An immense stone that was used to define the sacred city limits of ancient Rome was recently unearthed by construction workers. They were doing work in the historic center of the city when they found the stone that was placed as a marker of the pomerium almost 2,000 years ago.
The Stone Was One of Many That Marked the Pomerium In the Ancient City of Rome
Stones like the one that was recently unearthed were used to mark a sacred strip of land in the ancient city of Rome that was called the pomerium. Located both inside and outside the city walls, it was an area where buildings and farming were forbidden. Weapons were also forbidden within the pomerium. According to ancient Roman law, everything from the pomerium inwards was the city of Rome, while everything outward was merely territory.
The newly unearthed pomerium stone or cippus is over 6 feet tall and made of travertine — a form of fine limestone. It was discovered this June by workers who were installing new sewers in the plaza surrounding the Mausoleum of Augustus, which was made a museum this year.
The Creation of the Pomerium Ties to Legend Because It Is Part of the Story of the Founding of Rome
During the announcement of the new discovery, the director of the Archaeological Museums of Rome, Claudio Parisi Presicce, stated that the founding act of the city of Rome begins with the creation of the pomerium. Apparently, the pomerium was established by Romulus, who is also one of the legendary founders of Rome. According to the story, he outlined the city’s walls by creating a furrow with a plowshare drawn by a sacred ox. That furrow marked the ancient boundary of the city. The legend says that Romulus got very angry and killed his twin brother Remus after the latter mockingly jumped over the furrow.
Currently, the stone is on display in the Ara Pacis Museum. The museum was built around an ancient monument that the ancient Roman Senate commissioned to honor Emperor Augustus in 13 B.C.
Tampa Bay’s Wander Franco Has Passed Mickey Mantle’s On-base Streak
It seems that Wander Franco is having a rather impressive rookie campaign with the team of the Tampa Bay Rays. This June, the Rays announced that Franco is going to the majors and was formally selected for the 40-man roster. Franco then made his MLB debut on the very same day, recording his first home run career hit and RBI against the Red Sox.
Wander Franco Has Reached Base for His 37th Consecutive Game
Wander Franco is just 20-years-old but the infielder has already made his mark on the field when he recently reached base for the 37th consecutive game. He reached his 36th during a game against the Boston Red Sox. By doing so, he tied his score for the second-longest on-base streak by a player who is 20 years old or younger with that of baseball icon Mickey Mantle.
Franco managed to achieve the milestone during his first at-bat of the game, doing a triple-off of Chris Sale. He finished the day 4-for-6, having three hits. The Tampa Bay Rays ultimately defeated the Red Sox 11-10 in extras. During his next game, Franco managed to reach base for his 37th time.
Wander Franco Has Now Surpassed Mickey Mantle for Reaching Base in Consecutive Games
With Wander Franco’s on-base streak standing at 37 games with a triple, it has surpassed Mickey Mantle’s score for the most consecutive games reaching base safely for players 20 or younger. If Franco continues with his streak, he could match or surpass the all-time record set by Frank Thomas. The record is currently set at 43 consecutive games.
Many fans are not surprised by Wander Franco’s amazing performance because the Dominican has been crushing it since he was called up for the majors in June. Franco was ranked the number one prospect in all of baseball prior to the 2020 season, and after he got to the majors, he has shown nothing but pure talent. He has scored .400/.438/.667 over the last seven games and has six RBI, one home run, and seven runs scored on 12 hits.