Rough Draft

Plot: Mercury was a god from Greece who made Minerva mad. During the maiden's festival for Minerva he came down to see Minerva and he told her that he had come to see her sister. Mercury was also a messenger of Jove the god of of love. To this Minerva became very mad and started secreting green and she became hideous. To this she then looked at him and he turned into stone.

Hermeneutics: The parallelism in this poem are Minerva's eyes. In the beginning of the story she is using her eyes for the greater good to watch over the Virgins of Greece which is a nice thing. In the end of the story though she uses her eyes for the worst and she turns Mercury into a statue.

Semic: The connotation in this story is that sometimes what we do doesn't turn out the way we want it to. There are some things or people that get in our way and we are frozen and cannot do what we intended to do. This can even be a bad person being victorious as well, because love doesn't always win.

Symbolic: A symbol in the story is darkness because in the story it says that darkness lasts all of her days. In real life though it does not last all the day, it only lasts a part of the day. This is symbolizing that Minerva is evil and the darkness which refers to Lucifer's rule.

Reference: The Minerva's temple of Virgins in Greece

Diagetic: ?

Vatican City

The Vatican City is the only country in the world to have Latin as their official language. The Vatican is located on the opposite side of the Tiber, and in 14 BC Agrippina the Elder drained the hill for her gardens and then the Circus Gaeii was built there by Nero. The area then became the site of the Martyrdom of Christians after the Great Fire of Rome. The Circus of Nero was separated by the Via Cornelia. Saint Peters Basilica was built during the beginning of the 4th century.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_city

Tour of Rome

This website is the official website for Italy Guides. It has the ultimate guide for touring Rome to its fullest and most absolute potential. It includes audio podcasts, videos, pictures, and other methods of trying to give the client the best experience possible.

History of Halloween

Halloween is celebrated on the 31st of October, which falls before the Catholic holiday of All Saints Day. Its origins though come from the Celtic pagans, as the Church tried to adopt some of the pagan holidays and turn them into Christian ones to try and convert the pagans more easily. The Celts believed that on this day of Samhain, the border of the dead world and the living world became thin. As a result The family's spirits were honored to help fend away the harmful spirits. The fending off of spirits was done by the wearing of masks and costumes. This is how we got Halloween today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

'New Atlantis' Reveals Ancient Secrets

The world's oldest Greek town, the town of Povlepetri, was engulfed by the sea more than 3,000 years ago. Scientists have known for 40 year that the town laid there but divers have not had a chance before to get a chance to study the remains. Th artifacts found there have been found to be dated back to almost 5,000 years ago making the city 1,000 years older than initially expected. The city has been found to contain streets, the first Pillar tombs, crypts and other buildings all contained on 9,000 square-miles of sea bed.

http://www.myfoxillinois.com/dpp/news/dpgo_Underwater_City_Reveals_Ancient_Secrets_mb_200910241256407786860

Famous Ancient Roman Quotes

There is apparently a site that contains famous quotes from almost every famous Roman person that you could possibly think of. These people range from Scipio Africanus to Marcus Terentius Varro. One of my famous quotes is from Cicero and it says "A man with courage is also full of faith." This very much describes a Christian person in general, and how one should lead a Christian life.

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/nationality/roman_quotations.html

My Family's Coat of Arms

I thought it would be kind of interesting to look up my family's coat of arms for a blog post, and little did i know it would have some Latin in it. The name Boyd itself is Scottish and Gaelic. The Scottish version of Boyd comes from the Scottish Isle of Bute and the Gaelic version means Blonde Haired. I know for a fact that my ancestors came from Scotland, so that rules out the Gaelic one. Not to the Latin part; above each coat of arms is a Latin word. The particular one for my family was confido meaning "to rely upon." This would probably mean that, since Scotland was a clan based nation, that other clans that were allied with them could rely upon them in any time of need or war.

http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.c/Origin.SC/qx/Boyd-coat-arms.htm

A Funny "I Feel Lucky" Link

We were making fun of the French military prowess, or rather lack of, in history class one day when Mr. Del Puppo brought up the interesting fact that if you typed in French Military Victories on Google and clicked it would come up with a link that said Did You Mean: French Military Defeats? OF course it didn't work in school because no humor is allowed with the tyrannical SonicWall on the prowl, so I checked it out when I got home, and I have to say it was quite worth it. It covers French Military defeats from the Gallic Wars all the way up until the Present Day. The link is below.

