RomanItaly Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 I have a question, in Iran, for example, the King was bestowed the title "King of Kings, King of Iran and non-Iran," and what about a Roman emperor? Were they just considered "Emperor of Rome" and that's all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primus Pilus Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 Depended on the Emperor, really. Some titles were across the board, like Imperator and Augustus, which was a title, not just the name of the first emperor. The best examples are the legends on their coins, which in many cases list all the titles the emperor held: Divus for divine, Pontifex Maximus, etc. Others were ceremonial or hereditary names, such as Germanicus for Caligula. Felix for lucky was common and Antoninus was the first to carry Pius due to his devotion in getting Hadrian recognized as a god. Some carried the adopted name Caesar as well, and the word was used to define someone as heir to the throne, but its use in practice clearly defined imperial authority. The Emperor List will help a bit, but doesn't show all the imperial titles, just the emperors full names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hadrian Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 The imperial nomenclature developed round the names of the first holders of the position, but not every name included every element. Some elements (in a likely sequence) were: Imperator (originally a title awarded under the Roman Republic to a magistrate in the field); Caesar (of course originally a surname of Julius Caesar; then it became a hereditary title); next the personal names of the current emperor (for example Titus Flavius Vespasianus, Vespasian), followed by the title Augustus (both Caesar and Augustus helped the ruling emperor to legitimize his power by referring to his 'predecessors'). It was quite normal for an emperor to adopt some of the family names of his predecessor, e.g. Antoninus Pius' personal names after adoption became Hadrianus Antoninus (referring to his adoptive-father, Hadrian). After their death some emperors were deified, and were accorded the title divus. If the successor was the son of an emperor who had been deified, he could be termed divi filius (son of a god). But there are also various extra titles... A briljant example of Imperial nomenclature is an inscription at a statuebase from Ostia, in honour of the emperor Sepitmius Severus, AD 196 (now in the Corile della Pigna, Vatican Museums): Imperatori Caesari Marci Antonini Pii Germanici Samatici filio divi Commodi fratri divi Antonini Pii nepoti divi Hadriani pronepoti divi Traiani Parthici abnepoti divi Nervae adnepoti Lucio Septimio Severo Pio Pertinaci Augusto Arabico Adiabenico pontifici maximo tribunicia potestate IIII imperatori VIII consuli II patri patriae. Meaning: To the emperor Caesar, son of the deified Marcus Antoninus Pius, victor over the Germans and the Sarmatians, brother of the deified Commodus, grandson of the deified Antoninus Pius, great-grandson of the deified Hadrian, great-great-grandson of the deified Trajan, victor over the Parthians, great-great-great-grandson of the deified Nerva, Lucius Septimius Severus Pius Pertinax Augustus, victor over the Arabs and the Mesopotamians, chief priest, holder of the tribunician power four times, saluted Imperator eight times, consul twice, father of this country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerfectimusPrime Posted June 3, 2005 Report Share Posted June 3, 2005 Well, i've heard about titles such as... Princeps, Imperator, Augustus, Ceasar, and Basil during the byzantine empire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princeps Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 fwiw, I think "Princeps" translates to "First among equals". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PerfectimusPrime Posted June 11, 2005 Report Share Posted June 11, 2005 fwiw, I think "Princeps" translates to "First among equals". Or the first citizen. I think the word 'prince' comes from it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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