More classical goodies have been discovered at Hadrian’s villa, sited a few miles north of Rome at Tivoli and the largest and most impressive villa ever built under the Roman eagles. Archaeologists revealed last week that a giant sphinx and a new staircase have been found. While much of the villas riches were stolen by 16c Popes and Cardinals, the villa continues to promise and then deliver–now specialists are hoping to see that the new monumental staircase will be lined with sphinxes, as was the practice in Egypt. Finds so far include a marvelously colored marble column, a recreation of the statue-lined pool of Canopus in Egypt, and a subterranean “Underworld” city, used by Hadrian as a summer court. In a villa about the size of Pompeii, more marvels undoubtedly wait to be discovered.
Dig superintendent says that visitors may be allowed in in “about a year.”
As a 16th century Pope, I take umbrage at your accusations of theft! It’s called “safekeeping”.
H.
I apologize, Your Holiness. I don’t suppose we could blame those wily Lutherans for all the “safekeeping,” could we?