Beautiful bronzes from ancient Rome

About a century ago regions from Moscow to Madrid and Newcastle to Naples the Middle-Class homes of the time bore fantastically sculpted mantle pieces of bronze Roman art. Unfortunately the horrors of the First World War brought the age of Romance to an end and brought in the age of realism. Michelangelo was able to watch the retrieval of Laocoön and his sons overwhelmed by constricting serpents, and within six years the leading Roman goldsmith, Christofaro Caradosso, proposed to make a miniature replica of the sculpted scene in gold for his patron Isabella d‘Este . He did not complete this task, but small bronzes of it followed soon after. With such replicas, made to perfection, every pope and prince could possess, in small, every masterpiece of sculpture — whether from antiquity or by Michelangelo and Bernini — within the confines of his drawing room. This is being continued today by being shown through the Wallace collection.

"Beautiful Bronzes from Ancient Rome| Art | This Is London." London News | London Evening Standard - London's Newspaper. Web. 28 May 2010. .

Exam Review

Catullus 11
Comites- 2nd person singular present active indicative of "commito" meaning "to commit"
Penetrabit- 3rd person singular future active indicative of "penetro" meaning "to penetrate"
Colorat- 3rd person singular present active indicative of "coloro" meaning "to color"
Feret- 3rd person singular imperfect active subjunctive of "fero" meaning "to be"
Dicta- 3rd person singular present active indicative of "dicto" meaning "to dictate"
Tenet- 3rd person singular imperfect active subjunctive of "teneo" meaning "to hold"
Respectet- 3rd person singular imperfect active subjunctive of "respecto" meaning "to respect"
Identitem- 1st person singular present active subjunctive of "identito" meaning "to identify"
Cecidit- 3rd person singular present active indicative of "cecido" meaning "to credit someone"
est- 3rd person plural present active indicative of "sum" meaning "to be"


Horace 1.11
quaseiris- 2nd person singular future perfect active indicative of "quaso" meaning "to seek"
Dederint- 3rd person singular perfect active indicative of "dedero" meaning "to deride"
erit- 3rd person singular perfect active indicative of "sum" meaning "to be"
tribuit- 3rd person singular present active indicative of "tribuo" meaning "to pay tribute"
dabilitat- 3rd person singular present active indicative of "dabilito" meaning "to debilitate"
spatio- 1st person singular present active indicative of "spatior" meaning "to spread abroad"
fugerit- 3rd person singular future perfect active indicative of "fugio" menaing "to flee"
carpe- 2nd person singular present active indicative of "carpo" meaning "to seize"

1.37
erat- 3rd person singular imperfect active indicative of "sum" meaning "to be"
parabat- 3rd person singular imperfect active indicative of "paro" meaning "to be ready"
depromere- 2nd person singular future passive indicative of "depro" meaning "to draw out"
spereare- 2nd person singular present passive imperative of "spero" meaning "to hope"
minuit- 3rd person singular present active indicative of "minuo" meaning "to make small"
redegit- 3rd person singular perfect indicativ eactive of "redego" meaning "to drive back"
daret- 3rd person singular imperfect active subjunctive of "do" menaing "to take"
perire- 3rd person singular present active infinitive of "pereo" meaning "to pass away"
expav(u)it- 3rd person singular perfect active indicative of "expavo" meaning "to expose"
repavit-3rd person singular perfect active indicative of "repavo" meaning "to reparate"

The Wallace

All worthi men that has gud witt to waille,
Bewar that yhe with mys deyme nocht my taille.
Perchance yhe say that Bruce he was none sik.
He was als gud quhat deid was to assaill
As of his handis and bauldar in battaill,
Bot Bruce was knawin weyll ayr of this kynrik;
For he had rycht we call no man him lik.
Bot Wallace thris this kynrik conquest haile,
In Ingland fer socht battaill on that rik.
(2.351-59)

This excerpt from the epic poem "The Wallace" can be compared to that of the Iliad. Both of the poems have one main hero (Iliad;Achilles and The Wallace;William Wallace) and they follow him throughout his adventure. The adventure follows the person from there heroic beginning to their dramatic and often ending in martyrdom for their cause. the difference is that the epic for Wallace is in a different dialect of the original language and not a consistent dialect like Homer's Greek in the Iliad. Another difference is that the poem in Homer's Iliad follows multiple other characters as well, whereas The Wallace just follows William Wallace.

