Tattooed on Nicholas Leonardis’ right shoulder, the letters “SPQR” portray his love for Roman culture.

SPQR, an acronym from the Latin phrase “Senatus Populusque Romanus,” is an emblem of both ancient and modern day Rome and is inscribed in coins, documents and monuments throughout the city. Translated, the phrase means “The Senate and People of Rome” and dates back more than 2,000 years.

Leonardis, a fifth-year art history major, said every soldier enlisted in the Roman army had this acronym tattooed on his arm.

His passion for Roman culture began at a young age. His father, an archaeologist, does most of his work in southern Italy studying the Italic peoples, who occupied most of the Italian Peninsula before the Romans.

“When I was a kid, instead of reading Dr. Suess to me, he would read the ‘Iliad’ and the ‘Aeneid,’” Leonardis said. “I guess that had more of an impact on me than I could realize.”

He still loves to read classics, citing Virgil’s the “Aeneid” as his favorite. He also enjoys works of the philosophers Heraclitus, Pythagoras and Thales, though he said most of the philosophical works he reads are from modern times.

Leonardis’ grandparents were the first ones to come to the United States from Italy. He has been to Rome multiple times and still has family in a small town called Benevento.

“I love the altitude,” Leonardis said. “When you go up there, it’s hard to breathe and it’s all farms. There’s nothing too fancy or elaborate. It’s a little yellow house with a red tile roof, just a classic Italian house.”

His love for ancient Roman culture and for the country of Italy ultimately led Leonardis to get his tattoo.

Although he knew he wanted to get the tattoo at the age of 13, he waited to get it when he was 18 before the beginning of his freshman year of college.

“It’s a symbol of my heritage and of starting a new chapter in my life,” Leonardis said.

Published on January 27, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact Gigi: gantonel@syr.edu