Will Derant claimed that the SPQR first ment the "Standard of Manhood" thay were so proud of in the Republic of Rome. The word "Senatus" could of ment the Old Reliable and wise Fathers of the families of Roman people. 

I can understand that SPQR came to mean the Senate and People of Roman as all leaders will claim the virtues of the most honorable men. So eventualy SPQR could grow in to mean Authority as did the Fasces eventually did, but in the beginning could it not have meant the character, sacrifice and loyalty of there men from which all authority comes from.  For only the dedication of men to be faithfull can Athority can be formed. The Latin language is probably the most masculine language there is . It seams to be written for the purpose to communicate and train males to live by the expectations of “VIRTUS” or  Virtues as they saw them such as Piatus Gravitus Dicnatas etc. I would welcome more info. on this.   QuickServe100@Comcast.net

If Will Durant said/wrote that,  he was way off base.

Truth be told, we really do not absolutely know what the acronym SPQR stood for.  The most common interpretation is Senatus Populusque Romanus, but it could equally be Senatus Populusque Romae or a few other combinations which I cannot recall right now, but are rather tenuous.

In fact, the acronym SPQR, as far as I have been able to find it, does not seem to pre-date the reign of Augustus, either in inscriptions or in coinage.  My opinion, and that of others, is that it was a bit of Augustan propaganda and a smoke screen for the reality of the establishment of the Principate, much like Augustus' line about "restoring" the republic.

As an aside, I have an old fashioned baseball cap that I wear now and again with SPQR embroidered on the front.  For some reason, no one has thought to ask  what team that is.

All the pity...

Hello:

All words come from some ware and yet SPQR from what you say seems to come from thin air. Those who wish to get and deminstrate power usually claim athority by claiming president or historical heritage as reason to be dominant or privilaged over others. Meny a man has claimed special treatment because of his fathers performance status and thus respect rather his own performance. The Senate and Roman elete would claim all symbals of accomplishment as there heritage to gain more control. The word "Senatus" would have ment things of accomplishment, charictor or respect befor it would have been use as a symble of athority. It would have ment the honorable self sacraficing fathers of the poeple of Roma. Pride in the stoic father of the family and the "virtus" of manhood would have given rise to many words or symbles that would represent there definition of manhood.  If not "Senatus" then what would be used to communicate this pride?

Mr. John C. Cupido

All nice psycho-babble, but ultimately, your post bears little on the acronym

Senatus, of course has a long history in Roman history, harking back to the original kings, it would seem.  The word is etymologically related to the adjective senex, meaning aged and the verb senere, to grow old, leading to the so named body being comprised of elders (comparable to the Greek gerousia) as advisors to the rulers or elected officials.

In short, it is more in tune with experience and accomplishments of the members of the body, a select group and as contrast to the generalized word/group Populus.

Now, as to your curious interjection of virtus, a word not at all connected with the acronym, I am at a bit of a loss, unless it is some attempt to tie it up with Durant's manhood fixation.  Interestingly enough, the Latin noun, virtus, is feminine in gender.

The fact remains that the acronym SPQR is unattested numismatically and epigraphically before the principate of Augustus.  There was a discussion on this on the Classics-L list a year or so ago, in which it was shown that the full textual combination of senatus populusque does date to some usages by Cicero, but nothing that early for the acronym.