Lapis Niger

The Lapis Niger, Latin for Black Stone, is an ancient shrine in the Roman Forum. Together with the associated Vulcanal, a sanctuary to Vulcan, it forms the only surviving remnant of the old Comitium, an early assembly area that preceded the Forum and is thought to derive from an archaic cult site of the 7th or 8th century BC. It lies in the Comitium in front of the Curia Julia.

The black marble paving (1st century BC) and modern concrete enclosure (early 20th century) overlie an ancient altar and a stone block with one of the earliest known Old Latin inscriptions (c. 570–550 BC). The monument may have been built by Julius Caesar during his reorganization of the Forum and Comitium, or a generation earlier by Sulla. It stands on a sacred spot of much older artifacts found about 5 ft (1.5 m) below present ground level.

The site is believed to date back to the Roman regal period. The inscription includes the word rex, probably referring to a king or to the rex sacrorum, a high religious official. Giacomo Boni rediscovered and excavated it from 1899 to 1905. The original version included a truncated cone of tuff, the lower portion of an inscribed square pillar (cippus) and a U-shaped altar. Earlier versions were destroyed by fire or the sacking of the city and buried under slabs of black marble.

Later Romans forgot the original significance of the shrine, which led to conflicting stories. Some believed it marked the grave of Romulus, the first king of Rome, or the spot where the Senate murdered him. Others held it to be the grave of Hostus Hostilius, grandfather of King Tullus Hostilius, or the place where Faustulus, foster father of Romulus, fell in battle. The earliest writings treat it as a suggestum from which the early kings spoke to the crowds and to the Senate. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Plutarch and Festus mention it ambiguously.

The name black stone may refer to the black stone block or to the later black marble paving. In November 2008 heavy rain damaged the concrete covering that had protected the Vulcanal since the 1950s. An awning was placed over the relics, which let the public view the original suggestum for the first time in 50 years.

The site is believed to date back to the Roman regal period. The inscription includes the word rex, probably referring to either a king (rex), or to the rex sacrorum, a high religious official. At some point, the Romans forgot the original significance of the shrine. This led to several conflicting stories of its origin. Romans believed the Lapis Niger marked either the grave of the first king of Rome, Romulus, or the spot where he was murdered by the Senate; the grave of Hostus Hostilius, grandfather of King Tullus Hostilius; or the location where Faustulus, foster father of Romulus, fell in battle.

The 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.

The Lapis Niger is mentioned in an uncertain and ambiguous way by several writers of the early Imperial period: Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Plutarch, and Festus. They do not seem to know which old stories about the shrine should be believed.

In November 2008 heavy rain damaged the concrete covering that had been protecting the Vulcanal and its monuments since the 1950s. This includes the inscribed stone block (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 create the covering and keep the marble in place). An awning was placed to protect the ancient relics until the covering was repaired, allowing the public to view the original suggestum for the first time in 50 years. The nature of the coverings and repairs made it impossible to see the remains which were several meters underground.