Saving the Colosseum

There is news out of Rome that the Culture Ministry is soliciting bids from private sponsors to raise funds to help preserve the Colosseum. There are reports that the iconic monument is not aging well and is in dire need of attention. This is a problem which continues to get worse (and increasingly dangerous) as the crush of tourists grows. When I visited the Colosseum for the very first time in July 1982, there were not a large number of visitors, and we could walk directly into the monument and wander at will, but when I visited the site in July 2007, there were mobs of people circling the amphitheater with very long lines snaking into one entrance after everyone passed through a ticket booth and a metal detector. Once inside, there was the unpleasant shuffle and bumping, with the attitude of get out out my way so that I can take a picture.

Now that there is an entrance fee of 15.50 euros, where does the money collected from visitors go? There is the hope and expectation that a great majority goes toward repair and preservation after the requisite administrative costs are satisfied.

Now that corporate sponsorship is being sought, which has a precedent in the successful cleaning and restoration of the Sistine Chapel by the Sony Corporation, there is also the hope and expectation that a significant infusion of funds can be secured to help preserve the Colosseum and other monuments throughout Rome. What we do not want to see, though, is the sponsor's logo spread across the facade of the structure. Imagine the sight -- "Ancient Arches Preserved by the Golden Arches: I'm Lovin' It!"

Calling Off the Hunt

http://www.imageenvision.us/images/070724181742_Bullfighting_Scene_in_Barcelona_Spain_LG.jpg

In the news today, we learn that Catalonia has brought an end to the long tradition of bull fighting. The article cites that the government of this region of Spain has come to realize that this popular and iconic form of entertainment exhibits cruelty to animals.

Now let's travel back in time about 2,000 years and take another look. The games in any Roman arena would typically begin the day with a venatio, or a beast hunt. Specially-trained fighters called bestiarii would fight all sorts of wild animals - lions, tigers, bears, boars, and, oh, yes, bulls - for the purpose of warming up the crowd for more violence to come. Several sources say that, in some events, thousands of animals would die. According to Pliny the Elder, Julius Caesar was the first to bring the hunting of bulls to Rome:

Thessalorum gentis inventum est equo iuxta quadripedante cornu intorta cervice tauros necare; primus id spectaculum dedit Romae Caesar dictator. (Pliny the Elder, Natural History VIII.70)

If it was good enough for the Greeks, it must be good enough for the Romans, but around the same time, Cicero writes that he does not share the appeal of seeing animals die for entertainment and that others shared in his sentiments. In his Ad Familiares VII.1.1-3, he writes:

Reliquae sunt venationes binae per dies quinque, magnificae—nemo negat—, sed quae potest homini esse polito delectatio, cum aut homo imbecillus a valentissima bestia laniatur aut praeclara bestia venabulo transverberatur? quae tamen, si videnda sunt, saepe vidisti, neque nos, qui haec spectavimus, quidquam novi vidimus. Extremus elephantorum dies fuit: in quo admiratio magna vulgi atque turbae, delectatio nulla exstitit; quin etiam misericordia quaedam consecuta est atque opinio eiusmodi, esse quandam illi beluae cum genere humano societatem.

"The rest are hunts twice a day for five days, magnificent -- no one denies it --, but what pleasure is there able to be for a refined man, when either a feeble man is torn to pieces by a very strong beast or a beautiful beast is pierced through by a hunting spear? However you have seen these things often, if they must be seen, and what new have we seen, we who have watched these things. The last day was for the elephants: on which day the crowd and mob had great wonder, but no delight came forth; on the contrary a certain pity and impression of this type followed, that there was a certain relationship for that beast with the human race." (The translation is my own.)

To be sure, the popularity of beast hunts in the arena did not suffer with the comments of Cicero. It is comforting to think, though, that there are some people who have always thought that there was something inherently wrong about watching animals die for entertainment.

Reading the English on the New AP Latin Exam

Since the recent announcement of the changes to the curriculum in the new AP Latin exam, I have been pondering the required readings. For Vergil we are returning to the old curriculum of selections from Books 1, 2, 4, and 6; gone are the tedious selections about the hand-to-hand combat between Aeneas and Turnus in Books 10 and 12. I never really liked those passages at the end, but that could be due more to the tiresome forced march through the previous 1,500 lines than the actual content.

