SPQR

Encyclopedia : S : SP : SPQ : SPQR

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See also the SPQR series of murder mystery novels and the SPQR board game.

S.P.Q.R. is an initialism in Latin that was emblazoned on the standards of the Roman legions and was used by the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. It currently appears in the modern coat of arms of the city of Rome, as well as on many of the city's civic buildings and manhole covers. The latter were originally placed by order of Benito Mussolini, who frequently used SPQR as propaganda for his regime.

Like any translation, initialisms are of debatable value and accuracy, as the meanings of words are subject to both change and complexity. Its meaning was probably of archaic origin even during ancient Roman times.

• S most assuredly stood for Senatus - "Senate".

• P is disputed, some see in it Populus or Populusque, "the people" and "and the people", respectively.

• Q is disputed, it stood either for que - "and", or Quirites or Quiritium, both of which mean "spearmen". Originally all Roman citizens had been soldiers (see below).

• R probably stood for Romae, Romanus or Romanorum, translated into "of Rome", "Roman" or "of the Romans", respectively.

All this leads to divergent phrases:

• Senatus Populus Quiritium Romanus

The Senate and the citizens' Roman people, Quiritium being the genitive plural of Quiris - "citizen". This initialism is given by Castiglioni and Mariotti, authors of a renowned Latin dictionary, among other scholars.

• Senatus Populusque Quiritium Romanorum

This version is remarkably similar to the version above and follows the same logic, being translated as the Senate and people of the Roman citizens.

• Senatus Populus Quirites Romanus

This is another version and also follows the same logic.

• Senatus Populusque Romanus

The Senate and the Roman people. This version started to be used since the earliest stages of the Roman Republic, and continued to be used later during the Roman Empire. As such, it appears in most of the famous monuments and documents. A fine example of this is the Arch of Titus built around 81 AD to honor Titus and his father the Emperor Vespasian. It is also used in Trajan's Column which was built in 113 AD to pay homage to Emperor Trajan.

• Senatus Populusque Romae.

This version translates into the currently famous The Senate and the people of Rome. Populus meaning "people", the suffix que meaning "and", and Romae meaning "of Rome". This version has the great merit that its English translation is simply the better sounding one, but its historical accuracy is highly dubious. The English translation is used in many movies and TV series about Ancient Rome.

One has to realize that a citizen of Rome was expected to fight for the Roman Republic. The people of Rome would include women, children, and perhaps even slaves. All these classes were a part of the Roman people but not citizens of the Roman Republic. A free Roman male who had all the rights and fulfilled his duties, who was able and willing to fight for the republic and the people was a citizen, a member of an elite, in effect a subgroup within the people. Therefore, a citizen would originally be called a Quiris - "spearman".

This can also be seen in the original denomination of the citizens right: Ius civile Quiritium. On a certain occasion Julius Caesar subdued a rebellious legion by apparently accepting all their demands and then famously addressing them with quirites - citizens (as opposed to soldiers - Suetonius: [Divus Julius 70]). The shocked legionaries cried out, reaffirming their loyalty towards their beloved general.

Perhaps a more accurate modern translation of the original meaning would be: The Senate and the Citizens of the People of Rome - Senatus Quiritesque Populi Romae, which regrettably would change the initialism into SQPR. However, since word order is secondary to conjugation in Latin, one could rearrange it to Senatus Populique Quirites Romae or Senatus Populi Quiritesque Romae for SPQR. It wouldn't be elegant Latin, but understood.

Humorous backronyms and other uses

A joke in the Vatican tells that Pope John XXIII asked a bishop about the meaning of SPQR, displayed on the personal coat of arms of the Pope, read backwards RQPS. He answered the question himself with: "Rideo Quia Papa Sum" - "I laugh, because I am the Pope".

A humorous backronym of the initialism is the Italian phrase "Sono pazzi questi Romani", which translates into "These Romans are crazy." This phrase is used in many translations by the comic books series of Asterix and Obelix.

Another Italian backronym is "Sono Porci Questi Romani" - "Those Romans Are Pigs."

Another Italian backronym is "Solo Pago Quando Ricevo" - "I only pay when I get paid."

Yet another Italian backronym is "Solo Preti Qui Regnano," meaning "Only priests rule here."

Another Italian backronym uses the initialism and also its reverse: SPQR - RQPS: "Sapete Più o meno Quanto Rubiamo? - Rubiamo Quanto Possiamo Senza Parole." - "Do you roughly know how much we steal? - We steal as much as we can, without telling anything."

Another humorous meaning is "Small Profits, Quick Returns."

In Europe and beyond, also, SPQ* is sometimes used as an assertion of municipal pride and civic rights. In Benevento, one can find SPQB, standing for "Senatus Populusque Beneventanus," on manhole covers. SPQA can be found at one of the major theatres of Amsterdam. There have also been reports of SPQ* from Liverpool, London, Lucerne, Olomouc, Brussels ("SPQB" found repeatedly on the famous Palais de Justice), Vienna ("Senatus Populusque Viennensis"), Florianópolis ("Senatus Populusque Florianopolitanus") and Florence ("Senatus Populusque Florentinus").

 

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