Terminalia - the immovable deity

Model of the Temple of Capitolinus in Rome

According to legend, the first shrine to Terminus, the Roman god of boundaries, was established by Romulus circa 723 BC at the founding of Rome. Two hundred years later, the shrine was found to be immovable when the first king of Rome wanted to move it to rebuild the Temple of Jupiter. Instead, the temple was built with an opening in the roof directly over the shrine, since Terminus had to be worshipped under the open sky. Each year on February 23, officials dressed in white robes, offered lamb and suckling pigs, as well as grain, honeycombs, honey-cakes, fruit, incense, and wine. The hope was that this would ensure the cooperation and benevolence of the god for the next year.

Unfortunately, the Temple of Jupiter burned down within a generation of its construction, and the legendary shrine has not been located. However, it’s possible that the shrine still exists somewhere in the remains of the temple foundations.

Terminus is often pictured as a bust on a boundary stone, here the concedo nvlli or concedo nulli means "I yield to no one".
By Hans Holbein the Younger - Christian Müller; Stephan Kemperdick; Maryan Ainsworth; et al, Hans Holbein the Younger: The Basel Years, 1515–1532,

Hard to find, but still standing

Unlike the worship of other Roman gods, shrines to Terminus were uniquely tied to immovable stones and integrated into the city's most sacred structures. That’s why it’s hard to find shrines to Terminus to this day. 

Terminus was honored at thousands of boundary stones (termi) placed at the edges of both private properties and municipal borders throughout the Roman empire. To ritually establish a terminus, the landowners or officials would dig a hole and place the bones, ashes and blood of the sacrificial victim at the point selected border point. A ceremony was held, then a heavy stone was driven into the hole over the sacrifice. This established a shrine to Terminus. The Romans believed this action secured the cooperation of the god and also ensure that everyone respected the border between the two estates. This respect was reinforced by punishment by death to anyone moving a shrine. 

Private rituals at boundary stones 

In rural areas and private estates, neighbors would meet at the shared boundary marker (the terminus) for a ceremony: 

• Purification and Adornment: Each landowner crowned their side of the stone with flower garlands.

• The Altar and Fire: A rustic altar was built near the stone. The wives of the household brought coals from their own hearths to kindle a new fire on the altar.

• Offerings: While dressed in white and maintaining a solemn silence, participants threw grain into the fire three times. Other offerings included honeycombs, cakes, fruit, and wine.

• Animal Sacrifice: A lamb or a suckling pig was typically sacrificed. The animal's blood was used to drench or "smear" the boundary stone to ensure its continued protection.

• The Feast: The ritual concluded with a communal banquet where neighbors shared the sacrificial meat and sang hymns of praise to Terminus. 

Today is a great day to celebrate Terminalia and the profession of surveying. Boundaries have always been essential to the growth of nations and economies, and you don’t have to be a Roman to celebrate. 

Here at Berntsen, we’ll be toasting our unique cold-forged monuments that surveyors precisely position to mark important boundaries throughout the world.