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Cicero’s Writings Posted by kunthra on Aug 8, 2011
We are lucky to still have remanants of Cicero’s writings. These writings have left us with a wealth of wise and thoughtful quotes. This quote is a good example of Cicero’s poetic elegance even in the midst of a debate: “O tempora, o mores” (1) We still use this phrase today: “Suum cuique” (2) His…
Interesting Ancient Roman Laws Posted by kunthra on Aug 5, 2011
The ancient Romans are famous for their body of laws. Even to this day we are still fascinated about some of the laws of the ancient Romans because they reveal the concerns and preoccupations of the time. For example, Lex Scantinia was a name for a series of laws that regulated sexual behavior. In particular…
Ovid Posted by kunthra on Jul 31, 2011
Amores is the Latin poet Ovid’s first completed work of poetry. His poems are typical to other Latin poets for its unrequited love, but it stands out from other poetry for its use of humor. We’ll get to see some of this humor later on, but first let’s find out who the object of his…
Latin Hymn Posted by kunthra on Jul 30, 2011
The song ‘O filii et filiae’ was a hymn dated around 1494! Sinead O’Connor gives her rendition of the song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBVt8qrM94k O filii et filiae, Rex caelestis, Rex gloriae morte surrexit hodie Alleluia Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia Ex mane prima Sabbati ad ostium monumenti accesserunt discipuli. Alleluia Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia Et Maria Magdalene, et Iacobi…
Ancient Roman Gardens Posted by kunthra on Jul 29, 2011
The aristocrats of ancient Rome were fond of retreating to their horti or gardens. The gardens were a place where people could withdraw from the busy and noisy life of the city. There are still traces of what some of these gardens may have looked like that still remain. For example there is the Horti…
Museums Posted by kunthra on Jul 26, 2011
It’s an old fashioned pastime, but one of the ways to ‘see’ and ‘feel’ like you are in ancient Rome is to go to a museum with a gallery on ancient Rome. The Museum of Roman Civilization in Italy is a museum devoted solely on ancient Roman artifacts and art. One of the more famous…
Inspiring Virgil Quotes Posted by kunthra on Jul 22, 2011
I recently revisited some of Virgil’s works and I found that some of his quotes are deeply inspiring; even though they were written thousands of years ago! (1) tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior ito (The Aeneid book 6 line 95) (2) stat sua cuique dies (The Aeneid book 10 line 467) (3) omnia…