Archive for June, 2011
Ancient Roman Cuisine Posted by kunthra on Jun 30, 2011
The topic of ancient Roman cuisine is a fascinating subject. To get an idea of how food tasted back in ancient Roman times, people today have tried to recreate some of the recipes that were used in ancient Rome. One such venture was carried out by a funny food critic named Giles Coren and British…
Latin Abbreviations Posted by kunthra on Jun 27, 2011
Just like how we use abbreviations in English, the ancient Romans also used abbreviations in their writings. Do you know some of the following abbreviations? (1) et seq. (2) a.m. (3) c. (4) e.g (5) AUC (6) Et ux. (7) P.a (8) Etc. (9) A.p. (10) Fec. (11) HJ (12) i.e (13) L.S. (14) p.m…
Ancient Roman Epitaphs Posted by kunthra on Jun 24, 2011
The epitaphs of the ancient Romans reveal much about the character and cultural times in which the ancient Romans lived. Take a look an excerpt of this epitaph: NVMERIVS QVINCTIVS ↃↃ LIBERTVS COMICVS SIBI ET QVINCTIAE PRIMILLAE COLLIBERTAE ET CONIVGI SVAE… Numerius Quinctius, a former slave freed by women, an actor: for myself and for…
Online Latin Classes Posted by kunthra on Jun 21, 2011
Let’s face it. Sometimes it’s hard to get motivated to study Latin. In the early stages, some people have so much enthusiasm and desire to learn, but after awhile it’s hard to get into the habit of studying Latin on a consistent basis. This is especially true when you encounter some difficult conjugations and all…
Propertius’s Poems Posted by kunthra on Jun 18, 2011
The ancient Roman poet Propertius was a contemporary of Virgil, and was a reputable poet in his own time. However the modern age has venerated Virgil virtually over all other poets. Propertius is making a comeback and some critics go so far as to say he was responsible for our modern concept of “romantic love”…
Songs in Latin Posted by kunthra on Jun 15, 2011
Whoever said Latin is dead? Recently a friend of mine informed me that the anime “Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood” has two songs in its soundtrack that feature Latin lyrics. One of the songs is called “Lapis Philosophorum” or “Philosopher’s Stone”. The lyrics to the songs can be seen below: Lapis philosophorum lapis ruber lapis quantus sacrificum vis…
Ancient Roman Mausoleums Posted by kunthra on Jun 12, 2011
There are some remarkably well-preserved mausoleums that date back to Roman antiquity. The ancient Romans made great efforts to respect their dead by erecting splendid mausoleums. One example of such a mausoleum is the Mausoleum of Helena. The Mausoleum of Helena is located in Rome. Emperor Constantine I originally build the mausoleum so that he…