Umbilicus urbis
The Umbilicus urbis is located in the Roman Forum in Rome . The small temple was considered the center of the city and the center 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.
Allegedly the Umbilicus urbis / Mundus was built by Romulus with the help of Etruscans . Plutarch writes:
“After Romulus had buried Remus […], he founded the city, for which he had men come from Etruria who gave instructions and instructions for everything according to certain sacred rules and records, as in the case of mysteries. A round pit was dug in the present Comitium and the first fruits of everything that was customarily used as good and naturally as necessary were placed in it. At last each brought a handful of earth from the country where he came from and threw it on it, and then everything was mixed up. They name this pit with the same word as the universe: mundus. The city limits were then described around them as around the center of a circle. "
literature
- Filippo Coarelli : Rome. The archaeological guide . Verlag von Zabern, Darmstadt 2013, ISBN 978-3-8053-4598-9 .
Web links
Coordinates: 41 ° 53 '33.8 " N , 12 ° 29' 4.4" E