The Latin term (also and ) originally identified the tent of a general within a Roman

castrum In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a po ...

(encampment), and derived from the title

praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vari ...

, which identified a

Roman magistrate The Roman magistrates were elected officials in Ancient Rome. During the period of the Roman Kingdom, the King of Rome was the principal executive magistrate.Abbott, 8 His power, in practice, was absolute. He was the chief priest, lawgiver, ...

.Smith, William. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, 2 ed., s.v. "Praetorium". London: John Murray, 1872. Originally, ("leader") was the title of the ranking civil servant in the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

, but later identified a rank of office below the rank of

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

. The war-council meetings held in the tent of a general gave administrative and juridical meanings to the term praetorium, a usage continued into the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

, where the term identified the residence of the governor of a city. The term also designated the headquarters of the Roman emperor, as well as the camp of the

Praetorian Guard The Praetorian Guard (Latin: ''cohortēs praetōriae'') was a unit of the Imperial Roman army that served as personal bodyguards and intelligence agents for the Roman emperors. During the Roman Republic, the Praetorian Guard were an escort fo ...

stationed in Rome.

Description

Due to the number of uses for the word ''praetorium'', it is difficult to describe; a ''praetorium'' could be a large building, a permanent tent, or in some cases even be mobile.

Exterior

Since the ''praetorium'' originated as the officer's quarters it could be a tent, but was often a large structure. The important design aspect of the ''praetorium'' is not symmetry, but rather proportion of one element to another. The ''praetorium'' was constructed around two open courts, which correspond to the atrium and peristyle of the Roman house. Most ''praetoriums'' had areas surrounding them delegated for exercise and drills conducted by the troops. The area ahead of the camp would be occupied by the tents housing the commander's soldiers. They were made with brick, covered in plaster, with many arches and columns. the sportulae

Interior

Within the ''praetorium'' Roman officers would be able to conduct official business within special designed and designated areas. A ''praetorium'' would normally display information regarding the ''sportulae'' (schedule of fees and taxes) of its region carved directly into the walls of its main public areas. This would often be located near the office of the financial procurator.

Biblical reference

In the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...

, praetorium refers to the palace of

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of ...

, the Roman prefect of

Judea Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous Latin, and the modern-day name of the mountainous so ...

, which is believed to have been in one of the residential palaces built by

Herod the Great Herod I (; ; grc-gre, ; c. 72 – 4 or 1 BCE), also known as Herod the Great, was a Roman Jewish client king of Judea, referred to as the Herodian kingdom. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his renova ...

for himself in Jerusalem, which at that time was also the residence of his son, king

Herod II Herod II (ca. 27 BC – 33/34 AD) was the son of Herod the Great and Mariamne II, the daughter of Simon Boethus the High Priest. For a brief period he was his father's heir apparent, but Herod I removed him from succession in his will. Some writ ...

. According to the New Testament, this is where

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

was tried and condemned to death. Praetorium is variously translated as "common hall", "governor's house", "judgment hall", "Pilate's house", or "palace" (see

Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...

18:28,

Mark 15 Mark 15 is the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. This chapter records the narrative of Jesus' passion, including his trial before Pontius Pilate and then his crucifixion, death and entombmen ...

:16). Additionally,

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

was held in Herod's Praetorium.Acts 23:35, New American Standard Bible.

Gallery

File:Modell Praetorium, Cologne.JPG , Model of the ''praetorium'' in Roman

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

File:Praetoriumreal.jpg , Outer view of the supposed praetorium at Musmiye, Syria, demolished in 1890

References

Notes

External links

Praetorium at Housesteads along Hadrian's Wall

{{Authority control Latin political words and phrases New Testament places New Testament Latin words and phrases Roman fortifications