FORVM`s Classical Numismatics Discussion Board
Numismatic and History Discussion Forums => History and Archeology => Topic started by: rick fox on April 20, 2004, 01:23:29 pm
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???
Does anyone know why the name Roma was so special?
Can anyone tell me the secret "name" of the Roman Republic?
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I believe the "secret" name was Amor, Roma backwards. Amor was also the Roman God of Love. The penalties for uttering the secret name were severe but I'm afraid I can't remember the origins. If I have time I will look into it and if no-one else has answered your question by that time hopefully I will be able to satisfy your curiosity. :-\
Alex.
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<<UPDATE>> All I've found out so far:
Stephen M. Wheeler, Classics Professor at Pen State U., is working on a book to be titled "In the Name of Rome" - described as "A book on etymological discourse involving the name of Rome, amor/Roma wordplay, secret name of Rome, identity of Rome."
and this:
[BROKEN LINK REMOVED BY ADMIN]
Alex.
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More probably then the name of Romulus comes from Roma. That Rome is named by Romulus is part of the myths explaining the founding of Rome and must be dated later!
Jochen
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Amor was also the Roman God of Love.
Isn't Venus the goddess of love? I don't know my Roman mythology very well, so correct me if I made a mistake.
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Amor was the Roman god of love. He was the son of Venus and was generally represented as a beautiful naked boy, winged, blind, and armed with a bow and a quiver full of arrows with which he transfixed the hearts of lovers, kindling desire in them. He was equivalent to, but not identical to the Greek Eros.
His other latin name was of course Cupid
Casper
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so what exactly was the function of Venus in Roman mythology???
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Next to being the goddess of love, Venus was very important to the Roman mind, because she, in the guise of her aspect of Venus Genetrix, was the divine ancestor of the Roman people. She was the mother of Aeneas, who escaped Troy with his son Julus (from whom the gens of the Julii - Julius Caesar - claimed direct descent).
Best regards,
Gert
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Hello,
I know, this topic is somewhat out of date, but I just read it and think I can shed some light on the origin of the name Rome:
"About 575/50 the etruscans occupied the rustic settlements at the lower course of the tiber, drained the forum valley by a discharge conduit (the cloaca maxima) and founded an urban community, that got the name Roma after the ruling gens of the Rumlna."
(W. Dalheim "Die griechisch-römische Antike - Rom", UTB 1997)
Another source (getting some more translating practice ;)):
"Not even the proud name of rome comes from (...) the hillsettlers. Today, it is known without doubt where the name of the eternal city and it's so called founder come from: "Romulus, the mythic first ruler" professor Lopez Pegna states "never existed. Contrary to the report of Livius, the city didn't take the name of the founder. The latin name "Roma" came at first from the etruscan name Rumlua and only then the adjective romulus was formed"
(W.Keller "Die Etrusker" Knaur 1970)