CITY OF THE DEAD.

Feilding Star, Volume 5, Issue 991, 5 January 1927, Page 6

CITY OF THE DEAD.

SPLENDOUR UNEARTHED TRAGEDY OF 2000 YEARS AGO. • - Rome, Nov. 22. A new buried city lias been discovered in Italy and great < surprises maty result fjrom the igxcavatiou works which are beiiig -carried on in th© Vallfiy of Trebba, at the mouth, of the River PotX /' : / Six hundred ancient Greek tombs have been unearthed in a vast cermttery, which beyond doubt belonged; to an ancient, Italo-Greek city called Spina on the Adriatic, coast. ■ ITS ORIGIN; • > ; Spina was built' at the moutli of a branch, of .tlie> river’ Po. • Its origin; dates front th© fourth or third cen-: tury B.C/ The . city, wliicli was of .', ;• Venetian origin, soon fell under astroiig Greek influence, and became one of tht'i most important ports, of the Adriatic -in the commerce with Greece,, , _ The flourishing city, however, was - doomed. Wars destroyed th© Greek commerce, the River Po changed its course and all the--ground 1 arouild Spina became' marshy and ravaged by malaria.♦ The city gradually deteriorated to a village, until finally it was engulfed by the marsh. 6000 VASES. Excavations so far have led to the discovery of 600 vases, earrings, gold and silver buckles, amber and glass necklaces, and bronze objects, some of ■ which are of highly artistic value. It lias been found that dead bodies were partly buried by placing them on tliCi bare ground, surrounding them with the usual funeral chattels, and then partly cremated. A Jarge stone, without any inscription whatever, marks each tomb. Although, excavations are taking place in very difficult conditions, it is hoped to b© able to reconstruct the whole of the buried town. Ihe Italian Cabinet have voted the sum of £600,000 for excavation work..