"The Wallace: Selections: Introduction." River Campus Libraries. Web. 05 May 2010. .

Korean Crisis

The Korean States, technically still at war, may soon be going at it again. Due to a suspicious sinking off Korean waters, 46 South Korean sailors have died. After a recent report it was revealed that a North Korean mini-sub had sunk the South Korean ship with a torpedo. This does not bode well at all considering Kim Jung-Il is already close to dying and may want to follow in his father's footsteps and retake the whole Korean peninsula. With potential nuclear weapons in the North's arsenal, war would be disastrous for both sides. This is no the first time that the North has Southern sailors with no response from the South, so all we can do is wait and hope that no war will take place in these trying times.

"BBC News - South Korean Navy Ship Sinks near Sea Border with North." BBC NEWS | News Front Page. Web. 26 May 2010. .

Letter

Dear Future Latin Three Class,
If you thought Latin II was hard then your in for a surprise because Latin III is a trip and a half. If you don't know how to parse or translate then you better get out while you can. The poetry, though, is the best literature you will translate in Latin. Catullus and Ovid's humor keep the class fun and never dry, but Horace on the other hand is the complete opposite. His run on sentences and rambling makes translating his poetry difficult. You also might want to start studying binomials because they play an important part at the end of the year on your final exam. The final and most important thing to know is how to do structural analysis for papers, because if you don't half of your grade is in great jeopardy. Other than that you should be in good shape, have a great year!

Rome's Own Global Warming

Yes Al Gore the planet is hot, but it was even hotter during the ages of the Roman Empire. The Washington Times reports that, “the planet has been warmer than it is right now, if you believe what global warming alarmists have to say. Mankind’s selfishness is producing ‘excessive’ amounts of carbon dioxide, has set us on a path toward global cataclysm, they insist. The problem with this tale is that it neither fits with the historical record nor with a growing body of scientific evidence.” New evidence has shown that the sun was beating down on the Caesar's more so than it had ever been in the last 2,000 years. If that's true, then Al Gore might have to switch back to searching for Man-Bear-Pig.

"Dallasblog.com, the Dallas, Texas News Blog and Dallas, Texas Information Source for the DFW Metroplex. - DALLAS BLOG - Ancient Rome Shows Global Warming in Reverse." Dallasblog.com, the Dallas, Texas News Blog and Dallas, Texas Information Source for the DFW Metroplex. - DALLAS BLOG - Dallas Blog Contents. Web. 20 May 2010. .

Six Posts

Blog Post One

Blog Post Two

Blog Post Three

Blog Post Four

Post Five

Post Six

Vocab 4

1. repandus- latin curved upwards
2. reptans- latin creeping
3. rynchos- greek beak
4. rostra- latin beak
5. sapiens- latin wise
6. septem- latin seven
7. sperma- greek seed
8. striatus- latin striped
9. tardus- latin late
10. tetra- greek four
11. unus- latin one
12. ventralis- latin ventral
13. versicolor- latin many-colored
14. villosus- latin hairy
15. viridus- latin green
16. virosus- latin poisonous
17. volans- latin flying
18. vulgarus- latin common
19. xanthos- greek yellow
20. zygos- greek joined

William Wallace

William Wallace was, for the Scottish people, an example of unbending commitment toward the cause of Scottish independence and ultimately a martyr of the cause. Blind Harry's 15th century epic poem 'The Wallace' was the second most popular book in Scotland after the Bible. Wallace was born in 1297and was educated by his Uncle in the languages of French and Latin. Wallace eventually slew William Heselrig, the Sheriff of Lanark, and his uprising soon gained momentum. He soon earned a victory at the Battle of Sterling Bridge and killed Cressingham. He was eventually captured and beheaded at age 33.

Corporation, British Broadcasting. "BBC - History - Scottish History." BBC - Homepage. Web. 16 May 2010. .

