Urbs (main town)

Urbs is a Latin name for a capital or an important castle.

Roman Empire

In the ancient times was urbs a name for Rome . From this the Pope's blessing Urbi et Orbi , the city (Rome) and the world has been preserved to this day.

More places

• Orvieto - Urbs Vetus , capital of the Etruscans
• Urbisaglia - Urbs Salvia

middle Ages

In the Middle Ages , urbs was a rare name for castles or cities of overriding importance (e.g. episcopal seats), occasionally also for smaller castles. For larger castles or cities, the term civitas was usually used.

Castles and cities west of the Elbe and Danube

• Aachen - Urbs Aquensis
• Deventer - urbs . 962
• Magdeburg
• Merseburg
• regensburg
• Strasbourg
• Wurzburg

Castles east of the Elbe and Danube

• Brandenburg - Tractatus de urbe Brandenburg
• Kolberg (Pomerania), urbs , 11th century
• Meissen

Modern times

In the 18th century, the term urbs was sometimes used in Latin texts for a city .

Idioms

• ab urbe condita , since the foundation of the city (Rome) , beginning of the Roman era

Derivatives

• Suburbium , outer bailey
• Urban , belonging to the city

literature

• Manfred Hellmann : civitas with the Slavs . In: Johannes Hoop, u. a. (Ed.): Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Volume 5. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, New York 1984. pp. 13f.

Web links

Wiktionary: urbs  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations