Archive for March, 2011
The Censor Posted by kunthra on Mar 10, 2011
Every aristocratic male desired the public office of consul or the title of the emperor. Realistically, not every competent male could become an emperor or a consul. However, there were a myriad of other public office jobs that one could wield considerable power over the city of Rome. One such job was the office of…
Provocative Poetry Posted by kunthra on Mar 7, 2011
Some people have this perception that all Latin poetry is boring, proper and stiff, but that’s not true. For example the Latin poet Marcus Valerius Martialis, also known as Martial, was known to write a few choice poems towards certain individuals: Utere lactucis et mollibus utere malvis: Nam faciem durum, Phoebe, cacantis habes Eat lettuce…
Humanitas Posted by kunthra on Mar 3, 2011
The ancient Romans valued the virtue of Humanitas or “humanity.” The ancient Romans believed that the virtue of humanitas could be acquired by bonae litterae or “good letters.” Bonae litterae included the study of poetry, philosophy and literature. A man who was well versed in the bonae litterae was thought to be equipped to handle…