibius Popidius, the Medixtuticus, or chief magis-trate of Pompeii, had caused the gate to be erected, and had approved of itwhen completed. STREET OF THE TEE RUINS OF POMPEII. 27 The Gate of Stabise, or that near the theatres, first discovered m 1851,appears also to be very ancient. The walls near it are of a very antiquestyle of masonry, consisting of huge blocks of stone put together withoutmortar. The holes for bolts show that this gate was not closed like that ofHerculaneum, with a portcullis, but with strong double doors. An Oscaninscription was also found in this gateway mentioning the names of somestreets and other objects in Pompeii. Of all these gates only three are now used for the purpose of enteringthe city—namely, the Sea Gate, the Herculaneum Gate, and the Gate ofStabiaj. The last, however, bemg on the south side of the citj% and conse-quently out of the way of visitors from Naples, is seldom used. Whetherthe visitor should enter by the Sea Gate, or that of
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