Milion
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The Milion was a marker from which all distances across the Roman Empire were measured. Erected by Septimius Severus in the 3rd century AD in the city of Byzantium, it became the zero-mile marker for
A fragment of the Milion has been re-erected as a pillar.
Distances of major modern cities from the Milion.
The label on the remains of the Milion
Reconstruction of Byzantion's Milion based on historic accounts and remaining fragments. The arched structure is approximately 14.6 m wide.
Umbilicus urbis Romae
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The Umbilicus Urbis Romae —"Navel of the City of Rome"—was the symbolic centre of the city, a reference point from which, and to which, all distances in Ancient Rome were measured. It was situated in
Milion
…their vicinity to a part of bent Byzantine canalization. This seems to indicate the angle of the disappeared Mese, as reported by the literary sources. Umbilicus urbis Romae Janin, Raymond (1950). Constantinople Byzantine (in French). Paris: Institut Français d'Etudes Byzantines…
Plate marking the Umbilicus Urbis
Entrance to the brick structure
Umbilicus urbis