Herculaneum, past, present & future . to the last a division of our subject whichis in many ways the most important of all—the country houseslying round the city. Campania was a favourite residence ofrich Roman nobles, and we have special evidence of Hercu-laneums popularity.^ That fact alone would fully justifythe assertion that the buried villas of this district are an 1 See especially Ruggiero, ^cavi, etc., pp. 583-678, the journals of theexcavations from 1869 to 1884. Ruggiero, Scavi, etc., p. 588 ; May 14, Nos. 3756, 3757, 3758, 3759. * Between November 1750 and February 1751
Herculaneum, past, present & future . to the last a division of our subject whichis in many ways the most important of all—the country houseslying round the city. Campania was a favourite residence ofrich Roman nobles, and we have special evidence of Hercu-laneums popularity.^ That fact alone would fully justifythe assertion that the buried villas of this district are an 1 See especially Ruggiero, ^cavi, etc., pp. 583-678, the journals of theexcavations from 1869 to 1884. Ruggiero, Scavi, etc., p. 588 ; May 14, Nos. 3756, 3757, 3758, 3759. * Between November 1750 and February 1751 ; Ruggiero, Scavi, etc., p. xxxvii. * In Cochin and Bellicard, Observations sur Us antiquites de la ville ^Herculanum(Bellicards account was written in 1750). Sec Ruggiero, Scavi di Ercolano, p. 256,and Tav. VIII. 2a. 6 Symbolae Litterariae, Decadis II. vol. ii. Letter 23, Rome, 175 I. Scavi, etc., p. xxxvii. ^ Ruggiero, Sciivi, etc., Tav. II. in corner ; Plate 11 in this Cf. X. I. 1473-75. 10 See Part I. Chapter < a: CHAP. I TOPOGRAPHY 79 exceptionally promising field for excavation. The wildesthopes were more than fulfilled by the one villa at all deeplyexplored — the famous Casa dei Papiri. Before givingthe marvellous details of this most fruitful of all Campanianexcavations, we must point out that, despite the almostcomplete concentration of systematic research upon the actualtown, at least three other villas appear to have been discoveredsince the middle of the eighteenth century. First, from the end of 1752 till the end of May 1754,^at a point in front of the Epitaffio di Portici, some 400metres below the Roval Stables of Portici, there were excavatedrooms with painted walls and others encrusted with alabastersand various marbles ; others had vaults still in position, oneof which had stucco panels,^ adorned with figures and otherdecorations in bas-relief. There were also found some blocksof a marble column, some clay and lead vessels, a clay lamp
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