Vocab 3

1. Indicus- Latin Indian
2. Kestos- Greek Girdle
3. Lateralis- Latin Side
4. Lepis- Greek Scale
5. lepus- Latin Hare
6. Luecos- Greek White
7. Malabaricus- Latin From Malabar
8. Mephitis- Latin Bad Odor
9. Melano- Greek Dark
10. mono- Greek One
11. Nothos- Greek False
12. Notos- Greek Southern
13. Noveseelandiai- Latin From New Zealand
14. Noveboricensis- Latin From New York
15. Obscuris- Latin Dark
16. Ocedintalis- Latin Western
17. Oveos- Latin
18. Pachy- Greek Thick
19. Pellog- Greek Open Sea
20. Plady- Greek Flat or Broad
21. Ptr- Greek Wing
22. Punctatis-

Papyrus Reveals New Clues to Ancient World

For the first time in over 2,000 years, we are now able to read the classic Greek and Roman literature, which has now opened up a whole new window to the ancient world for us. There is a collection at Oxford called the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, which includes many great writings by Homer, Sophocles, and Euripides. They have used multi-spectral imaging to uncover the texts which include parts of a lost tragedy by Sophocles, a novel by Lucian, and an epic poem by Archilochos. What the researchers hope to gain from this is to rediscover important classical writings and lost Christian gospels which have not made it into the New Testament. This is the first time they are using this technique on non-carbonized ancient manuscripts on papyrus, which is the paper of the ancient world.

Pyramus & Thisbe

Three dead as Greece protest turns violent

Greek protests have turned violent as protesters set fire to a bank in Greece earlier today killing three people. The protesters set fire to the bank on account of a general strike planned over the austerity measures. The mayor of Athens called the act a "murderous act" which will have repercussions. They are also over the tax rises even though there is a planned 110 billion Euro bailout for the Greek economy. Only time and actions will decide the outcome of this crisis. If not dealt with carefully, this could explode into a more dangerous and dire situation.

Brabant, Malcolm. "BBC News - Three Dead as Greece Protest Turns Violent." BBC NEWS | News Front Page. 05 May 2010. Web. 05 May 2010. .

Top Ten Reasons To Take Latin

1) Impressive credentials for any kind of job!
2) "Because of its great breadth for embracing as it does logical thinking, precise analysis, lucid expression and with its overview of human thought and development, history, economics, business and politics, Classics constitutes the single best preparation in general sense for almost any of life's available pursuits!" -Founder of a middle school
3) "I appreciate having studied the Classics so much that I wish that I had the power to influence/persuade the curriculum writers in my district to make the study of Latin mandatory for all students who are seriously college bound. I see the study of Latin as one possible remedy for the plummeting SAT verbal scores." -English teacher
4) "Latin definitely has helped me. It implies some skills and character traits: attention to detail, knowledge of how languages work, good vocabulary, good writing skills, worldly outlook ...and maybe even wisdom." -Medical editor
5) "Classics taught me the value of discussion without argument; taught me to listen and appreciate other points of view." -Dentist
6) "I found law school a breeze because of the discipline and hard work habits I developed in Classics. My awareness of linguistic processes and details is a constant strength in reading, and thinking." -Law school/Texas Legislature
7) "...strong vocabulary and the ability to write, two qualities which are sorely lacking in many medical students. Practically any term in medicine comes from Latin or Greek, which allows me to memorize complicated words or phrases more easily." -Medical student
8) "Improved vocabulary, confidence in front of people, better writing techniques. Key item: The discipline I learned has been a critical success factor, especially in the U.S. Military." -Retired military
9) "Classics gives a perspective on life of beauty and greatness of the Roman and Greek cultures--arts, philosophy, literature, leadership, etc." -Owner of business consulting firm
10) "You acquire a certain logic and intuitive sense about language." -Newspaper editor

According to the results of the 2002 SAT scores the averages for the students of these languages were:
1)Latin: 666
2) French:637
3)Spanish:581
4)German:622

Obviously Latin is the root of all Romance languages, opening up students to the ability of being able to learn other languages at an exceedingly able rate. Because most words have Latin and Greek roots or prefixes, students are able to pick up the meanings of words faster, therefore giving them a way to score better on the language portion of the SAT's.

Site

Horace, Ovid, or Catullus

Three of the greatest poets of all time the Roman poets Horace, Ovid, & Catullus shared the fame of the modern poets of their day. Horace enjoyed perhaps the greatest of fame with the people of Rome especially the upper class as he did not tend to write about anything that could possibly create any discrepancies among the people. Unlike Ovid and Catullus he did not use any vulgar language but did write about the everyday events with philosophical meanings whereas the other two seemed to write in a more blatant manner when writing about everyday events. Catullus is my favorite poet by far because of how he wrote blatantly with a sort of hidden meaning behind it as well. The way he used the same beat every line along with writing in an understanding way is purely genius. The stories he writes are also very entertaining as well, and these combined are what wins me over with Catullus' writing.