DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.786#0255
238 POPULONIA. [chap. xlhi.
Like Volaterrse, Populonia sustained a siege from the
forces of Sylla, and was almost destroyed by the victor; for
Strabo, who visited it nearly a century afterwards, says
the place would have been an utter desert, were it not that
the temples and a few of the houses were still standing;9
even the port at the foot of the hill was better inhabited.
It seems never to have recovered from this blow, though
we find it subsequently mentioned among the coast-towns
of Etruria.1 At the beginning of the fifth century of our
era it was in utter ruin, and the description of Rutilius is
quite applicable to its present condition.2 Micali ascribes
its final destruction to the Saracens in A. d. 826 and 828 ;3
but Repetti makes it more than two centuries earlier,
referring it to the Lombards in the time of Gregory the
Great.4
Within the walls of Populonia are to be seen a line of
six parallel vaults, concamerationes, sometimes erroneously
called an amphitheatre; a curious piece of mosaic, with
a variety of fishes ;5 and some reservoirs of water—all
of Roman times. Nothing is Etruscan within the walls.
On the highest ground is a tower, where the French
established a telegraph. Strabo tells us that in his time
there was a look-out tower on this promontory, to watch
the arrival of the tunny-fish ;6 just as is the practice
9 Juno had a temple at Populonia. 4 Repetti, IV. p. 580.
Macrob. Sat. III. 11. And there was a 5 See Bull. Inst. 1843, p. ISO, for an
very ancient and curious statue of account of this mosaic from the pen of
Jupiter here, hewn from the trunk of Inghirami, who mentions the various
an enormous vine. Pliny (XIV. 2) fish under their scientific names,
speaks of it as extant in his day, though 6 Strabo, loc.cit.—dvvvotrxoTrttov. Hol-
of great antiquity—tot sevis incorrup- stenius (Annot. ad Cluv p. 29) interprets
turn. this word as piscatio thwnnorwm; and
1 Mela. II.4. Plin. III. 8. Ptolemy does not think there was any tower,
(p. 68, ed. Bert.) even calls it a city. But he stands alone in this opinion. It
2 Rutil. Itin. I. 401—412. See the was probably this same tower which
heading to this Chapter. was standing in the time of Rutilius,
3 Micali, Ant. Pop. Ital. I. p. 150. four centuries later, who speaks of a
Like Volaterrse, Populonia sustained a siege from the
forces of Sylla, and was almost destroyed by the victor; for
Strabo, who visited it nearly a century afterwards, says
the place would have been an utter desert, were it not that
the temples and a few of the houses were still standing;9
even the port at the foot of the hill was better inhabited.
It seems never to have recovered from this blow, though
we find it subsequently mentioned among the coast-towns
of Etruria.1 At the beginning of the fifth century of our
era it was in utter ruin, and the description of Rutilius is
quite applicable to its present condition.2 Micali ascribes
its final destruction to the Saracens in A. d. 826 and 828 ;3
but Repetti makes it more than two centuries earlier,
referring it to the Lombards in the time of Gregory the
Great.4
Within the walls of Populonia are to be seen a line of
six parallel vaults, concamerationes, sometimes erroneously
called an amphitheatre; a curious piece of mosaic, with
a variety of fishes ;5 and some reservoirs of water—all
of Roman times. Nothing is Etruscan within the walls.
On the highest ground is a tower, where the French
established a telegraph. Strabo tells us that in his time
there was a look-out tower on this promontory, to watch
the arrival of the tunny-fish ;6 just as is the practice
9 Juno had a temple at Populonia. 4 Repetti, IV. p. 580.
Macrob. Sat. III. 11. And there was a 5 See Bull. Inst. 1843, p. ISO, for an
very ancient and curious statue of account of this mosaic from the pen of
Jupiter here, hewn from the trunk of Inghirami, who mentions the various
an enormous vine. Pliny (XIV. 2) fish under their scientific names,
speaks of it as extant in his day, though 6 Strabo, loc.cit.—dvvvotrxoTrttov. Hol-
of great antiquity—tot sevis incorrup- stenius (Annot. ad Cluv p. 29) interprets
turn. this word as piscatio thwnnorwm; and
1 Mela. II.4. Plin. III. 8. Ptolemy does not think there was any tower,
(p. 68, ed. Bert.) even calls it a city. But he stands alone in this opinion. It
2 Rutil. Itin. I. 401—412. See the was probably this same tower which
heading to this Chapter. was standing in the time of Rutilius,
3 Micali, Ant. Pop. Ital. I. p. 150. four centuries later, who speaks of a