Milliarium Aureum
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The Milliarium Aureum (or Golden Milestone) was a gilded bronze monument erected by the Emperor Augustus Caesar near the temple of Saturn in the central Forum of Ancient Rome. All roads were considered to begin from this monument and all distances in the Roman Empire were measured relative to that point. On it were listed all the major cities in the empire and distances to them. According to Schaaf, (1886, v.1 p.1), the ancient phrase "all roads lead to Rome" is a reference to the Millarium Aurem, as the specific point to which all roads were said to lead. Today, only the base of the milestone still exists.
The Milliarium Aureum is believed to be a separate monument from the Umbilicus Urbis Romae (or Navel of the city of Rome), a nearby structure which served a similar purpose. The Umbilicus is said to predate the Milliarium Aureum but its surviving remains are several hundred years younger.
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Schaaf, P. (1867/1886). Ante-nicene fathers: The Apostolic fathers, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus [Roberts, A. & Donaldson, J, Eds]. [Electronic reprint] Grand Rapids, MI, USA: CCEL.
