MARBLE SLAB AT HADRIAN'S VILLA COMMEMORATES SACRED LIGHTNING STRIKE

Archaeologists excavating at Hadrian's Villa near Rome have unearthed a rare marble slab bearing an inscription that provides a new understanding of the religious rituals that took place in the ancient retreat built in the Second Century A.D. by Roman Emperor Hadrian. It reads FVLGVR SVBMANIVM ... the "lightning bolt of Summanus," god of nocturnal lightning ... indicating that the UNESCO World Heritage site was the spot of an ancient lightning strike.

The discovery was made during excavations conducted by the Department of Humanities (DISTUM) of the University of Urbino Carlo Bo, under a concession from the Italian Ministry of Culture and directed by professor Fabio Giorgio Cavallero.  

"In Roman belief, a place struck by lightning was immediately considered religiosus, having been consecrated by the deity itself," says Alberto Samonà, the director of the Istituto Villa Adriana and the Villa d'Este, which collaborated on the excavation. "The traces left by the lightning were ritually collected and buried, accompanied by appropriate rites and sacrifices."

Antinous was nearly struck by lightning. It's true! Not just a legend, but historical fact. It happened atop MOUNT CASIUS in Syria at the September Equinox in the year 129 AD. Hadrian, Antinous and the imperial entourage climbed the mountain to offer sacrifices to Jupiter/Zeus. At the top, a bolt of lightning struck the altar, killing the priest and the sacrificial animal. Was it an omen? Antinous died a year later!