Author Topic: Classics Forum (Read 370795 times)

PatH · « **Reply #640 on:** March 15, 2014, 10:37:47 AM »

The Classics Forum

Paestum

Paestum, a complex of Greek Temples in Southern Italy.

Welcome to our Classics Forum, which is our public discussion for those interested in the Classics. Since our Latin Classes are not visible to the public but we have a great many people interested in talking about the Classics, we've put this discussion up for your interest.

Please share here news, clips, magazine or newspaper articles, movies or television shows and especially books you find that would be of interest to those of us who love the classics world.

Everyone is welcome!

Congratulations to the Class of 2014 and their awesome results on the National Latin Exam! See post 654 below!

It's never too late to learn Latin!

Interested in learning more about our Latin Courses? Click here: Learn More About Our Latin Courses

Thank you, Pat!

PatH · « **Reply #641 on:** March 15, 2014, 10:38:40 AM »

The brochure says there were two bronzes (the other is a gaul committing suicide with his wife) which were evidently brought to Rome, possibly under Nero. Doesn't sound like they have any idea what happened to them. There is a marble copy of the other one too, pictured in the brochure. It's not as impressive as this one.

ginny · « **Reply #642 on:** March 15, 2014, 11:38:04 AM »

The brochure is wonderful to print out, I'm printing it out for my face to face classes and will put a link here for the online ones.

PatH · « **Reply #643 on:** March 15, 2014, 01:40:26 PM »

Your tax dollars at work, and better spent than many of them.

JoanK · « **Reply #644 on:** March 15, 2014, 05:43:00 PM »

Great pictures, PAT!

Maryemm · « **Reply #645 on:** March 24, 2014, 12:40:42 PM »

London skulls reveal gruesome evidence of Roman head hunters

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Improved forensic techniques have shed new light on 39 skulls excavated near Museum of London in 1988

[/b]

Read all about it here at:

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jan/15/london-skulls-roman-head-hunters

JoanK · « **Reply #646 on:** March 24, 2014, 04:20:06 PM »

Maryemm · « **Reply #647 on:** April 05, 2014, 10:46:11 AM »

Sorry, Joan!!

Frybabe · « **Reply #648 on:** April 06, 2014, 12:13:23 PM »

This month's newsletter from the Smithsonian came with a like to "Julius Caesar's Rome". I was especially interested in the Appian Way and the Theater of Marcellus. Check out the links on each page.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/explore-julius-caesars-rome-180950262/

JoanK · « **Reply #649 on:** April 06, 2014, 02:33:59 PM »

Fascinating! I looked at the six pictures, but wish I could spend all day following all the links.

Frybabe · « **Reply #650 on:** May 02, 2014, 08:32:11 AM »

I am curious to know if anyone has read any of the Marius Mules or Marching with Caesar novels. Worth reading?

JoanK · « **Reply #651 on:** May 02, 2014, 06:46:25 PM »

Thank you for that. I got a sample of Marius' Mules #1 on my kindle. couldn't tell where to start with the Marching with Caesar series. Do you knoe whe name of the first book?

Frybabe · « **Reply #652 on:** May 03, 2014, 07:05:02 AM »

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27236869

Interesting article, includes Ostia and the recently found gladiator school near Vienna at Carnuntum, Austria.

JoanK, Marching with Caesar: The Conquest of Gaul is the first of the series. Here is a neat website for the series. I take it the bibliography is the list of books that the author consulted? Not sure. Check out the maps and the Caesar's World (lots of pix) pages. I'd say Mr. Peake is serious about his research for his novels. This is one of, if not the most, extensive websites I've seen for a novel series. http://marchingwithcaesarbookseries.com/ Sad to say my library does not have any of this series.

JoanK · « **Reply #653 on:** May 03, 2014, 04:45:39 PM »

FRY: that's a fascinating article! I had no idea that imaging was able to do so much. And I share Mary Beard's mixed feelings about it.

On the gladiator school: have you seen PBS' reconstruction of the life of a gladiator? Fascinating.

