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The Marble Table in the Square in Toffia: the rock where deals were sealed in Sabina
In Piazza Lauretana, in Toffia, a small town in the province of Rieti, there is a large oval stone dating back to Roman times. It is called Marmo di Piazza, and for years it served as the table on which business deals were concluded.
A stone that acted as a notary
Its diameter varies from 110 to 135 cm, and has a thickness of about 20 cm. Put like that, it doesn't sound like much. But in the village, the locals preserved and passed it down as the symbol of a very concrete practice: deals were struck on this slab by testing the coins of exchange; the sounds they made confirmed the success or otherwise of the transaction.
What can be seen on the surface
Two graphic representations are carved into the upper face: a "nine men's morris" board and a chessboard with orthogonal and diagonal lines. The stone rests on a column-drum base with a stylised capital, in a Romanesque style. During recent restoration work, it was detached from the wall into which it had been partially embedded, and re-centred on its base. It is unclear whether the original orientation was preserved, which makes it hard to tell whether the carvings had a geographical or cosmological reference.
In the surrounding area
Other Roman artefacts have been found in the same area, suggesting the presence of an ancient tomb or temple beneath the foundations of the church of Santa Maria Nova.
