Ara Pacis excavations, a stone from the Claudian age comes to light

 A rare pomerial stone of travertine, still found fixed in the ground, testimony of the history and above all of the development of the city and its expansion. This is the archaeological treasure unearthed during the excavations for the redevelopment project of Piazza Augusto Imperatore (winner of the 2006 International Competition and presented by the group coordinated by the architect Francesco Cellini). Thanks to the inscription, the cippus can be traced back with absolute certainty to the emperor Claudius and, therefore, to the expansion of the pomerium he carried out in 49 AD, establishing the new "limit" - sacred, civil and military - of the city. Found on the occasion of an in-depth study for the implementation of the new sewer system of the square,the cippus (193cmx74.5cmx54cm) can now be admired in the Sala Paladino of the Ara Pacis Museum, where the cast of the statue of Emperor Claudius is located, thus ensuring its conservation and at the same time allowing the use by the public, in waiting for the final location in the museum spaces of the Mausoleum of Augustus. "Rome never ceases to amaze - declares the mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi - and always shows itself with new treasures. It is an exceptional find: over the course of time, only ten other memorials relating to the time of Claudius and the most recent, to date, was found in 1909, therefore over 100 years ago.With the reopening of the Mausoleum of Augustus in March 2021, and with the works of Piazza Augusto Imperatore, the whole area will come back to life.In this way, a central quadrant of our city will be completely renovated. "The archaeological stratification around the stone unearthed in the square shows its progressive obliteration due to the increase in the number of people in the area. The pomerium was the sacred limit which separated the city in the strict sense (urbs) from the external territory (ager): a space of land, along the walls, consecrated and delimited with stone stones, where it was forbidden to plow, live or erect buildings and which it was forbidden to cross in arms Because of its importance and its meanings, the pomerium was very rarely modified.Seneca, speaking of the enlargement carried out by Claudius, mentions Silla as the only precedent Tacitus also mentions Julius Caesar.Other sources mention extensions by Augustus, Nero and Traiano and Aureliano. The author of the changes poses himself as the "new founder" of the city. And it is precisely this that, with the trend marked by his cippi, Claudio does, after the conquest of Britain: he claims the expansion of the borders of the Roman people, in an articulated vision, which while marking the territory does not look only to it, but it allows us to understand political views, philosophy, strategy, even ambitions.that while marking the territory not only looks at it, but also allows us to understand political views, philosophy, strategy, even ambitions.that while marking the territory not only looks at it, but also allows us to understand political views, philosophy, strategy, even ambitions.     

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July 16, 2021 A rare pomerial stone of travertine, still found fixed in the ground, testimony of the history and above all of the development of the city and its expansion.

This is the archaeological treasure unearthed during the excavations for the redevelopment project of Piazza Augusto Imperatore (winner of the 2006 International Competition and presented by the group coordinated by the architect Francesco Cellini).

Thanks to the inscription, the cippus can be traced back with absolute certainty to the emperor Claudius and, therefore, to the expansion of the pomerium he carried out in 49 AD, establishing the new "limit" - sacred, civil and military - of the city.