Thanks for the title. I've ordered a sample.

ginny · « **Reply #654 on:** May 03, 2014, 06:17:03 PM »

2014 National Latin Exam Results:

Once again in 2014 100 percent of our Latin students who took the National Latin Exam have distinguished themselves by winning top awards!!

In 2014 more than 154,000 students from 49 states and 17 foreign countries including Australia, Canada, Chile, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, south Korea, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe, at all levels of instruction including 24 colleges and universities, took the National Latin Exam, and we were absolutely thrilled to learn that 100 percent of our students won awards! It doesn't get any better than that!.

We are very proud to announce our winners:

Introduction to Latin Exam: First Place, Outstanding Achievement, Purple and Gold Ribbon: Perfect Score: Marcustullius

Introduction to Latin Exam: First Place, Outstanding Achievement, Purple and Gold Ribbon: Perfect Score: Marie R.

Introduction to Latin Exam: First Place, Outstanding Achievement, Purple and Gold Ribbon: topgrnpa

Introduction to Latin Exam: First Place, Outstanding Achievement, Purple and Gold Ribbon: cfhunter

Introduction to Latin Exam: First Place, Outstanding Achievement, Purple and Gold Ribbon: Mia Rohart

Latin I Exam: Gold Medal, Summa Cum Laude, Perfect Score: cetomko

Latin I Exam: Gold Medal, Summa Cum Laude, Perfect Score: palmtree

Latin I Exam: Gold Medal, Summa Cum Laude, Perfect Score: brook

Latin I Exam: Gold Medal, Summa Cum Laude, Perfect Score: Vita

Latin I Exam: Gold Medal, Summa Cum Laude: Botttz

Latin I Exam: Gold Medal, Summa Cum Laude: Fran11

Latin I Exam: Silver Medal, Maxima Cum Laude: Chase31

Latin II Exam: Gold Medal, Summa Cum Laude, Mogamom

Latin III Exam: Gold Medal, Summa Cum Laude, Perfect Score: Hidaroupe

The following students received a perfect score:

Marcustullius: Introduction to Latin

Marie R: Introduction to Latin

Cetomko: Latin I

Palmtree: Latin I

Brook: Latin I

Vita: Latin I

Hidaroupe: Latin III

We are very proud of all our students, those who took the test and those who did not: all share in this wonderful achievement which helps exemplify a dedication to lifelong learning and the strength of our program.

Many congratulations to all of you for this incredible achievement!!

Frybabe · « **Reply #655 on:** May 04, 2014, 07:35:03 AM »

My congratulations to this year's winners.

PatH · « **Reply #656 on:** May 04, 2014, 11:17:30 AM »

Impressive! Congratulations to all.

JoanK · « **Reply #657 on:** May 04, 2014, 06:19:44 PM »

You ROCK!

Maryemm · « **Reply #658 on:** May 08, 2014, 11:04:23 AM »

Wonderful results, as always.

Well done, ALL!

pedln · « **Reply #659 on:** May 12, 2014, 03:59:12 PM »

Fantastic!! Congratulations to all of you.

Bow_Belle · « **Reply #660 on:** May 15, 2014, 08:00:18 AM »

per ardua ad astra!

congratulations!

Bow Belle

Frybabe · « **Reply #661 on:** June 10, 2014, 03:37:10 PM »

Nosing around in book sites again, I found De Bello Gallico Libri Septem read in Latin. It appears to be a Librivox file, but Librivox keeps hanging my Firefox, at least today.

http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/book/De-Bello-Gallico-Libri-Septem

PatH · « **Reply #662 on:** June 10, 2014, 07:37:28 PM »

I didn't even try the file, since my Latin knowledge is nil, but I was very interested in this bit from the description:

It is remarkable, that still today in all the lands of his conquest the word for "peace" is derived from latin pax (even basque "bake"). This peace is no friendship between equals, which is the idea behind the german word "Friede". Pax Romana implies subordination, and this concept was promoted by Caesar, first abroad and then at home.

Peace on his terms, not yours. My German isn't nuanced enough to know the implications of Friede, but it fits my impression.

ASTERIX · « **Reply #663 on:** July 10, 2014, 05:38:34 PM »

Salve omnes.

Magna res gesta! Gratulationes.

Asterix Britto scripsit!

