Milliarium Aureum

Milliarium Aureum
The probable position of the Milliarium Aureum in the Forum Romanum
Milliarium Aureum
Shown within Rome
LocationRegio VIII Forum Romanum
Coordinates41°53′33″N 12°29′04″E / 41.89250°N 12.48444°E / 41.89250; 12.48444
TypeMilestone with gilded bronze finishing
History
BuilderEmperor Augustus
FoundedInauguration 20 BCE

The Milliarium Aureum (Classical Latin: [miːllɪˈaːrɪ.ũː ˈau̯rɛ.ũː]; Italian: Miliario Aureo), or the "Golden Milestone," was a monument, probably of marble or gilded bronze, erected by the Emperor Augustus near the Temple of Saturn in the central Forum of Ancient Rome. All roads were considered to begin at this monument and all distances in the Roman Empire were measured relative to it. On it perhaps were listed all the major cities in the empire and distances to them, though the monument's precise location and inscription has remained a matter of debate among historians.

According to the 19th century ecclesiastical historian Philip Schaff, the phrase "all roads lead to Rome" is a reference to the Milliarium Aureum—the specific point to which all roads were said to lead. A marble structure speculated to be the base of the milestone is present in the Roman Forum.