An
omphalos (ὀμφαλός) is a religious stone
artifact, or
baetylus. In
Greek, the word
omphalos means "
navel". In Greek lore,
Zeus sent two eagles across the world to meet at its center, the "navel" of the world. Omphalos stones marking the centre were erected in several places about the
Mediterranean Sea; the most famous of those was at
Delphi. Omphalos is also the name of the stone given to
Cronus. In the ancient world of the Mediterranean, it was a powerful religious symbol.
Omphalos Syndrome refers to the misguided belief that a place of geopolitical power and currency is the most important place in the world.