Umbilicus urbis

The Umbilicus urbis is located in the Forum Romanum in Rome, Italy. The small temple was considered the centre of the city and the centre of the Roman Empire.

From here the miles of the Roman military roads were counted. At the same time, it was considered a mundus, a place where the upper world and the underworld meet. Here sacrifices were made to the gods of the underworld. The temple was built in Republican times; the remains that are still visible today, a small foundation, date from the Severan period.