# Caput Mundi

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{{short description|Latin expression}}
{{redirect|The Capital of the World|the short story|The Capital of the World (short story)}}
{{italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
[[File:Roman Empire Trajan 117AD.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Map of [Rome](/source/Rome), the [imperial capital](/source/Roman_Empire) at the height of its territorial expansion]]
'''{{lang|la|Caput Mundi}}''' is a [Latin](/source/Latin) phrase which literally means "Head of the World" (whereas '''''Roma Caput Mundi''''' means "Rome capital of the world") and is one of the many nicknames given to the city of [Rome](/source/Rome) throughout its history.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-06 |title=Una storia di grandezza - i soprannomi di Roma |url=https://it.valledelleradici.org/post/soprannomi-di-roma |access-date=2023-05-20 |website=Valle delle Radici |language=it}}</ref> The phrase is related to the enduring power of the city first as the capital of the [Republic](/source/Roman_Republic) and the [Empire](/source/Roman_Empire), and later as the centre of the [Catholic Church](/source/Catholic_Church).<ref>{{Cite web |title=caput mundi in Vocabolario - Treccani |url=https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/caput-mundi |access-date=2023-05-09 |website=www.treccani.it |language=it-IT}}</ref>

Although it is not known for sure when it was first used, Rome was already named in this way by the poet [Ovid](/source/Ovid) in the 1st century BC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gentile |first=Antonio |date=2019-04-26 |title=Le strade portano tutte a Roma Capitale: "Caput Mundi". |url=https://www.ilpopolo.news/le-strade-portano-tutte-a-roma-capitale-caput-mundi/ |access-date=2023-05-20 |website=IL POPOLO |language=it-IT}}</ref> Along with "Eternal City" and the "City of Seven Hills", Caput Mundi remains as one of the most commonly used names to refer to the city of Rome.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spada |first=Oliviero |title=Soprannomi di alcune città italiane |url=https://www.milanofree.it/milano/tradizioni/soprannomi-di-alcune-citta-italiane.html |access-date=2023-05-20 |website=Milanofree.it |language=it-it}}</ref>

==Meaning==
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| footer            = [Via dei Fori Imperiali](/source/Via_dei_Fori_Imperiali), [Via della Conciliazione](/source/Via_della_Conciliazione) and [Via del Corso](/source/Via_del_Corso)
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''Roma Caput Mundi'' is a [Latin](/source/Latin_language) phrase taken to mean "Rome capital of the world" and "Roma capitale del mondo" in Italian (literally: "head of the world").<ref>{{cite web |url=http://latin-phrases.co.uk/dictionary/c/ |title=Dictionary of Latin Phrases and Proverbs: C |publisher=Latin-phrases.co.uk |access-date=3 January 2012 |archive-date=7 November 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051107022824/http://latin-phrases.co.uk/dictionary/c/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> It originates out of a [classical European](/source/classical_antiquity) understanding of the [known world](/source/Ecumene): [Europe](/source/Europe), [North Africa](/source/North_Africa), and [Southwest Asia](/source/Southwest_Asia). The influence of Rome in the ancient world began to grow around the 2nd century BC as the Republic expanded across [Southern Europe](/source/Southern_Europe) and North Africa. For the next five centuries, Rome governed much of the known world (of traditional [Greco-Roman geography](/source/Greco-Roman_world)) and served as the world's largest city during that period. The cultural influence of the local language of Rome ([Latin](/source/Latin_Language)) as well as [Roman art](/source/Roman_art), [architecture](/source/Roman_architecture), law, religion, and philosophy was significant. The Imperial city of Rome adopted as its nickname ''Caput Mundi'', attributing this to its perception of an enduring power of [Ancient Rome](/source/Ancient_Rome) and the Catholic Church.<ref>{{cite book |title=Understanding China Today: An Exploration of Politics, Economics, Society, and International Relations |first=Silvio |last=Beretta |year=2017 |isbn=9783319296258 |page=320 |publisher=Springer }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=	Christianity: Religions of the World |first=Ann Marie |last=B. Bahr |year=2009 |isbn=9781438106397 |page=139 |publisher=Infobase Publishing }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Rome in America: Transnational Catholic Ideology from the Risorgimento to Fascism |first=Peter |last=R. D'Agostino |year=2005 |isbn=9780807863411 |page= |publisher=Univ of North Carolina Press }}</ref>

The Italian patriot and democratic thinker [Giuseppe Mazzini](/source/Giuseppe_Mazzini) spoke of three ages of Rome: [First Rome](/source/First_Rome) referring to the "Rome of the Emperors", [Second Rome](/source/Papal_States) referring to the "Rome of the Popes", and the [Third Rome](/source/Third_Rome) referring to the "[Rome of the people](/source/Rome_of_the_people)".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://students.washington.edu/ageparke/rome.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204065057/http://students.washington.edu/ageparke/rome.htm|url-status=dead|title=Rome Seminar|archive-date=4 December 2008}}</ref>

==See also==
* [Legacy of the Roman Empire](/source/Legacy_of_the_Roman_Empire)

==References==
{{reflist}}

Category:History of Rome
Category:Latin political words and phrases
Category:World government

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Caput Mundi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caput_Mundi) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caput_Mundi?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.