The Secret Lapis Niger Sanctuary Under Ancient Rome | Italy News | NewsRme

Several Romans thought that the Lapis Niger, an old sanctuary and relic of the Comitium complex in Rome, was the revered holy burial of Romulus, the city’s fabled founder. As the name suggests, the Lapis Niger, or “Black Stone,“ is Latin for “Black Stone.“ Giacomo Boni initially discovered it during an excavation project that took place between the Curia Julia and the Arch of Septimius Severus. Boni’s excavations uncovered a 14-square-meter black pavement with votive deposits in gravel dating from the 6th to 2nd centuries BC, including dedicatory gifts, small idols, pieces of terracotta bas-reliefs, fragments of vases, and animal sacrifice bones, as well as a collection of worked stone. This earlier phase had been buried beneath the black pavement. The sanctuary consisted of an open-air horseshoe-shaped alter from 350-300 BC, a column possibly used to cult worship, and an engraved stela with boustrophedonic writing from 570–550 BC. There is some speculation that the writing alludes to an old ceremonial code, but the exact meaning of it remains a mystery to experts. What is certain is that the word “rex“ appears in the text, which might be a reference to the Roman monarchs or the “rex sacrorum“ of the Republican era. Stay Connected with us: ==================== Website: YouTube: Facebook: Twitter: Instagram :