This plate, LXXXIV, of the inside of the walls, would have been given in the former series of Pompeiana, had it been ready in time.

It is taken between the gate of Herculaneum and the nearest tower in the wall, not far from the back of the house of the Vestals, which is seen on the left. It is to be observed that the trees are on the other side of the wall, and even beyond a ditch, if a ditch ever existed. A grand flight of steps gave an opportunity for a large body of soldiers to ascend together to the parapet, in case of sudden attack from without. The blocks in the wall are marked with a number of curious characters, or sigla, which, whether Oscan or not, are not understood. At the temple of Apollo Didymaeus, near Miletus, the blocks used in the construction of the edifice are, in many cases, marked in a similar manner. They could scarcely be numbers, by way of adjusting the juxtaposition of the stones, but might be a sort of anagram recording the name of the person who contributed the block to the general defence. They are of a very remote time, if we may judge from the appearance of the masonry.