Rome - Historical Flags (Italy) (2024)

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Roma

Rome Traditional Flag
Territory of the Papal States
Roman Republic (1798 - 1799)
Rome in the XIX Century
Roman Republic (1849)
Flag According to Book of all Kingdoms (late 14th Cent.)
Flag According to Steenbergen Book (1862)

See also:

Italy
Rome
Roman Empire - Historical Flags
Italy - Historical Flags - Index

Other Sites:

Roberto Breschi Site

Rome Traditional Flag

image by Jaume Ollé , 31 October 1998

This flag seems to be traditionally used in the region (middleage?). The flag of the anciant republic was red with SPQR in it.Later, in the Christian era the cross was added.
Jaume Ollé , 31 October 1998

SPQR is the acronym of 'Senatus PopulusQue Romae', i.e. 'theSenate and People of Roma'. This was a kind of 'motto' of theAncient Roman Republic, which was applied on state monuments inRoma. SPQR seems to have been used also in the Roman vexilla, atleast in the vexillum shown on the first page of Asterix albums(and in the first image of the first album of the series, Asterixle Gaulois).
Ivan Sache, 18 March 2001

I'd like to make a remark about the traditional flags of thecity of Rome: the colours shouldn't be brilliant red and yellow,but - in a more correct way - dark red (bordeaux like) and gold.The first one is the symbol of the emperor, and gold forsovereignty.
Giovanni Pellegrini, 10 April 2001

This is perhaps quibbling, but SPQR actually stands for"Senatus Populusque Romanus", "The Senate andPeople of Rome" (literally the Roman Senate andPeople). The expression is clearly written out in a numberof inscriptions, so there is no guesswork involved. Isuppose one could say that it was a kind of "motto",but I think that it is more accurate to say that this was theofficial monogram of the Roman Republic. From what I havebeen able to gather, official documents of the Senate were placedunder a seal that read "SPQR". The SPQRrepresented the Roman Republic in the same way that"US" or "USA" represents the United States,or the way that "UN" (or "NU", if you speakFrench) is used as an identifying mark on the helmets andvehicles of United Nations peacekeepers. Roman armiescarried standards with the SPQR monogram, and it was used inofficial inscriptions and official documents.
The modern city of Rome has revived it for use, *inter alia*, onmanhold covers and curbside trash cans, to indicate two placeswhere I saw it used. Interestingly when I was in Benevento,I saw "SPQB" on the manhold covers there -- which canonly stand for "Senatus Populusque Beneventanus", theSenate and People of Benevento. Since there never was anysuch thing, I could only guess that this was an attempt to pokefun at the modern Romans' revival of the SPQR monogram. Itis said that modern Italians like to say that SPQR actuallystands for "Sono pazzi questi romani", "ThoseRomans are crazy."
David J. White, 10 April 2002

I wouldn't be sure that the use of SPQB by Benevento is simplyintended as a parody of Rome. SPQ* has been widely used allover Europe and beyond, from Liverpool and London to Olomouc inthe Czech Republic and Vienna (Senatus Populusque Viennensis), toFlorianopolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil (SPQ Florianopolitanus) asan assertion of municipal pride and civic rights. Iremember very well seeing SPQF (SPQ Florentinus) in Florence, butthe fact that many municipalities using the initials were neverindependent city-states seems to be no obstacle.
Joe McMillan, 10 April 2002

SPQR has been used on several modern reconstructions of Romanflags and vexilloids, see for instance the eagle (aquila)standard on the page of the re-enactment group "LegioXXIV" (<www.legionxxiv.org>).However, as far as it is known, the SPQR, though used widely ininscriptions, was never used on any kind of flags in antiquity.The main reason would be: These flags were basically militarystandards for the respective military units, and not *national*flags. As the soldier all belonged to the Roman army, which wasin essence marked by the whole system of flags, they didn't needa reminder. These flags (vexilla as well as signa of differentunits) contained other inscriptions, though; in most cases thesewould be short forms of the name of the unit, for instance"LEG II AUG" for "Legio II Augusta", a legionstationed in Britain. A vexillum with this inscription can beseen on the "Bridgeness distance slab" from the time ofemperor Antoninus Pius (138-161 AD). See also Roman Empire - Historical Flags.
M. Schmoger, 14 April 2002

It is my understanding that the bases of the eagle standardsfor the legion itself (after the reforms of Marius which did awaywith other legion symbols) had the letters "SPQR" onthem, like the regimental number for Napoleon's regiments did. Ihad not heard of the letters being on vexilla of the legion -just the eagle standard itself.
Greg Biggs, 16 April 2002

Territory of the Papal States

image by Jaume Ollé , 31 October 1998

Is this flag supposed to represent the City of Rome sometimeduring the era of pontifical rule; the city and surroundingdistrict during that time; or the entire Papal States?
Ned Smith, 15 June 2006

See also: Vatican - HistoricalFlags

Roman Republic (1798 - 1799)

image by Ivan Sache, 18 March 2001

A vertical tricolour black-white-red.
Alessandro Martinelli , 29 Januaty 1996

Rome in the XIX Century

image by Jaume Ollé , 31 October 1998

Roma Ensign from XIX century plates.
Jaume Ollé, 31 October 1998

Roman Republic (1849)

image by Jaume Ollé , 31 October 1998

In 1849 a Roman Republic was proclaimed.
Jaume Ollé, 31 October 1998

image from Wikipedia

Photo of different flagat <www.tricolore.it>.
Dov Gutterman, 23 July 2002

Same different flag appears at Wikipedia.
Ron Lahav, 2 February 2008

Flag According to Book of all Kingdoms(late 14th Cent.)

image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 November 2007

The 29th flag mentioned and illustrated in the Book of AllKingdoms [e9s50] is attributed toRome. This as depicted in the 2005 spanish illustratedtranscription [e9s05], a red flagwith a thin yellow horizontal stripe and black letters reading"Spqb" (sic!) on it but slightly overflowing;flag shown in the ogival default shape of this source.
The anonymous author of [e9s50]describes the flag thusly: "Las señales de Roma son unpendón bermejo con una vanda de oro en que son letrasdesta manera (The sign of Rome is a red pendon with agolden bar on which are letters like this).
Neither this exact design (Gules are bar Or) nor the unexpectedspelling "Spqb" are known, though this flag shares manyfeatures with all above versions and variations - letters on redand gold.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 15 November 2007

National Geographic 1917 describes the lettering as standingfor Senatus Populusque Romanus which they translate as "theRoman Senate and People." The National Geographicillustration (p. 370, no. 1048) differs from this illustrationand the Hakluyt Society edition (plate 6, no. 24) in that itshows the lettering "Spqp" and not "Spqb".
Phil Nelson, 17 November 2007

"Spqp" would be accepatble if the last letter istaken as glyphic alternative for "r", which is not farfetched for the 14th century.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 November 2007

Flag According to Steenbergen Book (1862)

image by Jaume Ollé, 14 November 2003

Addition No. 128 - Rome.
Source: [stb62]
Jaume Ollé, 14 November 2003