Very often you can hear the phrase: "Rome conquered the world three times." If you know the very essence of this statement, it becomes clear that it is true. First of all, Rome conquered the world by legions, through constant conquests. The second element that obliges many countries to be grateful to the ancient empire is culture. Many states, after they were captured by Rome, quickly evolved and moved to a new level of development. Rome also gave humanity the right. From this we can conclude that this once great state left a significant mark in world history.
What is Rome?
In ancient times, the Roman Republic existed . It originated in the vast modern Italy, between three hills: the Palatine, the Capitol and the Quirinal, where today is the modern city of Rome. Initially, it was a city-state, like all the prominent countries of that time.
However, after several centuries, when Rome developed to the size of just a huge republic, its territory increased significantly. To control such a “political machine” a new form of power was needed. A simple reign no longer suited. Therefore, the Romans chose for themselves a democratic form of government, which for many centuries was fixed on the standard of the republic in the form of the acronym SPQR. What this expression means is known to many, but nevertheless it has been causing a lot of controversy for many years now.
What does SPQR mean?
When scientists were just beginning a serious study of Ancient Rome, this abbreviation was identified with the state itself. This conclusion was true and false at the same time, because a lot more meaning was put in the abbreviation SPQR.
Rome played the role of a kind of ancestor of all its citizens. Most often, the designation was depicted on the standards of legionnaires. They also housed Aquila, which means "eagle" in translation from Latin. Thus, the “eagle” was a symbol of the republic, and the SPQR carries much greater significance. The abbreviation arose from the statement: "The Senate and the citizens of Rome." This indicates a greater political rather than symbolic significance of SPQR. What each letter of this abbreviation means was clarified much later.
The meaning of the letters SPQR
The statement had an archaic meaning, since, according to scientists, it came from the time of the founding of Rome. There are many definitions of the acronym SPQR. Almost all of them mean the same thing: the greatness of Rome and its senate. This underlines the fact that citizens of the republic were proud of their political system and therefore made their unspoken symbol SPQR. Ancient Rome, as it developed, conquered many states and made them provinces, thereby emphasizing the greatness of its state and state system.
If you parse each letter of the abbreviation SPQR, you get the following decoding, namely:
- In almost all the letters of the ancient Romans, the letter S meant "Senate" or "Senatus" in Latin.
- P is the abbreviation of the word “Populusque”, “Populus”, which means “people”, “nationality”, “nation”.
- The letter Q is the most controversial. Many scientists argue about its significance to this day. Some believe that Q is an abbreviation of the word Qurites or in Russian “citizen”. Others characterize Q as an abbreviation of the word Quritium - “spear warrior”.
- The letter R has always been deciphered, as Romae, Romenus. Translated, this means "Rome."
Studying each letter of the SPQR, which means "the greatness and power of Rome," helps to understand the mentality of the ancient Romans and their faith in their state.
SPQR and modernity
Today, this symbolic abbreviation can be found almost everywhere. It was actively used during the Italian Renaissance. In modern Italy, the symbol is used as the coat of arms of the city of Rome. He is depicted on posters, hatches and houses.
The expression SPQR, which means “Senate and Citizens of Rome,” was used to portray some scenes of the Passion of Christ to emphasize the presence of the Roman Empire in these events.