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Volume 100 No. 1
January 1996
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The Comitium in Rome from the Beginning
Albert J. Ammerman
One of the most important sites in early Rome was the Comitium, the place of assembly on the north side of the Forum. By combining evidence on the elevations of the natural land surface from previous excavations by Boni and Romanelli with the results of new fieldwork, the natural relief of the site can be reconstructed for the first time. This shows, among other things, a large outcrop of volcanic rock on the west side of the site--a position just below both the early altar and the Niger Lapis. Thus, the site from the beginning was a marked place on the landscape and, over the centuries, the veneration of this place displayed remarkable longevity. By reviewing the geology of the area around the site, the occurrence of the rock outcrop can be explained as the consequence of a landslide on the east slope of the Capitoline Hill. In addition to correcting basic misconceptions about the setting of the site in the literature, this study reveals a completely new phase in the site's early history-- one dating back to a time before the first pavement of the Comitium--when the land surface on the cast side was intentionally cut down.
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