Umbilicus urbis Romae

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Plate marking the Umbilicus Urbi

The Umbilicus Urbis of the City of Rome, the designated centre of the city from which and to which all distances in Rome and the Roman Empire were measured, is situated in the Roman Forum. It was built between the Basilica Aemilia, which pre-dates it, and the Basilica Julia, which does not, in the late Republican period. The Rostra, the platform from which orators addressed the Roman citizens, were built overlooking it.

Originally covered in marble, the umbilicus is now a forlorn-looking brick structure some two metres high and two metres in diameter.

The Umbilicus is believed to be a separate structure from the Milliarium Aureum, which served much the same purpose after it was built in the Forum around 20 B.C.