{{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, the imperial capital at the height of its territorial expansion]] '''{{lang|la|Caput Mundi}}''' is a 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 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 and the Empire, and later as the centre of the 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 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== {{Multiple image | total_width = 500 | image1 = Rome airal picture.jpg | width1 = 1280 | height1 = 960 | image2 = Rome and Vatican 01.jpg | width2 = 4961 | height2 = 3508 | image3 = Illuminazione via del corso natale 2011, 03.JPG | width3 = 2816 | height3 = 2112 | footer = Via dei Fori Imperiali, Via della Conciliazione and Via del Corso }} ''Roma Caput Mundi'' is a Latin 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 understanding of the known world: Europe, North Africa, and 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 and North Africa. For the next five centuries, Rome governed much of the known world (of traditional Greco-Roman geography) and served as the world's largest city during that period. The cultural influence of the local language of Rome (Latin) as well as Roman art, 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 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 spoke of three ages of Rome: First Rome referring to the "Rome of the Emperors", Second Rome referring to the "Rome of the Popes", and the Third Rome referring to the "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
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:History of Rome Category:Latin political words and phrases Category:World government