In movies, computer games and drawings on the theme of Ancient Rome, everyone at least once saw the mysterious inscription in Latin letters "S.P.Q.R." These four signs are firmly associated in the minds of people with the Roman Empire, although most do not have the slightest an idea of what this abbreviation means, and why, for the Romans themselves, these four Latin letters were hardly are not sacred.
Rome was originally a small city-state with an elective monarchy. Free townspeople chose the most respected, experienced and authoritative resident of Rome as their rulers, who was appointed to the post of king and received virtually absolute power in his hands for a time board. The implication was that the Roman king could be deposed by his constituents. This continued until the reign of Tarquinius the Proud, who at the decisive moment did not give up power and established his tyranny in the city - having achieved absolute authoritarian power. After that, a riot occurred among the townspeople, as a result of which Tarquinius was deposed and exiled (in ancient times, exile was worse than the death penalty, since a person was deprived of rights and property).
Important note: the rulers of ancient Rome are called kings in modern Russian historiography (for example, in English-speaking countries they are called the word "King"). It's just a term. The Romans themselves called them the Latin word "Rex", which literally translates as "Ruler".
As a result, the Roman citizens came to the conclusion that there should no longer be kings in Rome, since the sole ruler will always try to concentrate all available power in his hands. This is how "Res Publica" - "public cause" was born. The Romans stopped choosing a monarch for themselves, and began to choose the Senate, which was in charge of governing the city. Any person with the rights of a citizen could become a senator. Of course, the most respected, wealthy, influential people of the city have always gotten to senatorial posts. At the same time, there was a "social contract" in Rome and the authorities always had to reckon with the interests and opinions of less wealthy citizens. Roman citizenship was in fact a sacred human right, especially against the background of disenfranchised slaves and stateless people.
At the same time, the abbreviation "S.P.Q.R." appeared, which, in fact, became what today is commonly called an attribute of state symbols. The abbreviation is expanded into the following words.
S - Senatus. The Senate is the main body of government elected by the people.
P - Populus. The people are the people that the Senate chooses.
Q - Quiritius. Citizens - in fact, it was the citizens who elected the Roman Senate. They also constituted (in the view of the then Romans) the already mentioned "people". Slaves and stateless persons did not count. At the same time, in addition to the privileges of choosing rulers for themselves and being elected to various government positions, citizens also had responsibilities, such as paying taxes and serving in the army.
R - Romanus. The Romans are the next stage in the self-identification of the inhabitants of Ancient Rome, who have the right of citizenship.
Thus, "literary" in Russian, the abbreviation "S.P.Q.R." translates as "Senate and Citizens of Rome." Very often, public appeals to the people at the forum began with such words. Power in Rome was considered sacred, and therefore the right of free people to choose this power was also considered sacred. The Romans were very sensitive to their democracy, despite the fact that it was certainly not devoid of all kinds of intrigues inherent in any form of government and are a normal manifestation of political life.
Interestingly, the abbreviation did not disappear anywhere, even in the "imperial" period of Rome, which began in 27 BC, when power was finally in the hands of Octavian Augustus - Julius' adopted son Caesar. Despite the fact that Octavian actually became the new Roman king, both under him, and after him, "decency" was preserved in the form of an acting Senate. So, for example, Octavian Augusta himself bore the modest title of "First Citizen", emphasizing in every possible way that he, like his adoptive father, did not destroy, but preserved the republic.
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Interesting fact: although today Rome is divided into royal, republican and imperial, the Romans themselves (apparently), even in the days of emperors, considered their state to be a republic. Moreover, the empire existed in the best years of the republic. Since, the word "imperium" - called all the possessions of Rome outside of Italy.
In the following centuries, a fierce political struggle between the supporters of the imperial centralized power and the supporters of the republican form of government through the Senate will simmer in Rome. One way or another, but already in the time of Julius Caesar, the Roman Senate will be far from what it was at the dawn of the ancient state. At some point, the Senate began to represent the interests of the people less and less and more and more the interests of individual, richest citizens - the oligarchy.
It is curious that in his rise to power, Gaius Julius Caesar relied precisely on the people and actively fought against the very oligarchy, which ultimately decided to kill him, after the dictator's promotion of several unpopular laws among the rich aimed at supporting middle and poor citizens who suffered from the aftermath of two protracted civil wars in state.
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Interesting fact: the word "dictator" in the modern world has an exclusively negative connotation. However, in ancient Rome it sounded differently. A dictator, in fact, was a government official with extraordinary powers in some area. It sounds ridiculous, but there could even be a "dictator on the issues of the urban cesspool", if the latter had problems that require urgent solutions in the interests of Roman society.
Continuing the topic, read about why in ancient Rome in the week was 8 days and how then there were 7.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/020720/55143/