Archive for 'Latin Language'
Ancient Roman Festivals in June Posted by kunthra on Jun 5, 2009
The ancient Romans celebrated four major festivals in June. On June third, the ancient Romans dedicated this day to the goddess Bellona. Bellona derives from the Latin word for war, which is bellum (war). Bellona is the goddess of war. She is the original deity of war, before Mars became the god of war. Somewhere…
The Twelve Tables Part 2 Posted by kunthra on Jun 2, 2009
This is a continuation of the last post. Table VII : Has to do with real estate. “Si aqua pluvia nocet…iubetur ex arbitrio coerceri.” If something from someone else’s property damages your property, that person will be forced to fix the damage. VIII : Has to do with torts or laws that remedy for injuries…
Ancient Roman Law Posted by kunthra on May 31, 2009
Ancient Roman law rests upon Lex Duodecim Tabularum, or The Twelve Tables. Many Western countries have modeled their laws upon Ancient Roman laws. As a result, you might find some similarities between the laws of your own country and Ancient Roman law. I’ll give excerpts from some of the laws written in ancient times. This…
The Month of May Posted by kunthra on May 28, 2009
The ancient Romans celebrated four special festivals in the month of May. The first festival takes place around May 1st and is the Festival of Bona Dea or good goddess. Bona Dea is the goddess of fertility and the goddess of women. Offerings are made to her by women who want to get pregnant, or…
Ancient Roman Names Posted by kunthra on May 24, 2009
Back in ancient Roman times, most male citizens were named in three parts or the tria nomina. The praenomen is what we call the first name. In Latin, it literally means forename. In many cases, parents just chose to name their sons after male relatives, like a grandfather. Only close friends and family could address…
Neuter Nouns Ending in -um in the Plural Posted by kunthra on May 20, 2009
The last post dealt with the neuter nouns ending in -um in the singular. Today we deal with second declension neuter nouns in the plural. Nouns like castrum (camp) and tormentum (anguish, torment) belong in this category. N : –ā G : –ōrum D : –īs Acc : –ā Abl : –īs The endings for…
Second Declension Neuter Nouns Ending in -um Posted by kunthra on May 17, 2009
Second declension nouns are usually masculine, but they can be neuter. Nouns that fall into this category are: mercatum (market) and bellum (war). These are the endings for neuter nouns ending in -um: N : –um G : –ī D : –ō Acc : –um Abl : –ō The endings for the Latin word for…