ROME, ITALY—The Associated Press reports that a pomerium stone was discovered in Rome’s historic city center during excavations for a new sewage system. An engraving on the slab of marble dated it to A.D. 49 and the reign of the emperor Claudius (r. A.D. 41–54), when the area of the pomerium, a consecrated piece of land along the city’s walls, was expanded to accommodate the city’s new limits. Claudio Parisi Presicce of the Archaeological Museums of Rome said the stone had civic and symbolic meaning, since it was forbidden to farm, live, build, or carry weapons into the area of the pomerium. “The founding act of the city of Rome starts from the realization of this ‘pomerium,’” he explained. Only ten other pomerium stones have ever been recovered. To read about the massive engineering project begun under Claudius to build Portus, go to “Rome’s Imperial Port.”