Found on the occasion of an in-depth study for the implementation of the new sewer system of the square, the memorial stone (193cmx74.5cmx54cm) can now be admired in the Sala Paladino of the Ara Pacis Museum, where the cast of the statue of the emperor is found. Claudio, thus ensuring conservation and at the same time allowing the use by the public, pending the definitive placement in the museum spaces of the Mausoleum of Augustus. "Rome never ceases to amaze - declares the mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi - and always shows itself with new treasures. It is an exceptional find: over the course of time, only ten other memorials relating to the time of Claudius and the most recent, to date, was found in 1909, therefore over 100 years ago.With the reopening of the Mausoleum of Augustus in March 2021, and with the works of Piazza Augusto Imperatore, the whole area will come back to life. In this way, a central quadrant of our city will be completely renovated. "The archaeological stratification around the stone unearthed in the square shows its progressive obliteration due to the increase in the number of people in the area. The pomerium was the sacred limit that separated the city in the strict sense (urbs) from the external territory (ager): a space of land, along the walls, consecrated and delimited with stone blocks, where it was forbidden to plow, live or erect buildings and which it was forbidden to cross in arms Because of its importance and its meanings, the pomerius was changed very rarely.and with the works of Piazza Augusto Imperatore, the whole area will come back to life. In this way, a central quadrant of our city will be completely renovated. "The archaeological stratification around the stone unearthed in the square shows its progressive obliteration due to the increase in the number of people in the area. The pomerium was the sacred limit that separated the city in the strict sense (urbs) from the external territory (ager): a space of land, along the walls, consecrated and delimited with stone blocks, where it was forbidden to plow, live or erect buildings and which it was forbidden to cross in arms Because of its importance and its meanings, the pomerius was changed very rarely.and with the works of Piazza Augusto Imperatore, the whole area will come back to life. In this way, a central quadrant of our city will be completely renovated. "The archaeological stratification around the stone unearthed in the square shows its progressive obliteration due to the increase in the number of people in the area. The pomerium was the sacred limit that separated the city in the strict sense (urbs) from the external territory (ager): a space of land, along the walls, consecrated and delimited with stone blocks, where it was forbidden to plow, live or erect buildings and which it was forbidden to cross in arms Because of its importance and its meanings, the pomerius was changed very rarely.In this way, a central quadrant of our city will be completely renovated. "The archaeological stratification around the stone unearthed in the square shows its progressive obliteration due to the increase in the number of people in the area. The pomerium was the sacred limit that separated the city in the strict sense (urbs) from the external territory (ager): a space of land, along the walls, consecrated and delimited with stone blocks, where it was forbidden to plow, live or erect buildings and which it was forbidden to cross in arms Because of its importance and its meanings, the pomerius was changed very rarely.In this way, a central quadrant of our city will be completely renovated. "The archaeological stratification around the stone unearthed in the square shows its progressive obliteration due to the increase in the number of people in the area. The pomerium was the sacred limit that separated the city in the strict sense (urbs) from the external territory (ager): a space of land, along the walls, consecrated and delimited with stone blocks, where it was forbidden to plow, live or erect buildings and which it was forbidden to cross in arms Because of its importance and its meanings, the pomerius was changed very rarely.The archaeological stratification around the cippus that came to light in the square shows its progressive obliteration due to the increase in the number of people in the area. The pomerium was the sacred limit that separated the city in the strict sense (urbs) from the external territory (ager): a space of land, along the walls, consecrated and delimited with stone cippi, where it was forbidden to plow, live or erect buildings and that it was forbidden to cross in arms. Due to its importance and its meanings, the pomerius was changed very rarely.The archaeological stratification around the cippus that came to light in the square shows its progressive obliteration due to the increase in the number of people in the area. The pomerium was the sacred limit that separated the city in the strict sense (urbs) from the external territory (ager): a space of land, along the walls, consecrated and delimited with stone cippi, where it was forbidden to plow, live in or erect buildings and that it was forbidden to cross in arms. Due to its importance and its meanings, the pomerius was changed very rarely.where it was forbidden to plow, live in or erect buildings and that it was forbidden to cross in arms. Due to its importance and its meanings, the pomerius was changed very rarely.where it was forbidden to plow, live in or erect buildings and that it was forbidden to cross in arms. Due to its importance and its meanings, the pomerius was changed very rarely.

Seneca, speaking of the enlargement carried out by Claudio, mentions Silla as the only precedent. Tacitus also mentions Julius Caesar. Other sources mention extensions by Augustus, Nero and Traiano and Aureliano. The author of the changes poses himself as the "new founder" of the city. And it is precisely this that, with the trend marked by his cippi, Claudio does, after the conquest of Britain: he claims the expansion of the borders of the Roman people, in an articulated vision, which while marking the territory does not look only to it, but it allows us to understand political views, philosophy, strategy, even ambitions.

Ara Pacis excavations, a stone from the Claudian age comes to light

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