Ancient Roman Idioms Posted by kunthra on Apr 11, 2011
Like with any language, Latin contains idioms that don’t make sense at first glance. Take for instance “ad calendas Graecas” which literally means “On the Greek day of the calends”. To understand the meaning of this idiom, the word calends has to be translated first. The ancient Romans used to label the first of every…
Ancient Roman Paintings Posted by kunthra on Apr 8, 2011
Although the ancient Roman Empire is long gone, it’s nice to know that there are still some relics of the civilization in which the ancient Romans lived. In particular, these precious relics are left in the form of paintings. For instance, the ancient Romans drew many still life paintings. The still life presented below is…
Latin Found in Modern Entertainment Posted by kunthra on Apr 4, 2011
Just the other day, someone showed me some interesting ways that Latin is still used today. Yes, it’s used in the arena of music and entertainment, but that doesn’t belittle the fact that it’s still being used. For instance, did you know that one of the soundtracks to a role playing video game called “Final…
Minor Deities Posted by kunthra on Apr 1, 2011
You’ve probably heard of ancient Roman gods like Mercury and ancient Roman goddesses like Venus. However have you ever heard of a deity named Verminus? Verminus was the deity that protected the cattle from cattle worms. The ancient Romans had a whole bunch of minor gods and goddesses like Verminus that they worshipped. Even though…
Books on Ancient Roman Sexuality Posted by kunthra on Mar 29, 2011
For some reason we have always been fascinated by ancient Roman sexuality. In previous times, the discussion of ancient Roman sexuality was either covered up or ignored. In other cases, it has been sensationalized. There are countless books on the subject matter, and depending on how you feel (embarrassed or interested), here are some books…
Wise Sayings of the Ancient Romans Posted by kunthra on Mar 25, 2011
The ancient Romans were witty people who left us with pithy and wise sayings. Take for instance this phrase, Volenti non fit iniuria (Volenti = willing. Non = not. Fit = do. Iniuria = harm.) In English this means “To a willing person one cannot do harm”. Note that ‘iniuria’ can also mean “injustice”, “wrong”…
Ancient Roman Victories Posted by kunthra on Mar 22, 2011
When we remember the ancient Romans, we will remember them for their literature, their art and for their military prowess. In terms of the number of battles the ancient Romans waged, they won more times than they lost. In honor of these victories, here are my top three triumphs that demonstrate the ancient Romans did…