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Geography
Cartography

World Navels

Profile image of Rasmus Grønfeldt WintherRasmus Grønfeldt Winther

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Abstract
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The concept of the "world navel" is explored through historical, architectural, and cartographic perspectives, highlighting how various civilizations, including the Roman Empire, medieval Christian communities, and modern Spain, positioned themselves at the center of the world. By examining sources such as Vitruvius's writings, the Peutinger Map, and various maps illustrating Jerusalem and Madrid as world centers, the paper underscores the symbolic and cultural significance of geographic centrality from antiquity to modern times.

Key takeaways
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  1. The concept of 'omphalos syndrome' illustrates how empires view themselves as the universe's center.
  2. Rome's spatial organization and maps reinforced its perception as the oikumene's master.
  3. Jerusalem serves as the world navel for Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, emphasizing its religious significance.
  4. Madrid's 'Kilómetro 0' symbolizes Spain's imperial ambition and its centrality in the imagined universe.
  5. Non-Western examples also highlight the global prevalence of world navels across cultures and empires.
Figures (10)
Figure 1. Plaque attached to the structure of Rome’s navel, as it stand: today. First, Rome was held to be the center of the world, from which distance itself was measured in radial lines. Rome contains the Umbilicus Urbis Romae, or “navel of the city of Rome” (Figure 1), as well as, within a few meters, a Mil- liarium Aureum, or “golden milestone,” which was erected by Emperor Augustus ca. 20 BC (Murphy 2007, 44). While distances were supposed to be measured from the golden milestone, “in accordance with long-established tradition, actual distances were calculated... from the gates in the Re- publican wall” (Favro 1992, 77). Such measurement prac- tices reflected the Romans’ beliefs about their natural role as “masters of the oikumene” (Murphy 2007, 47). Oikumene is Greek for “inhabited world,” and is also the word the geog-
Figure 1. Plaque attached to the structure of Rome’s navel, as it stand: today. First, Rome was held to be the center of the world, from which distance itself was measured in radial lines. Rome contains the Umbilicus Urbis Romae, or “navel of the city of Rome” (Figure 1), as well as, within a few meters, a Mil- liarium Aureum, or “golden milestone,” which was erected by Emperor Augustus ca. 20 BC (Murphy 2007, 44). While distances were supposed to be measured from the golden milestone, “in accordance with long-established tradition, actual distances were calculated... from the gates in the Re- publican wall” (Favro 1992, 77). Such measurement prac- tices reflected the Romans’ beliefs about their natural role as “masters of the oikumene” (Murphy 2007, 47). Oikumene is Greek for “inhabited world,” and is also the word the geog-
Rome’s centrality is also represented by the Peutinger Map (Figure 3), an “itinerarium” or road map of the Roman Em- pire’s cursus publicus that is dated to the 12th or early 13th century CE and which “derives ultimately from a fourth-cen- tury archetype.” Unsurprisingly, Rome is located roughly at
Rome’s centrality is also represented by the Peutinger Map (Figure 3), an “itinerarium” or road map of the Roman Em- pire’s cursus publicus that is dated to the 12th or early 13th century CE and which “derives ultimately from a fourth-cen- tury archetype.” Unsurprisingly, Rome is located roughly at
Figure 3. Inset of the Peutinger Map.
Figure 3. Inset of the Peutinger Map.
Figure 4. The Ebstorf Map, a T and O mappamundi from the 13th century CE. Jerusalem is prominently displayed in the center. Second, Jerusalem is identified as the center of the world in many medieval “T and O” maps, which position or orient Asia on top of a T inside a circle, with Europe and Africa on either side below, cut by the Mediterranean (Alexander 1999). For instance, the Ebstorf Map positions Jesus’ head at its top and glorifies Jerusalem with an inset in its middle (Figure 4). An omphalos stone is found in Jerusalem’s Chris- the map’s center. This required twisting and transforming the Italian peninsula and—given the hint of China on the right-most edge of the map—the entire oikumene. While the literali disputed, ty of the empire as the center of the world was not the bodily metaphors used to signify that notion again varied. The Peutinger Map “personified [Rome] as an enthroned goddess holding a globe, a spear, and a shield” (Harley and Woodward 1987, plate 5; see “Figure Sources,” Fig. 3). Recalling also that the symbol of Rome is a she-wolf with suck ing twins, Romulus and Remus, might the world
Figure 4. The Ebstorf Map, a T and O mappamundi from the 13th century CE. Jerusalem is prominently displayed in the center. Second, Jerusalem is identified as the center of the world in many medieval “T and O” maps, which position or orient Asia on top of a T inside a circle, with Europe and Africa on either side below, cut by the Mediterranean (Alexander 1999). For instance, the Ebstorf Map positions Jesus’ head at its top and glorifies Jerusalem with an inset in its middle (Figure 4). An omphalos stone is found in Jerusalem’s Chris- the map’s center. This required twisting and transforming the Italian peninsula and—given the hint of China on the right-most edge of the map—the entire oikumene. While the literali disputed, ty of the empire as the center of the world was not the bodily metaphors used to signify that notion again varied. The Peutinger Map “personified [Rome] as an enthroned goddess holding a globe, a spear, and a shield” (Harley and Woodward 1987, plate 5; see “Figure Sources,” Fig. 3). Recalling also that the symbol of Rome is a she-wolf with suck ing twins, Romulus and Remus, might the world
Figure 5. The Foundation Stone, as seen from the dome of the Dome of the Rock. tian Quarter, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where many Christians believe Jesus is buried. In addition, Midrash Tanhuma identifies the Foundation Stone (Figure 5) at the very center of the nearby Dome of the Rock, widely believed to be the exact location of the ancient Temple of Solomon, as the navel of the world. As this latter shrine is also crucial to Islam (e.g., it is argued that Prophet Muhammad rose to the heavens from the Rock), Jerusalem is the world navel for three religions.
Figure 5. The Foundation Stone, as seen from the dome of the Dome of the Rock. tian Quarter, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where many Christians believe Jesus is buried. In addition, Midrash Tanhuma identifies the Foundation Stone (Figure 5) at the very center of the nearby Dome of the Rock, widely believed to be the exact location of the ancient Temple of Solomon, as the navel of the world. As this latter shrine is also crucial to Islam (e.g., it is argued that Prophet Muhammad rose to the heavens from the Rock), Jerusalem is the world navel for three religions.
Figure 6. Photograph of the Kilémetro 0 plaque in Madrid, today. 2007, 43-48, 56-57; on “centre points” of maps, see Peter: 1983, 24, 27, 63-64, 127-128). The original characterizatior of the omphalos syndrome is Edgerton’s:
Figure 6. Photograph of the Kilémetro 0 plaque in Madrid, today. 2007, 43-48, 56-57; on “centre points” of maps, see Peter: 1983, 24, 27, 63-64, 127-128). The original characterizatior of the omphalos syndrome is Edgerton’s:
Figure 8. The Zero Milestone in Washington D.C. Non-Western examples of world navels also abound. For instance, the Templo Mayor in Tendchtitlan—Mexico City today—was treated as the center of the world, namely, the Aztec empire. Indeed, one likely meaning of the word
Figure 8. The Zero Milestone in Washington D.C. Non-Western examples of world navels also abound. For instance, the Templo Mayor in Tendchtitlan—Mexico City today—was treated as the center of the world, namely, the Aztec empire. Indeed, one likely meaning of the word
Figure 7. A view of El Escorial from the Dutch cartographer Joan Blaeu’s Atlas Maior (1662).
Figure 7. A view of El Escorial from the Dutch cartographer Joan Blaeu’s Atlas Maior (1662).
Figure 9. Artistic rendering of the North Wall birth scene in the Las Pinturas pyramid, San Bartolo, Guatemala (detail of drawing by Heather Hurst).
Figure 9. Artistic rendering of the North Wall birth scene in the Las Pinturas pyramid, San Bartolo, Guatemala (detail of drawing by Heather Hurst).
Figure 10. Da Ming Hun Yi Tu.
Figure 10. Da Ming Hun Yi Tu.

