Roman history is documented in stone at archaeological sites like the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, where ruins and inscriptions provide historical context. The Pompeii archaeological site, preserved by volcanic ash, offers a complete, frozen-in-time picture of a Roman city with stone structures and inscriptions. Inscriptions on public monuments, tombstones, and architectural features throughout the Roman world also provide crucial historical evidence, such as the Lapis Niger (Black Stone) and the Acta Diurna (daily gazette boards).


Major Archaeological Sites

• Roman Forum & Palatine Hill:
  
  These sites contain the ruins of temples, stores, and funerary altars, along with inscriptions that reveal details about Roman life, governance, and religious practices.
  
  
• Pompeii:
  
  This city was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and provides an unparalleled snapshot of Roman daily life, including well-preserved buildings, public structures, and inscriptions on walls and monuments.
  
  

Specific Examples of Stone Documentation

• Lapis Niger:
  
  An ancient shrine in the Roman Forum, it features a black marble stele with some of the earliest known Old Latin inscriptions, dating back to the 7th or 8th century BC.
  
  
• Acta Diurna:
  
  These were daily public notices, similar to a newspaper, carved on stone or metal and posted in public places like the Roman Forum, functioning as an early form of public record.
  
  
• Pomerium Stone:
  
  A 49 AD travertine slab discovered in Rome marks the sacred boundaries of the ancient city and provides evidence of imperial expansion.
  
  
• Tombstones and Monuments:
  
  Inscriptions on tombstones, altars, and architectural elements all over the Roman Empire provide crucial details about individuals, families, and the bureaucracy of the Empire.
  
  

Where to Find These Records

• Museums:
  Institutions like the Museo Nazionale Romano, located within the Baths of Diocletian, house collections of Roman inscriptions, including those detailing freedmen and the armed forces.
  
  
• Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum:
  This is a massive published collection of Latin inscriptions, with tens of thousands of examples recovered from around the Roman world.
  
  
• Archaeological Sites:
  Many cities with a significant Roman past, such as the Roman forts in Britain or the Roman sites in the Middle East, contain surviving monuments and inscriptions carved in stone.