Vale.

Dana · « **Reply #664 on:** July 11, 2014, 11:00:20 AM »

I have been translating Caesar for a lot of years now and actually am nearly through book 7 which is one of the best (Vercingetorix and Alesia). I have certainly been fascinated and a little repelled by his drive to subdue and conquer peoples who were independently living and fighting between themselves without Rome's interference. Sometimes I compare it to our interference in the middle east. Not that we have, or have ever had a genius to lead us. I suppose it is always said that the pax Romana brought many advantages to Europe. (Which is more than can be said for the US middle east adventure)
But one really doesn't get the impression that Caesar did it for any altruistic reason, or even a patriotic one (However much he tries to pretend.) He was personally driven, he really does seem to love waging war. Why, I keep wondering.... but we don't know enough about him to figure that out. Wd love to get him on the couch.....psychiatric......

JoanK · « **Reply #665 on:** July 11, 2014, 04:45:06 PM »

DANA: that's fantastic! I admire you so much for sticking with it. Years ago, I had a project to read the Torah (first five books of the Bible) in the original Hebrew. It took me about a year to get two thirds through, and I had a side-by-side English translation to bail me out when I got stuck. I didn't make it to the end.

There do seem to be people who love waging war. I wish we could figure it out, and develop a pill or something. Or isolate them on an island so they could fight each other, and leave us alone!

Dana · « **Reply #666 on:** July 12, 2014, 02:44:21 PM »

It is so much easier nowadays to translate. Like your Torah if you have a textbook they usually have the notes and vocab on the opposing page, and if no textbook everything is available on the internet. There is a great website for anything Latin--Corpus Scriptorum Latinorum--and for Greek there is the perseus reader, altho I have not really used that except when we were reading the Odyssey. Greek textbooks are mind blowingly helpful, and they all seem to be written by charming people who reply in the most friendly way if you email them.

JoanK · « **Reply #667 on:** July 12, 2014, 03:02:43 PM »

That sounds delightful. Probably the community of people interested in Greek is small, and they're glad to welcome someone.

Maryemm · « **Reply #668 on:** August 04, 2014, 03:31:55 PM »

Sexism? It's what the Romans did for us: Academic Mary Beard who received death threats from online trolls says men have discriminated against women for thousands of years

The Cambridge University academic, an expert on ancient Rome who has presented historical programmes for the BBC, said society’s tendency to see opinionated women as either ‘mad’ or ‘witches’ can be traced back 2,500 years – and is a view still taught to British elites today.

The 59-year-old mother-of-two said: ‘Classical Greek and classical Roman culture was actually fundamentally based on the explicit silencing of women.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2712678/Sexism-I-blame-Romans-Academic-Mary-Beard-received-death-threats-online-trolls-says-men-discriminated-against-women-thousands-years.html#ixzz39SA54SoV

JoanK · « **Reply #669 on:** August 04, 2014, 03:48:33 PM »

"society’s tendency to see opinionated women as either ‘mad’ or ‘witches’ can be traced back 2,500 years – and is a view still taught to British elites today."

Yep. But we only trace it back to the Greeks because that is the oldest literature we read. I'd be willing to bet it's much older.

PatH · « **Reply #670 on:** August 04, 2014, 05:07:14 PM »

Who's read Gilgamesh? What's the take on it there?

Frybabe · « **Reply #671 on:** August 04, 2014, 07:01:53 PM »

I remember reading it a number of years back, PatH. Don't remember much about it. Remember Star Trek: Next Generation? My favorite episode was Darmok. That was the episode where Picard and his counterpart of an alien race are transported to a planet and together must fight a nasty creature. They communicate by using metaphors. Picard tells the tale of Gilgamesh during part of their communications.

Hi Maryemm, how have you been?

JoanK · « **Reply #672 on:** August 05, 2014, 02:41:58 PM »

FRY: do you think it would make a good discussion?

Frybabe · « **Reply #673 on:** August 05, 2014, 05:31:21 PM »

Oh, I think there is plenty to discuss in Gilgamesh. He is on the Sumerian Kings List as having ruled city of Uruk around the 27th century BC. So we have place, semi-god, friendship, grieving and fear of death, various adventures, and the tale of The Flood. Have you seen the Spark Notes on it? http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gilgamesh/summary.html When I looked it over, I realized that I hadn't read the whole thing at all, just the most famous part with Enkidu.

