Possible Shrine Dedicated to Romulus Found in Roman Forum

ROME, ITALY—According to an ANSA report, Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum Archaeological Park, announced that a space that may have been dedicated to Romulus, the legendary founder of Rome, has been unearthed in the Roman Forum, under the entrance to the Curia, where Roman senators met to vote. The space consists of a hypogeum, or underground temple, a 4.5-foot-long sarcophagus dated to the sixth century B.C, and what may be an altar. The site is also situated near the Lapis Niger, a shrine thought to predate the Roman Forum. The ancient Roman historian Varro recorded that Romans believed an altar had been placed on the spot near the Lapis Niger where Romulus was buried, Russo explained. To read about the discovery of a statue head of the god Dionysus near the forum of Trajan, go to "A God Goes Shopping."