Lapis Niger
Location	Regione VIII Forum Romanum
Built in	5th century BC
Built by/for	Tullus Hostilius
Type of structure	Shrine
Related articles	Structures- Rostra, Curia Hostilia, Curia Julia, Lapis Niger Politicians- Cicero, Gaius Gracchus, Julius Caesar Assemblies- Roman Senate, comitia curiata
Lapis Niger

The Lapis Niger (trans. Black Stone) is the black marble covering and concrete enclosure, the modern presentation of an ancient Roman monument and shrine. Possibly built by Julius Caesar during his reorganization of the Forum and Comitium space, or Tullus Hostilius, during his construction of the Curia Hostilia. The shrine is constructed, partially around and on top of, a sacred spot with a more ancient altar with even older artifacts. The name may have originally referred to a black stone stele with the earliest known Latin inscription found next to the remains of a shrine from a later period. Located in the Comitium in front of the Curia Julia in Rome, Italy, this structure survived for centuries due to a combination of overbuilding during the era of the Roman Empire and the chaos of Rome's fall.

Mentioned in many ancient descriptions of the Roman Forum dating from the Roman Republic and the early days of the Roman Empire, the significance of the site has changed over a period of time, but is always discussed as a spot of great meaning to the Romans. The Lapis Niger was rediscovered in the very late 19th century by Italian archaeologist Giacomo Boni. It is the site of the oldest known Latin inscription.

[edit] History

The site dates back to either the Monarchy of Rome, as the inscription refers to a king (rex), or to the early Roman Republic, as the same inscription might refer to the rex sacrorum, an early Republic high religious official. At some point, the Romans forgot the original significance of the shrine. This led to several conflicting origin stories for the shrine. Romans believed the Lapis Niger marked either the grave of the first king of Rome Romulus, or the spot he was murdered by the senate he put into place; the grave of Hostus Hostilius, father of King Tullus Hostilius; or the location where Faustulus, foster father of Romulus, fell in battle.

Earliest writings referring to this spot regard it as a suggestum where the early Kings of Rome would speak to the crowds at the forum and to the senate. The two altars are common at shrines throughout the early Roman or late Etruscan period.

[edit] Description

The Lapis Niger went through several incarnations. The initial versions were destroyed by fire or the sacking of the city and buried under the slabs of black marble. It is believed this was done by Sulla; however, it has also been argued that Julius Caesar may have buried the site during his re-alignment of the Comitium.

Dedicatory statues found at the Lapis Niger site

The original version of the site consisted of a black marble square stele (the eponymous black stone) inscribed with old Latin inscriptions dedicating the shrine to a rex or king, and leveling grave curses at anyone who dares disturb the shrine. It is believed that an altar, of which only the base still survives, was added some time later. In front of the altar are two bases, which may also have been added separately from the main altar. The antiquarian Verrius Flaccus (whose work is preserved only in the epitome of Pompeius Festus), a contemporary of Augustus, described a statue of a resting lion placed on each base, "just as they may be seen today guarding graves". This is sometimes referred to as the vulcanal. Also added at another period was an honorary column, possibly with a statue topping it.

Oldest known Latin inscriptions, found in excavations of the Lapis Niger

The inscription on the stele has various interesting features. The lettering is the closest to Greek letters of any known Latin lettering, since it is closer to the original borrowing of the Greek alphabet by peoples of Italy from Greek colonies, such as Cumae. Also, the inscription is written boustrophedon, meaning it is written alternating between right to left and left to right. Many of the oldest Latin inscriptions are written in this style.

Archaeological excavations show that various dedicatory items from vase fragments, statues and pieces of animal sacrifices, are found around at the site in a layer of deliberately placed gravel. All these artifacts date from very ancient Rome, between the fifth and seventh century BC.

The second version, placed when the first version was demolished in the first century BC to make way for further development in the forum, is a far simpler shrine. A pavement of black marble was laid over the original site and was surrounded by a short white wall. The new shrine lay just beside the Rostra, the senatorial speaking platform.

[edit] In contemporary news

In November 2008 heavy rain damaged the concrete covering that has been protecting the Vulcanal and its monuments since the 1950s. This includes the stele accorded the name of "The Black Rock" or Lapis Niger. ( The marble and cement covering is a mix of the original black marble said to have been used to cover the site by Sulla and modern cement used to creat the covering and keeping the marble in place.) An awning now protects the ancient relics until the covering is repaired, allowing the public to view the original suggestum for the first time in 50 years.^[1]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Forum Romanum: Rostra, Curia, Decennalia Base and Lapis Niger
• LacusCurtius — Lapis Niger and Sepulchrum Romuli (Christian Hülsen, 1906)
• Digital Roman Forum: Lapis Niger, a 3D computer recreation of the second incarnation of the Lapis Niger
• Plan showing location in the Forum Romanum