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/france.html

The Truth About Caesarian Sections

Many people think that Julius Caesar received his name from being born by Caesarian section, but this is not the case. The first Roman Caesarian section was used to remove the dead child from the mother's womb, and since Caesar was very much alive and not dead, he was bor by natural childbirth and not a Caesarian section. Later in history this changed though. Raymond Nonnatus (from the Latin word non natus "not born")was born by Caesarian section but his mother died. Robert the II of Scotland was also born of Caesarian section. The first case in which the child and mother lived in the Caesarian section didn't happen until the 1500's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarian_section#Etymology

Temple of Vesta

The Temple of Vesta was built in the 7th Century B.C.E. by Numa Pompilius. This temple is the remnant of a late Etruscan Temple which is most noticeable by its circular shape. It was guarded by the Vestal Virgins and important documents such as Senators will were kept inside. The use of Corinthian Columns and marble also shows the effect of Greek architecture on the people of Rome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_vesta

Hagia Sophia

Meaning "Church of Wisdom", this church was built by Emperor Justinian of the Byzantine Empire. For one thousand years this giant Orthodox basilica reigned supreme as the worlds largest Cathedral in the world, until the Seville Cathedral was built in 1520. The church contained Holy Relics such as a 49 foot silver iconostasis. It was also the seat of the Eastern Patriarch and was the religious focal point for the Eastern Orthodox Religion. It was also the site of the place where the start of the Great Schism took place with the excommunication of Cerularius by Cardinal Humbert. In 1453 Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks and the basilica was converted into a mosque where the bells, whistles, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels were removed along with the mosaics being plastered over. Finally in 1935 the mosque was converted into a museum where the relics and building itself can be viewed by everyone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia

Italaian Government Investigates Claims of Mafia Radioactive Waste Dump

After coming under pressure from European officials the Italian government sent the Mare Oceana out to check on what is a supposed tanker called the Cunksky was sank off of a tip by a tip from 1992. Apparantly 130 barrels of radioactive waste was dumped into the Mediterranean. This could serve to be very hazardous for the ecosystem in that area and teams are being sent out now to investigate the wreckage that has been found at the bottom of the Mediterranean.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,656681,00.html

Ancient Roman Names

Choosing a Roman name was an important step and achievement in one's life. If the person choosing a Roman name was a person who was not a citizen but becoming one, this would be the final step into becoming a Roman citizen. Names were also important because they defined and described the person they were named for. Names were also made up of three parts the praenomen, nomen, and cognomen. The praenomen was the given name, the nomen was the gens or clan name, and the cognomen was the family name with a gens. For example Gaius Julius Caesar. Gaius is the given name, Julius is the clan name, and Caesar is the family name with a gens.

http://www.novaroma.org/wiki/Choosing_a_Roman_name

Romes Rich Past Stalls Metro Line Expansion

The construction of Metro C has been put under a grinding halt while excavation of Roman artifacts take place where the 15 mile long subway is to be built. Building this new subway would massively relieve congestion from the traffic above and is necessity and top priority among the Italian Government. The problem of finding Roman sites and artifacts has plagued the Roman construction projects since they first began. Unfortunately for the officials, they have to most likely find another place to build the metro because they have uncovered Hadrian's Ampitheatre.
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/archeology-stalls-rome-metro/story?id=8888103

Bubonic Plague In Rome

The Bubonic Plague was the most feared disease in the Medieval and Ancient world. The disease first emerged in Constantinople and later spread to the rest of Europe by the fleas that carried the blood of the infected person on rats. The plague later spread to China in 1328. The plague killed 1/3 of the people in all of Europe. The signs of the plague were giant black swellings under the legs and armpits and then in two days they would die. Treatments ranged from crude surgery to magic. It didn't work either way.It usually spread quickly in crowded villages.