I am intrigued, though, with the inclusion of being responsible for the content in English for Books 8 and 12. I have long enjoyed they the episode where Aeneas arrives at Pallanteum and Evander tells him the stories associated with archaic Rome. The presentation and description of the shield are also fascinating and seems to fit nicely with the themes of history, values, leadership, and the relationship between the human and the divine. The content of Book 12 provides a good cap for the story as Aeneas reaches his goal which seemed so out of his reach at the beginning of the story.

I am a bit stumped, though, with the inclusion of Book 7 in English for Caesar's De Bello Gallico. While it is true that this book handles in large part the conflict between Caesar and Vercingetorix, it has been added to the curriculum for its content and contribution to the story in English and not for its Latinity.

What we, as teachers, need to know from the College Board is how much importance will be given to knowing the content of the works as literature instead of knowing how to read, translate, and understand the assigned Latin passages? Although knowing the stories in English has always been important for the AP Vergil exam, now that we have (again) a combination exam, why has importance been given to what the students will read in translation? Not only will we have to provide translations (for loan or for purchase) for the Aeneid, but now also for Caesar. Are there good translations out there? I will have to find out.

Of Conspiracy and Preservation

I have just turned the last page of Robert Harris' Conspirata. This impressive novel tells the story of Marcus Tullius Cicero's rise to the consulship, his preservation of the res publica against the machinations of Catiline, and then his slippery fall into exile due to the vengeful plots of Clodius, and all of this is told in first person by Tiro, Cicero's most faithful slave, secretary, and companion.

In all, this was an outstanding read, and I declare that this should be on the required reading list for all who still teach Cicero. Furthermore, this work of historical fiction needs to be reviewed by all who teach (or soon will be teaching) about Julius Caesar in the upcoming AP curriculum. While the work strongly portrays Cicero's eagerness and commitment to working within the rules to preserve the state and the power of the Senate, it very effectively brings across the message that Julius Caesar was a rogue who purposely and willfully ignored the Roman constitution and tradition to further his own goals to rule to world.

I have heard it said that Julius Caesar was one of the biggest criminals in history. After reading Harris' Conspirata, this assertion is obviously true. It will be interesting to see how Latin teachers across the country dust off their notes on Caesar and present him in the classroom. Will he continue to be presented "as the most famous Roman of them all" or will there be mention made of his infamy?

Mapping the New World

A colleague, who is an outstanding teacher of geography, is conducting some research and came across this map of what is now eastern North Carolina. She needed a translation of the title in the upper right-hand corner and asked if I would translate it for her. The Latin reads:

Americae pars, nunc Virginia dicta: primum ab Anglis inuenta, sumtibus Dn. Walteri Raleigh, Equestris ordinis Viri, Anno Dni. MDLXXXV regni Vero Sereniss. nostrae Reginae Elisabethae XXVII, hujus vero Historia peculiari Libro descripta est, additis etiam Indigenarum Iconibus / autore Ioanne With; sculptore Theodoro de Bry, qui et. excud.

I had to do a little digging to understand some of the abbreviations, but here is my translation:

"Part of America, now called Virginia: first discovered by the English, by the expenses of Sir Walter Raleigh, a man of the rank of knight, in the year of the Lord 1585, indeed in the 27th (year) of the rule of our fairest Queen Elizabeth, indeed in that one's (Raleigh's) own book the history was described, also with the images of the natives added / with Ioanne With (John White) the author; with Theodoro de Bry the engraver, who also printed it"

I enjoy this type of exercise because it allows me to keep my skills in practice and apply them to assist others in learning. I learned that sumptus, sumptus, m. is the Latin word for "expenses, costs". I also learned a bit about Queen Elizabeth, Sir Walter Raleigh, and the early exploration of the New World.

What About Facebook?

There's an interesting article on teachers, students, and their relationships on Facebook. All teachers should take a moment and read. As a rule, I do not "friend" students until graduation day. That way there is no notion of anything inappropriate. As teachers, just like Caesar's wife, we must be above reproach.

