Roman letters
Which two authors of letter collections didn't self-publish them?
Cicero, Augustus
What did Cicero ask Chrysogonus for?
that he should be satisfied with our money and property, [and] that he should not seek our life-blood;
Name 4 reasons why Juno hated the Trojans?
- the judgement of Paris and the injury [done] to her scorned beauty,
- Trojans descended from Dardanus, the son of Jupiter by the Pleiad Electra
- Ganymede, a handsome Trojan prince, was snatched up by an eagle to be a cup-bearer to Jupiter.
- Trojans going to found Rome which would destroy her favourite city
What is 'i.e.' short for, and mean?
id est = that is
Who was emperor when Jesus was born and killed?
Augustus and Tiberius
Who was Augustus concerned about, and why?
His step-grandson Claudius - because he was disabled in some way
In which year was the pro Roscio given?
80 BC
Translate these lines:
iam validam Ilionei navem, iam fortis Achati, 120
et qua vectus Abas, et qua grandaevus Aletes,
vicit hiems;
Now the strong ship of Ilioneus, now [that] of brave Achates,
and [the one] on which Abas was carried and [the one] on which aged Aletes,
the storm overwhelmed;
What does 'pro bono' literally mean, and what is it used for in English?
'for good' = done without charge
What is the term used to describe the system of government the Romans used under the Republic?
aristocracy/oligarchy
According to Seneca, how should a true Stoic behave during the Saturnalia?
It shows much more courage to remain dry and sober when the mob is drunk and vomiting; but it shows greater self-control to refuse to withdraw oneself and to do what the crowd does, but in a different way, – thus neither making oneself conspicuous nor becoming one of the crowd. For one may keep holiday without extravagance.
quod si aut causa criminis aut facti suspicio aut quaelibet denique vel minima res reperietur, quam ob rem videantur illi non nihil tamen in deferendo nomine secuti, postremo si praeter eam praedam, quam dixi, quicquam aliud causae inveneritis: under what circumstances would Cicero give up on Sextus Roscius' life?
But if either a reason for the charge or a suspicion of the deed or anything finally, even the smallest thing, may be found on which account those men would seem to have pursued something indeed in bringing the indictment, lastly if you find any other reason except for that booty which I have mentioned,
Where was Carthage colonised from?
Tyre/Phoenicia
What do doctors mean when they say things should be done 'stat'?
statim - at once
What is the Greek/Roman equivalent of the Garden of Eden story?
Pandora's box
Of which province was Pliny governor?
Bithynia
Name two laws introduced by the Gracchi.
agrarian law - aimed at alleviating poverty + increasing men liable for military service
law to take revenge on brother's enemies
law providing for sale of corn at fair price
law to relieve hardships caused by army serve
law to limit power of senators by transferring courts to equites
law to support the Italians
Why did Messalina both hesitate and not hesitate to accept Silius' proposal?
not through love for her husband, but fearing that Silius on acquiring supreme power would reject her, hesitated for a long time; but at last she was persuaded, for she coveted the name of marriage on account of the sheer scale of the outrageousness.
'let it stand' - disregard a previous correction and keep the original text
How many letters did the Roman (i.e. the one used to write Latin) alphabet have?
21 - N.B. 'u' and 'v' are same letter
23 once Romans re-introduced 'y' and 'z' for Greek words in Latin
26 - once J, U, and W added in Middle Ages
Claudia Severa
What have we been able to piece together about the prosecution's arguments?
i) Roscius was not in Rome at the time of the murder and therefore needed to use assassins for the murder.
ii) R had motive for murder on account of his strained relationship with his father (his father favoured his brother).
Name 5 things which the lictor Sextius demanded money for from the parents of the ship-captains.
- to go to their sons
- to take food inside the prison
- to bring death to sons with one blow of the axe
- not to torture them for a long time
- to bury them
What does 'in vitro' literally mean, and when is it used?
'in glass' - in vitro fertilisation
What was the name of the last Roman emperor of the west who was deposed in AD 476?
Romulus Augustulus