The porphyry rota was made of a round slab of porphyry, a noble material attributed to royalty, decorated at the edges with precious inserts and set in the floor of a reception hall. It was where a high-ranking individual would be placed.
In the Roman Empire it was destined for emperors, then borrowed in the Christian era in basilicas, as a chosen place that identified the position of the Pontiff when performing sacred functions.
