Three Strata
Read What the Ground Keeps
First the soil, with a brush. Then the face of the stone, with graphite. Then the letters themselves, under a raking light.
Stratum I · the soil
topsoil · −40 cm
root line · −70 cm
the slab · −95 cm
Sweep the brush across the packed soil.
“The inscription is fragmentary, but two words can be confidently identified: a verb form related to crossing, and the noun iter.”
— Historium Quarterly, as read aloud on the plane, chapter one“The shape of the stone is the shape of half the milestones north of Rome.”
A village on the old road, and beside it this fresh excavation. The professionals call it ceremonial. One passenger on the plane is not convinced.
Find it on the atlas →