million stone; It is a monumental stone located at the entrance of the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul. This monument, which looks like an ordinary stone, has been considered as the center of the world in history. The stone is the starting point of all ancient Roman roads leading to the city of Constantinople in the Eastern Roman Empire. It is the zero point used in calculating the distance from other cities in the world to Istanbul. It was accepted that the zero meridian passed through Istanbul, where there were millions of stones until 1884.
The million stone was erected by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in the 4th century. This stone, which is in the form of a rectangular prism, has a height of 4-5 meters. When it was first built, it consists of a door facing four directions and a dome sitting on four columns rising above the intersecting roads at this point. The stone, which has reliefs and sculptures from the Byzantine period in its dome, has been damaged and destroyed over time. The small pedestal, which remained as a column, is among the most precious artifacts that have survived from Constantinople. Same time “All Roads Lead to Rome” is the source of the word. Although the Rome mentioned in the sentence is thought to be Rome in Italy, what is actually meant is the new Rome of Constantine the Great, that is, today’s Istanbul.
The Purpose of the Million Stone
Constantine I, who was the only Emperor known with the title of “great” in Roman history, took Istanbul and made it the capital. The borders of the empire expanded from Europe to Africa, so Rome ceased to be a safe capital. Istanbul, which was known as Byzantium at that time and was a town, is suitable in every respect to be the capital city due to its location. Constantine quickly started reconstruction works in 324 AD to develop the city. The main street of the city was located on today’s Divan road. The palace was built in what is now known as Sultanahmet Square. The Hippodrome with a capacity of 33 thousand people was built. In the middle of the hippodrome, in Egypt Karnak Templebrought from ‘Obelisk’‘, ‘Serpent Column’ brought from the Temple of Apollo in Greece was placed.
After the growth and expansion of the Roman Empire, Roman roads became very important. In order to make new conquests and suppress revolts, means are needed to enable armies to move at high speed. Due to the need for stronger and wider roads, infrastructure activities were started in 500 BC. Today, the average length of Roman roads stretching from Scotland to the Red Sea, from Morocco to the Tigris River is about 250,000 miles (400,000 km).
On the idea that famous Roman roads should have a central point, Roman Emperor Augustus erected the Golden Milestone monument in order to put his country in the center of the World. Later, after the capital became Istanbul, the Milion Stone was erected for the same purpose. The roads built all over the country led to the capital Rome and gathered in front of the monument in the middle of the city. This is where the saying “all roads lead to Rome” comes from.
The place where the stone is placed has been accepted as the zero point for all measurements in the world. The maps drawn afterwards started from this structure, and the distances were determined accordingly. Until 1884, it was accepted that the zero meridian passed through Istanbul. Countries have adjusted their clocks according to Istanbul. Later, at the International Meridian Congress held in Washington in 1884, the location of the prime meridian was moved from Istanbul to Greenwich.
