The ''Umbilicus Urbis Romae'' ()—"Navel of the City of Rome"—was the symbolic centre of the city from which, and to which, all distances in

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom ...

were measured. It was situated in the

Roman Forum The Roman Forum, also known by its Latin name Forum Romanum ( it, Foro Romano), is a rectangular forum ( plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancie ...

where its remnants can still be seen. These remains are located beside the

Arch of Septimius Severus The Arch of Septimius Severus ( it, Arco di Settimio Severo) at the northwestern end of the Roman Forum is a white marble triumphal arch dedicated in 203 A.D. to commemorate the Parthian victories of Emperor Septimius Severus and his two sons, ...

and the

Vulcanal The Shrine of Vulcan ( it, Volcanale), or Vulcanal, or Volcanal, was an 8th-century BC sacred precinct on the future site of the Roman Forum in Rome, modern Italy. Dedicated to Vulcan (mythology), Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, it was tradition ...

, behind the

Rostra The rostra ( it, Rostri, links=no) was a large platform built in the city of Rome that stood during the republican and imperial periods. Speakers would stand on the rostra and face the north side of the comitium towards the senate house and de ...

. Originally covered in marble, the ''Umbilicus'' is now a forlorn-looking brick core some 2 metres high and 4.45 metres in diameter.

History

Roman legend related that

Romulus Romulus () was the legendary founder and first king of Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus and his contemporaries. Although many of these ...

, when he founded the city, had a circular pit dug in the Forum. The first fruits of the year were thrown into this pit as a sacrifice and all new citizens of Rome had to throw in a handful of dirt from their place of origin. The ''Mundus'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

, "world"), known only from literary sources, was an underground structure considered a gate to the underworld. It may be that the ''Umbilicus Urbis Romae'' was the external (above ground) part of the subterranean ''Mundus''. The ''Mundus'' was ritually opened only three times each year. These days were considered '' dies nefasti''—days on which official transactions were forbidden on religious grounds—because evil spirits of the underworld were thought to escape then. The original masonry ''Umbilicus'' was probably constructed in the 2nd century BC. The existing ruins, however, are from the time of the Emperor

Septimius Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (; 11 April 145 – 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary suc ...

. The construction of his

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, cr ...

in 203 AD encroached upon the ancient ''Umbilicus'', which was recreated to allow more space. Fragments of the older monument were used in the new one. The ''Umbilicus'' is believed to be a separate structure from the ''

Milliarium Aureum The ''Milliarium Aureum'' (; it, Miliario Aureo), also known by the translation Golden Milestone, was a monument, probably of marble or gilded bronze, erected by the Emperor Augustus near the Temple of Saturn in the central Forum of Ancient ...

'', which was built nearby by

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

(c. 20 BC) and served much the same purpose for distance reference. Image:Umbilicus urbis.JPG Image:UmbilicusUrbi.jpg, Entrance to the brick structure

References

* Buildings and structures completed in the 1st century BC Ancient Roman roads in Rome Geography of Rome Roman Forum Kilometre-zero markers Rome R. X Campitelli {{AncientRome-stub

History

See also

References