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/science/medicine/plague.htm

Horace 1.9

It was by chance that I was walking down the Sacred Road, just as it is a hobby of mine,
And our of ignorance mused about my trifles entirely intent upon this:
A certain person by whose name I am aquatinted with,
ran up to me and seizing my hand, "How are your affairs, sweet friend?"
"Pleasant to this moment" I said, "I wish for what you long for."
The flatter started with me still, "What do you wish for?" I said at him.
But, "You have knowledge of me," he says, "We are teachers."
To this I said, "On account of this you have more of my presence."
Looking to get away separating from him I walked with a constant swiftness, sometimes stopping,
Talking in the ear of my boy, with sweat flowing past my ankles. "O! Thou, Bolanus, lucky were you in the head!" He kept affirming this and that, praising the walls and the city, and when I did not respond to him, "You desire to go," he inquired, "To go away: I saw it a while back: but you did nothing: I will hold fast to you all the way: I will follow you from this place, where are you now going."
"You need not drive further round: I am viewing someone you do not know:
He lies long off the Tiber near Caesar's gardens."
"I have nothing which needs paid attention to and I am not lazy: I will accompany you all the way."
I let down my ears, like that of an ass with an uneven mind, with a heavy load upon his back.
He began this: "If I know myself well, you will not compose a friend more than Vicus or Varius: For who can write or drive more verses than me? Who can stir a limb as delicate? Who is jealous and even Hermogenes of my singing. "
This was a spot to interrupt him, "You have a mother, who thinks about your well being?"
"I do not have anyone. All are buried."
"Happy them. Now I hold out. Confide in me. For the sorrowful stand is here, which Sabella a sang from a stirred urn that a boy: "This boy shall be harmed by not the drink nor any hostile enemy nor the double-edged sword nor the side of pain however he will be consumed by a talkative person: The talkative ones, if he is wise, he will escape them and will live a long time."
We came up to the temple of Vestae, a quarter of the day now passed, and he had to hastily respond to a cause which he had constructed and lost the altercation.
"If you love me," he inquired, "you will wait this small time."
"If I am lost or have the strength to stand or have knowledge of the laws of justice:
and you know I am in a haste."
"I am fluctuating what I should do," he inquired, "should I keep hold of my cause or let go of it."
"Me, I have sodality."
"I will not do it," he said, and began to commence: I, as it is hard to contend with ones conqueror, followed him.
"In what manner are you with Maecenas?" hence he strikes again. "He is of a few men well and healthy in the mind. " "No one has made use of the right luck. You should hold a great auditor, who would be able to hold second, if you consigned this man: I am undone, not exceeding at everything."
"We do not live like this way which you imagine; There is not a house like ours that is free from the magic of these alien evils: No one I have come in the way of to know is more wealthier than he. Each person has its own place."
"You have made known greatness, with difficulty of credibility."
"And yet he has this."
"You inflame my longing to be near this person"
"You only need to be determined: which is your manliness, it will be subdued: and he is able to be conquered with which first approach to him is difficult."
"I will not be missing myself: I will corrupt his servants with presents: and if I am excluded, I will by no means desist from trying: I will seek out and meet him in the streets. Nothing great in mortal life is subject without great toil."He continued on this, Fuscus Arristus met me, a dear friend of mine and one who has knowledge of him beautifully. We stand still.
"From where did you come and where are you going?" he asks and responds. " I commence to pluck and press my hand against his arm, nodding, twisting my eyes, so that he might take me away from him. He makes an upright laugh, that sends me a shooting disgust: My liver burned with bile.
"Certainly you wanted to affirm something with me in private."
"I recollect well, but have no memory of it now. Today is the thirtieth day of the Sabbath. Would you deride the Jews?"
"Not me," I inquired, "I have moral obligation."
"But me: I have a small weakening, one of many things. Please forgive me: we will speak another time."
The sun has darkened upon me today! He leaves me and puts me under the butcher's knife.
His adversary met him on the way and said, "Where are you going, you are repulsive?" he cried with a loud voice, "Are you granted before?"
I generally oppose my ear. He is seized into the courtroom. There is a great cry on both sides , a flock from all parts. Thus Apollo made haven in me.

Parsing:

