Tarpeenean

Tarpeenean is an adjective derived from Tarpeia, a figure in Roman legend, and is used to denote things associated with Tarpeia or with the Tarpeian Rock. In traditional accounts, Tarpeia was the daughter of Tarpeius and betrayed Rome’s citadel to the Sabines in exchange for gold. Various versions of the tale differ on her fate, but she is commonly said to have been killed by the Sabines, sometimes described as being crushed by their shields or armor after the ruse was uncovered.

The Tarpeian Rock itself is a cliff associated with the Capitol in Rome, traditionally cited as the place where traitors and criminals were executed by being thrown to their deaths. The rock’s association with treachery gave the name Tarpeian—in its Latin form Tarpeius or Tarpeianism—symbolic weight in later literature and rhetoric as a metaphor for betrayal and severe punishment.

In usage, Tarpeenean functions similarly to Tarpeian but is far less common in modern English. It appears in some classical or scholarly contexts as a variant form referring to Tarpeia or to the Tarpeian Rock and to the broader idea of treachery. The standard modern adjective for the same idea is Tarpeian, with Tarpeean and Tarpeenean remaining occasional relics of earlier usage.

See also: Tarpeia, Tarpeian Rock, Capitoline Hill, Roman legend, treachery in literature.