TRIAL OF DEATH

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 150, 21 December 1929, Page 22

TRIAL OF DEATH

THE IMPERIAL CAESARS

(Copyright.)

In tho old palace now known as the Museo Mussolini, on the Capitoline Hill in Borne, there is a very interesting piece of marble. On one side of it is carved a shield, bearing the famous letters S P Q B (Senatus Populus Quo Eomanus), between two standing medieval soldiers. Above thoir heads runs the inscription "Bugitella de grano," which means "a measure .of grain." In the top of the marble is a large deep, ; circular hole of a size that makes it'certain, even apart from the inscription, that it was an authorised grain measuro of the fourteenth century. But the cavity had been enlarged. It had served quite another purpose for 1400 years previous. For on another side of this same marble block is a Latin inscription, which being translated, is: "The remains of Agrippina, daughter of Marucs Agrippa, granddaughter of the deified Augustus, wife of Germanicus Caesar, mother of Gaius Caesar Augustus Gormanieus, the Prince." "

Agrippina, "who had been banished to the, Island of Pandataria, starved to death. .She died there.in tho year 33-arid her body was cremated. TheEmperor Tiberius died four years later and Catigula, the son of Agrippina, came to the throne. As soon as the funeral of Tiberius was over Catigula went to Pandataria and with his own hands put the ashes of his. mother in an urn and transported it. in state to. Ostia, up the Tiber to Boine,', where he deposited it with ceremony, in the" Caesarian vault the", mausoleum of Augustus, still extant as. the', August'eo. .: ..... V..'; . The."ashes.wens in a metal "or semiprecious stone urn which was set in a cavity cut in a.-marble block,, on one side, of which an inscription to her was carved. In the fourteenth century this same block of marble was taken to the Campidoglio and the cavity enlarged to the proper size as an official measure. for grain..-; The fate., of the urn of ashes is not ..known. '. ."

.". The Boinan. Emperor, Augustus ' was very much disturbed over the1 imperial succession." He had. taken from her husband a woman named" Livia and married her. She already had one boy named Tiberius, and a few -months after Augustus married her she had a second boy, who was named Drusus Germanicus. But Augustus and Livia had no children. By . <:n earlier wife, however, Augustus-had had a daughter, Julia, who at the'age of fourteen he had married off. to his nephew, MarceUus. When. Mareellus died Augustus made Julia niarry his admiral, Agrippa, by whom she had three son's and two daughters. One. of the latter was Agrippina, whose ashes were deposited in the imperial vault.

Agrippiiia ■ married Gcrmanicus, the son of Drusus, who therefore was at once the. step^grandson of Augustus and the husband of. Augustus's daughter's daughter.,Agrippina'went' with- lie'ihusband on his. army.campaigns, and Virile in camp'bn the Bhine their little boy,.Gaius, ,who ran about.camp in his red-topped boots, became'a great favourite with tlio soldiers, who nicknamed him, Caligula, which means "little Boots." . ■

Agrippina's. husband later incurred the dislike/of his: iihele, the: Emperor Tiberius, .who sent '.him/out to Asiar whero. he "died: "-. The. TJomans believed that one; Kson, Bad been- sent out. by the EiuperorLto poison hiiu." Agrippina brought the ash.es of her husband back to.Rome, and "soon "after his . "burial insulted the Emperor at a. banquet. Ho did not dare punish Agrippina, however, until after" the death .of his mother, Liyia, who had: taken the lonely widow .under.her .wing."''-. Then ho soon brought about the. death of Agrippinaand all her family except the boy, Gaiiis, or .'Caligula,, to whom he had taken. i> special fancy and who, in the year 37, succeeded him: on the throne. 'Most visitors to the Museo Mussolini see the niarblo stone- which held for 1400 years the ashes of Agrippina, granddaughter of Augustus and grandmother of Nero; but few know of its gruesome .history.