1. Accurit- present indicative active third person singular of "accuro" meaning "to run"
2. Est- present indicative active 3rd person singular of "sum" meaning "to be"
3. Meditans- present participle neutral accusative singular of "meditor" meaning "to reflect"
4. Inquam- present indicitive active 1st person singular of "inqum" meaning "to say"
5. Occupo- present indicitive active 1st person singular of "occupo" meaning "to occupy"
6. Docti- perfect participle passive nominative plural of "doceo" meaning to cause "to know"
7. Sumus- present indicitive active singular 1st person of "sum" meaning "to be"
8. Eris- future indicitive active 1st person singular of "sum" meaning "to be"
9. Discedere- future indicitve passive 2nd person singular of "disceo" meaning "to go apart"
10. Consistere- future indicitive passive 2nd person singular of "consisto" meaning "to stand still"
11. Dicere- present subjunctive passive of "dico" meaning "to dedicate" 2nd sing
12. Sudor- present indicitive passive singular 1st person of "sudo" meaning "to perspire"
13. Garriret- imperfect subjunctive active third person singular of "garrio" meaning "to chatter"
14. Lauderet- imperfect subjunctive active 3rd person singular of "laudo" meaning "to praise"
15. Misere- perfect indicitive active 3rd person plural of "mitto" meaning "to cause to let go"
16. Agis- present indicitive active 2nd person singular of "ago" meaning "to drive"
17. Visere- future indicitive passive 2nd person singular of "viso" meaning "to look at"
18. Cubat- present subjunctive active 3rd person singular of "cubo" meaning "to lie down"
19. Demitto- present indicative active 1st person singular of "demitto" meaning "to send down"
20. Perfiit- perfect indicative active 3rd person singular of "subeo" meaning to "come under"
21. Incipit- present indicative active 3rd person singular of "incipio" meaning "to take hold"
22. Scribere- future indicative passive 2nd person singular of "scribo" meaning "to scratch"
23. Adoleverit- future perfect indicative active 3rd person singular of "adolesco" meaning "to burn"
24. Cecinet- perfect indicative active 3rd person singular of "cano" meaning "to utter a melodious tune"
25. Consumet- future indicative active 3rd person singular of "consumo" meaning "to devour"


Scavenger Hunt:

Plot: The beginning of the plot of Sermonum 1.9 or the exposition begins with Horace walking down the Sacra Via and then a man that he only knows by his name runs up to him and begins talking to him nonstop. The man continues to talk as they walk down the irritating man begins to talk about himself as a learned man just like Horace. Horace looks for a way out of this conflict with the man and tells him that he does not want to be a nuisance as he has to go visit a friend far away when they reach Caesar's Gardens and again at the law courts trying to get the man not to abandon his cause and end up abandoning him. This is where it reaches its climax, as Horace has grown tired of the man following him and has tried every possible way to get out of it even almost bold face telling him he does not wish to be with him, but the man claims he is not lazy, has no family to tend to, and has nothing else to do. Horace then runs into a friend who knows the man and the man pretends to not understand the meaning of Horace's nudges to help him escape. The man then leaves Horace with the irritable man and goes away. Fortunately though the annoying man's lawyer finds and confronts him saying that he needs to come back to court so they can finish the unresolved case. Horace is then finally away from the man.

Hermeneutics: The difference between the road at the beginning of the literary work and the end are drastic in this part of parallelism. The road at the beginning seems to be an escape from his life inside the city where he is ever busy with the parties and celebrity life of being a famous poet in Ancient Rome. Unfortuanately what he tries to get away from catches up with him, as the annoying man catches him and talks to him for over a quarter of the day irritably. The road here becomes a means of escape from the person instead of from the society.

Semic: Annoyance/Conversation (Connotation)
The connotation that Horace is making with his satiric material is that he is making fun at the awkward points in our lives when we are stuck with a person we do not wish to be paired up with or don't want to see because for some reason or another they irk us. Horace, by using the man on the road that he cannot get rid of, is being very truthful but also being funny by showing the side of human nature that gets on everyone's nerves and that some people even hate to acknowledge because they are the annoying ones. Horace is trying to turn an angry and annoying situation into a funny and slap-stick humor type of work which sheds a better light on the awkward side of human nature.

Symbolic:
a. The first symbol is the word servant which is mentioned various times throughout the work such as when Horace turns to talk to his slave to try and get away from the annoying man and another time when the man says he would spoil Maecenas' slaves with presents. Servants were a symbol in this work because they were a big part of Roman society, and this piece of information is important to bear in mind to be able to successfully understand Roman poetry and thinking. In a way Horace is comparing himself to a slave because he is tied to this man that he cannot get rid of , just as a slave is tied to his master.
b. The second symbol I picked out was an urn that was mentioned in the foretelling of the annoying man's death. The urn is also an important symbol because the Roman people were a very superstitious people who believed very much in and depended on the Omens. Caesar, on the day of his assassination, disregarded the Omens and was killed and every battle was looked at for Omens to decide whether or not the armies would fight the next day. The urn telling the man that he would die from a talkative person is blatantly ironic and very humorous. The point that Horace may be trying to make here is that sometimes that things in life are ironic.