The 1985 book, Gilgamesh by John Gardner (Editor) and John Maier (Translator) looks good. It has about 50 pages of introduction, maps, and lots of notes. This translation was written for "non-specialists" according to the preface. I suppose that means us. There are other translations, but I want something that can explain to some of what was going on that I know I didn't get when I read it years, and years ago. I know I didn't understand all of it.

This article is interesting: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gilg/hd_gilg.htm

PatH · « **Reply #674 on:** August 05, 2014, 05:55:38 PM »

I've got a literal translation, and I've read chunks of it. I can see some problems. It's fragmentary, and in places it's not very lively. But there's lots of material there too. And you have to be careful what book you read. There was one that made a big splash about 10 years ago, and the author had made nice poetry out of it, but he had also made up stuff to fill in some of the gaps, very likely changing the tone of it. I stopped reading it as soon as I realized what he was up to. Gardner would probably be good; he would have a feeling for it.

I only remember two females: a harlot who helps civilize Enkiddu, and a goddess.

I'm going out to see Joank in 2 weeks. Maybe I should bring what I've got and we can look it over and see if we think it would work.

Frybabe · « **Reply #675 on:** August 05, 2014, 06:19:22 PM »

There are so many translations. There is a new translation out just this last month by Gerald J. Davis. I did read, probably in Spark Notes, that the story is a bit fragmentary. Somewhere, I also read that there are several different versions from way back before any of it was ever translated into English. That, BTW, apparently didn't happen until sometime in the 1800's.

Maryemm · « **Reply #676 on:** September 18, 2014, 01:47:54 PM »

Belated greetings, Frybabe. I am still in the land of the living though getting progressively lazier! I was 84 on August 18th and so, perhaps, have a slight excuse!

Am still in touch with Joyce, (Athena) and Peter from the UK. Keith (Asterix?) tells me Ginny is as busy as ever. Must be all that wine she imbibes! (Hope she doesn't read that!)

Have just returned from a holiday in Yorkshire, the UK's largest county. Visited numerous abbeys and marvelled at the skill of the old craftsmen. How sad that Henry VIII's advisors dreamt up the dissolution of the monasteries.

Passed through Middleham where Richard III had his castle and where his young son died. Was surprised to find the village twinned with Agincourt. History at every turn!

His body was discovered under a car-park in Leicester and, spookily, the letter identifying the car space was the letter "R". He is to be re-interred in Leicester though the Yorkists fought hard to have his body taken to York Minster and I agree with them.

Trust you are still enjoying your Latin studies.

Maryemm · « **Reply #677 on:** September 18, 2014, 01:53:04 PM »

I missed this article!

New finds make Roman port 'bigger than Pompeii'

New discovery of walls and buildings shows Ostia Antica was 35 per cent larger than previously thought

See: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/10773465/New-Roman-ruins-site-bigger-than-Pompeii-found.html

Maryemm · « **Reply #678 on:** September 18, 2014, 02:11:05 PM »

The following Roman villa site was mentioned on TV the other evening. Druce farm is near Puddletown, about five miles from Dorchester, in Dorset.

A new Roman villa for Dorset

Read all about it, here at:

http://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2014/06/a-new-roman-villa-for-dorset/

Frybabe · « **Reply #679 on:** September 18, 2014, 02:55:08 PM »

Hi MaryEmm, Happy belated Birthday.

Thanks for posting the two articles. The Dorset villia site doesn't look like it was too far below ground. I guess all that plowing over the site didn't help the top layers very much.

I think Ginny is "busier than a one-armed paperhanger" what with over 100 students over 11 classes here. My class is gotten very small. Hidaroupe checks in when she can while traveling in France. Eyeclu is here, and me so far. I miss seeing Athena's posts. Keith must still confine himself to another Latin class because I haven't seen any of his posts either. So say hello to them for me.

News:

Author Topic: Classics Forum (Read 370795 times)