SPQR


SPQR, an abbreviation for Senātus Populusque Rōmānus, is an emblematic abbreviated phrase referring to the government of the ancient Roman Republic. It appears on Roman currency, at the end of documents made public by an inscription in stone or metal, and in dedications of monuments and public works.
The full phrase appears in Roman political, legal, and historical literature, such as the speeches of Cicero and Ab Urbe Condita Libri of Livy.

Translation

SPQR: Senātus Populusque Rōmānus.
In Latin, ' is a nominative singular noun meaning "Senate". ' is compounded from the nominative noun ', "the People", and ', an enclitic particle meaning "and" which connects the two nominative nouns. The last word, is an adjective modifying the whole of que: the "Roman Senate and People", taken as a whole. Thus, the phrase is translated literally as "The Roman Senate and People", or more freely as "The Senate and People of Rome".

Historical context

The title's date of establishment is unknown, but it first appears in inscriptions of the Late Republic, from c. 80 BC onwards. Previously, the official name of the Roman state, as evidenced on coins, was simply ROMA. The abbreviation last appears on coins of Constantine the Great, the first Roman emperor to support Christianity.
The two legal entities mentioned, Senātus and the Populus Rōmānus, are sovereign when combined. However, where populus is sovereign alone, Senātus is not. Under the Roman Kingdom, neither entity was sovereign. The phrase, therefore, can be dated to no earlier than the foundation of the Republic.
This signature continued in use under the Roman Empire. The emperors were considered the de jure representatives of the people even though the senātūs consulta, or decrees of the Senate, were made at the de facto pleasure of the emperor.
Populus Rōmānus in Roman literature is a phrase meaning the government of the People. When the Romans named governments of other countries, they used populus in the singular or plural, such as populī Prīscōrum Latīnōrum, "the governments of the Old Latins". Rōmānus is the established adjective used to distinguish the Romans, as in cīvis Rōmānus, "Roman citizen".
The Roman people appear very often in law and history in such phrases as dignitās, maiestās, auctoritās, lībertās populī Rōmānī, the "dignity, majesty, authority, freedom of the Roman people". They were a populus līber, "a free people". There was an exercitus, imperium, iudicia, honorēs, consulēs, voluntās of this same populus: "the army, rule, judgments, offices, consuls and will of the Roman people". They appear in early Latin as Popolus and Poplus, so the habit of thinking of themselves as free and sovereign was quite ingrained.
The Romans believed that all authority came from the people. It could be said that similar language seen in more modern political and social revolutions directly comes from this usage. People in this sense meant the whole government. The latter, however, was essentially divided into the aristocratic Senate, whose will was executed by the consuls and praetors, and the comitia centuriāta, "committee of the centuries", whose will came to be safeguarded by the Tribunes.
One of the ways the emperor Commodus paid for his donatives and mass entertainments was to tax the senatorial order, and on many inscriptions, the traditional order is provocatively reversed.
Beginning in 1184, the Commune of Rome struck coins in the name of the SENATVS P Q R. From 1414 until 1517, the Roman Senate struck coins with a shield inscribed SPQR.
During the regime of Benito Mussolini, SPQR was emblazoned on a number of public buildings and manhole covers in an attempt to promote his dictatorship as a "New Roman Empire".

Modern use

Even in contemporary usage, SPQR is still used in the municipal coat of arm of Rome and as abbreviation for the comune of Rome in official documents.

Civic references

SPQ is sometimes used as an assertion of municipal pride and civic rights. The Italian town of Reggio Emilia, for instance, has SPQR in its coat of arms, standing for Senatus Populusque Regiensis. There have been confirmed usages and reports of the deployment of the "SPQ" template in;
CityCountrySPQLatinWhere has it been used
AlkmaarSPQAOn the facade of the Waag building.
AmsterdamSPQASenatus Populusque AmstelodamensisAt one of the major theatres and some of the bridges.
AntwerpSPQAOn Antwerp City Hall.
BaselSPQBSenatus Populusque BasileaOn the Webern-Brunnen in Steinenvorstadt.
BeneventoSPQBSenatus Populusque BeneventanusOn manhole covers.
BremenSPQBIn the Bremen City Hall.
BrugesSPQBOn its coat of arms.
BrusselsSPQBFound repeatedly on the Palais de Justice, and over the main stage of La Monnaie.
CapuaSPQC
CataniaSPQCCan be found on manhole covers.
ChicagoSPQCCan be found on the George N. Leighton Cook County Criminal Courthouse.
DublinSPQHSenatus Populusque HiberniaOn the City Hall, built in 1769.
FlorenceSPQFSenatus Populusque Florianopolitanus
FranekerSPQFAt the a gate on the Westerbolwerk and Academiestraat 16.
FreisingSPQFAbove the door of the town hall.
GhentSPQGOn the Opera, Theater and some other major buildings. Inscribed on a shield on coins struck in Ghent in 1583, during the Dutch Revolt.
The HagueSPQHAbove the stage in Koninklijke Schouwburg.
HamburgSPQHOn a door in the Hamburg Rathaus.
Hanover
HaarlemSPQHOn the face of the town hall at the "Grote Markt".
HasseltSPQH
KortrijkSPQCSenatus Populusque CortoriacumCity hall.
La PlataSPQROn a monument outside of the city's "casco urbano".
LeeuwardenSPQLSenatus Populusque LeovardiaOn the mayor's chain of office.
LiverpoolSPQLSenatus Populusque LiverpudliensisOn various gold doors in St George's Hall.
City of LondonSPQLSenatus Populusque LondiniiOn historic variants of the City's coat of arms
LübeckSPQLSenatus Populusque LubeccaOn the Holstentor.
Lucerne
MilanSPQMThe Holy Roman Emperor Charles V struck coins at Milan with the inscription S P Q Mediol Optimo Principi.
ModicaSPQMOn the coat of arms.
MolfettaSPQMOn the coat of arms.
NaplesSPQNSenatus Populusque NeāpolisInscribed on a shield on coins struck during Masaniello's 1647 revolt.
NotoSPQNSenatus Populusque NetumOn the coat of arms. and the façade of Noto Cathedral
NurembergSPQNSenatus Populusque Norimbergensis)On the Fleisch Bridge.
OudenburgSPQOSenatus Populusque OdenburgensisOn its water pump next to the market square.
OlomoucSPQOSenatus Populusque OlomuciumOn its coat of arms.
PalermoSPQP
Penne, AbruzzoSPQP
RietiSPQSSenatus Populusque SabinesOn the coat of arms. Present also in the modern composite Lazio coat-of-arms.
RotterdamSPQROn a wall painting in the.
Severn BeachSPQROn the crest of Pilning & Severn Beach Parish Council.
SienaSPQSOn the base of a status of the Capitoline Wolf.
SolothurnSPQSOn the Cathedral of St Ursus and Victor.
TerracinaSPQT
Tivoli, LazioSPQT
ValenciaSPQVIn several places and buildings, including the Silk Exchange and the University of Valencia Historic Building.
VerviersSPQVOn the Grand Theatre.
ViennaSPQVSenatus Populusque Viennensis

Use by white supremacists

Some members of white supremacist groups use the acronym SPQR on flags, on their person and other forms of identification. The movement's enthusiasm for other symbols of republican Rome, such as the axe and bundled rods known as fasces, is documented, as well as their interest in some aspects of republican and imperial Rome. That use was discussed on Stormfront's bulletin boards and was noticed at white supremacist demonstrations. White supremacists tend to associate "SPQR" with the militaristic ethos of the Roman legions. There is in fact no evidence that the initialism appeared regularly on Roman military insignia and equipment.

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