Welcome to Part 2 of my podcast which seeks to follow a thread of Rome’s history through individual buildings, works of art, and artefacts.

Last month in Episode 1 I spoke of the Temple of Hercules Victor in the Forum Boarium. I spoke of a temple built around the time of the birth of Julius Caesar but rooted in the profound Roman belief in some of the most ancient legends concerning the origins of the city. That eminently solid temple is built upon those quicksands of legend, and so it is with our subject today: the Lapis Niger, the “black stone”.

It marks a place of very ancient religious significance. That which lies beneath sees our story begin to emerge from the hazy realm of legend into the nuts and bolts of history in a sacred space which is home to (possibly) the oldest Latin inscription in existence.

Buon ascolto, let me know what you think!

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