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References (21)

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FAQs

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What are prominent examples of world navels in history?add

Rome, Jerusalem, and Madrid are key examples of world navels representing centrality. Each example embeds cultural beliefs and imperial aspirations, manifesting in their respective geographical representations.

How did the concept of the omphalos syndrome develop in different cultures?add

Omphalos syndrome, indicating a belief in being at the universe's center, emerges across cultures. Notably, the Aztecs viewed Templo Mayor as their world navel, highlighting global independence in this ideology.

What role did cartography play in reinforcing imperial identities?add

Cartography visually centers empires, as evident in maps like the Peutinger Map and T and O maps. These maps shape perceptions, reinforcing singular imperial identities and diminishing alternative perspectives.

How did physical monuments reinforce the idea of a world's center?add

Monuments like the Umbilicus Urbis Romae and Jerusalem's Foundation Stone symbolize cosmic centrality. These constructions serve not only as cultural icons but also as physical manifestations of each empire's power.

When did the Ming Dynasty map place China as the world's center?add

The Da Ming Hun Yi Tu map, from the late 14th century, depicts China centrally. This cartographic representation aligns with the construction of the Forbidden City, asserting imperial supremacy through geography.

About the author
Rasmus Grønfeldt Winther
University of California, Santa Cruz, Faculty Member

What is the historical and ethical context of evolutionary and psychological theories, and how are these theories used, perhaps sometimes illegitimately, to draw conclusions about race, sex/gender, and intelligence? How do complex models of cognition and climate change influence technology, and how is that technology used? When do we conflate and confuse our theoretical maps with the world? As a philosophy professor, I investigate the structure, dynamics, and functions of scientific theories and models. In a nutshell, I worry about how and when we use abstractions generatively, and how and when we perniciously reify them. I have lectured and published on a wide variety of topics in philosophy as well as on science more generally.

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