Lapis Niger

The Lapis Niger ( Latin for " black stone ") is a square area of black marble in the Roman Forum in Rome, under the one labeled above broken stele, a kind of pillar, was found. The written in ancient Latin inscription consists of the remains of a cult law (lex sacra ) and refers to either a king ( rex ) or a sacrificial king ( rex Sacrorum ), a competent in the early Roman Republic for religious ceremonies officials. Accordingly, the Lapis Niger could from the time of the Roman kings come to be therefore born about 600 BC or a little later his date.

History of the Lapis Niger

According to ancient sources, this is the place where Romulus, the first Roman king and founder of Rome, was assassinated by the senators because of his despotic power abuse, as he was according to another legend, narrated by Livy, caught by the gods to their to be added rows. From Dionysius of Halicarnassus comes the view that in the immediate vicinity of the Lapis Niger or below the grave of Faustulus, the foster father of Romulus and Remus, was located. Another legend, handed down by Horace, says that there was the grave of Romulus himself. According to Festus, the place was at least planned for the grave of Romulus. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, the 30 BC saw and described the stone, had difficulties to translate the label.

The Lapis Niger was discovered in 1899 bonuses between the Arch of Septimius Severus and the Curia Julia in excavations in the Roman Forum by archaeologist Giacomo. Under the surface of black plates ( 1st century BC) found an early Roman building complex: remains of an altar, probably dedicated to the god of fire Vulcan sanctuary and a quadrilateral inscribed stone, the Lapis Niger. Vulcanal and Lapis Niger are probably the only remains of the old Comitium, an early venue, which was a predecessor of the forum and myself came from an archaic place of worship from the 7th or 8th century BC. This cultic site was also in the earliest Rome already in the center of public life. Because of the great religious importance of this place it was left for later development in place and covered only with the described black patches. Among the plates were found next to votive offerings, small sculptures, ceramics, numerous bones of cattle, sheep and pigs also a stele. Usually only this stele (Latin Cippus ) is called the " Lapis Niger ". This stele, on the four side surfaces are the oldest surviving Latin inscriptions, can be dated to about the 6th century BC.

Description of the stone

The stele consists of dark tufa from the neighborhood of Veii and has a footprint of 47cm x 52cm with a height between 45 cm and 61 cm. The upper part of the stele is missing or has been destroyed and eventually repulsed. The script runs serpentine top to bottom, then back up again, etc., which, as " the ox goes plowing ", is called " boustrophedon ". The caption refers to the written record of a cult law. In it, the king ( recei ), ( s ) be a herald ( calator ), the People's Assembly ( comitia ), the divine law (fas ) and possibly called a draft animal ( iouxmenta ). The dating to the 6th century based on shards of Corinthian pottery that were found in the vicinity, but are largely backfill. For a later date, however, says that the tufa from Veii the Romans beginning of the 4th century was accessible only when Rome conquered Veii.

Labeling

The markings of the sites A to D and the area between A and D are ( in reading order ):

Supplement

Palmer (1969 ) supplemented as follows:

Translation

Palmer comes to supplement the missing parts ( here in brackets) to the following translation: "Whosoever [ wants to violate ] this [ grove ], let him be cursed. [ Let no one dump ] refuse [nor throw a body ... ]. Let it be lawful for the king [ to sacrifice a cow in atonement. ] [ Let him fine ] one [fine ] for each [ offense ]. Whom the king [ will fine, let them give cows. ] [ Let the king have a ---] herald. [ Let him yoke ] a team, two heads, sterile ... Along the route ... [ Him ] who [ will ] not [ sacrifice ] with a young animal ... in a lawful assembly .. in a grove. .. ".