Reference: Architecture
a. Caesar's Gardens- Caesar had these garden's by his palace and after his death they were turned into a park and given to the people.
b. Temple of Vesta- The temple used Greek architecture with Corinthian marble columns and a central cella. There was also 20 Corinthian columns that were built on a podium that was 20 meters in diameter. All the temple's to Vesta were round and faced the east to represent the connection between Vesta's fire and the sun as sources of life. A hearth inside held the sacred fires and the Vestal Virgins guarded important wills and documents of the senators.
c. Roman Courts- The courts usually had a dome on the top and Corinthian columns out front. Inside there was a podium surrounded by a half-circle of seats just like a Greek theatre so others could hear and see the speaker properly.

Diagetic: Roman Satire's biggest author was Gaius Lucilius. Roman satire is not attributed to the Greeks as the Roman had their own type of satire long before the Greek arts grew among them. The development was a legitimate indigenous growth of their own type of art. Roman satire consisted of making fun of everyday life, politics, wars, administration of justice, eating, drinking, money-making and money spending. The satire wished to expose the bad of the government, the middle class, and the vulnerability of the mob or lower classes. There was no stoicism or rhetoric like the Greeks, just plain making fun of other people kind of humor, much like we have it today.

Parsing Check

est- 3rd person singular present indicative active of "sum" meaning "to be"
cubat- 3rd person singular present subjunctive active of "cubo" meaning "to "
habeo- 3rd person singular present indicative active of "habeo" meaning "to have"
demitto- 3rd person singular present indicative active of "demitto" meaning "to send down"
scribo- 1st person singular future indicative active of "scribo" meaning "to scratch"
tenebo- 1st person future indicative active of "teneo" meaning "to hold"
incipit- 3rd person plural present indicative active of "incipio" meaning "to take hold of"
Perfiit-3rd person singular present indicative active of "subeo" meaning "to come under"
erat- 3rd person plural present indicative active of "sum" meaning "to be"
esse- 3rd person singular present indicative active of "sum" meaning "to be"

Literary Terms

• Alliteration- repetition of the same sound beginning several words in a sentence
• Anacoluthon- lack of grammatical sequence; a change in the grammatical construction of the same sentence
• Anadiplosis- ("doubling back") the rhetorical repetition of one or several words
• Anastrophe- transposition of normal word order; most often found in Latin in the case of preposition and the words they control. Anastrophe is a form of hyperbaton
• Antistrophe- repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of a phrase
• Antithesis- opposition or contrast of ideas or words in a balanced or parallel construction
• Aporia- The expression of doubt (often feigned) by which a speaker appears uncertain as to what he should think, say or do.

Mini-Colisseum Unearthed Near Rome

British archaeologists have uncovered a mini Colosseum in a seaport of ancient Rome. The early third century remains were found outside of Ostia The amphitheater here wasn't just used for Gladiatorial games but for private theatrical plays as well. The amphitheater was found inside what was a palace built by Emperor Trajan a year earlier. The structure measures 138 by 125 feet and could hold up to 2,000 people.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gNsVSXbgNg9Tl15-yVL4-W4bmttAD9B2BQIG6

Mythological Bird

In Ancient Phoenician mythology the phoenix and has a colorful feather scheme with a tail of Gold and scarlet with a lifespan of 500 to 1,000 years. It has a nest of twigs and myrrh and combusts into flames when it dies to reveal the egg of a new phoenix. The new phoenix will live as long as the old phoenix. The phoenix was used in later Greek mythology and even as far away as Japan. It as also used in the Egyptian book of the dead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_%28mythology%29

Epicurus

Epicurus was an Ancient Greek philosopher who lived from 341BCE-270BCE. He founded the philosophy of Epicurianism. His materialism led him to attack superstitious ideas and divine intervention. He believed that to seek true peace, one must seek modest pleasure to be free from pain and fear. his philosophy was a form of hedonism and its advocacy of a simple life made peace apparently attainable. He told his followers to abstain from evil pleasure such as sex and appetites and keep to simple pleasures and live a Spartan lifestyle. He believed that one should not be gluttonous with food and sex because you may not be satisfied the same way when you eat a second meal or may become disatisfied with your partner. This idea flourished during the Roman era and later Greek era.His philosophy was also a main opponent of Platonism, and then later Stoicism as well.

Carmina 1.37