Hanging Out in the Forum

When I was a student at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies (ICCS) in Rome during the fall semester in 1985, one of my favorite haunts was the Roman Forum. At that time the entrance to the Forum was through a gate and down a ramp next to the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina. I think visitors had to pay 12,000 lire (around $6) for admission, but I was lucky enough to have a card for free entrance to that site and many others. To say that I visited often would be an understatement.

I remember that one late afternoon in October I was sitting against the base of a column in the ruins of the Basilica Iulia working on a translation of Ovid's Ars Amatoria for class. As I was working, a family soon appeared and was looking around at what remained of the basilica. They were speaking English and I easily identified them as Americans. They noticed me and deciding that I, too, was American, and after exchanging greetings, they asked me about what they were looking at. I briefly offered a description and purpose for the basilica, and they must have been impressed. From their inquiries I told them that I was a student studying in Rome for the semester.

Discovering that I was somewhat knowledgeable, they asked me about the Forum in general. I noticed that they did not have a guide book or map, but had just wandered in wanting to take a look around. Feeling a bit cocky, I volunteered to give them a tour. I started off trying to include as much as I could remember about every little rock and stone there, but soon came to realize (through glazed expressions?) that I was providing too much information and was probably acting as if I was showing off. I made a mental adjustment and quickly moved to cover the highlights of the site. I remember that they were most impressed with the Arch of Septimius Severus, the Curia, the Temple of Vesta, and the Arch of Titus. Of course these monuments would be the most impressive because they are the best preserved and offer the most to see. I ended our tour at the Arch of Titus and showed them the exit towards the Colosseum. They offered to pay me, but feeling charitable (and still cocky, I imagine), I refused and wished them a happy visit.

I remember this encounter because it was one of the first times that I was able to use and pass on my knowledge of something that was very important and dear to me. Even at that time I was sure that I was going to be a Latin teacher and this was one of my very first lessons. My impromptu tour made me feel useful and gave me the opportunity to try out my teaching skills. Realizing that I had to make adjustments to my presentation to keep the interest of my audience was a skill that I would certainly have to use again in the future.

I also remember this encounter as an example of how some tourists approach their visit to sites. This family had decided to visit Rome and explore on their own. Of course they were visiting the Colosseum and St. Peter's, but I was impressed that they took the detour and descended into the Forum. The Colosseum (at that time) and St. Peter's were free and open to the public, but they made the effort to pay and visit something off the beaten track. I was surprised that they did so without any real notion of why they were there or what they were looking at. To stumble across someone willing and able to give them a tour was pure chance.

A visit to the Forum today is a different experience. Admission is free and the site, which used to have only the occasional visitor or group, now has hundreds of pairs of feet and eyes wander through every day. Excavations have enlarged the site as it grows toward the imperial fora, work continues to reveal the remains of structures at the base of the Palatine Hill, and the paved road leading up to the Capitoline has been removed, but the increase of visitors has caused curators to put up barriers which direct the flow of traffic to a meandering and very limiting path around the Forum, all in an effort (I suppose) to promote safety and protect the individual monuments.

Sad to say, the opportunity to lounge quietly among the ruins of Rome's glorious past is no longer available.

Whodunnit in Ancient Rome?

I have just finished reading Nemesis, the latest installment of Lindsey Davis' series of novels dedicated to the exploits of Marcus Didius Falco, an informant-for-hire who solves mysteries from the seedier side of Rome during the reign of the Emperor Vespasian. I began reading this series, now up to an impressive twenty volumes, quite a while ago and impatiently wait for the publication of the next story. So impatient is my wait that I typically order the book from Amazon.co.uk where they are released a couple months before being available in the United States. There is an outstanding website dedicated to Davis and her works, well worth a visit for anyone interested in this entertaining series.

Soon after I began reading Lindsey Davis, I discovered Steven Saylor and his books dedicated to Gordianus the Finder in his Roma Sub Rosa series. He, too, has been quite prolific in producing twelve volumes, as well as the clever tome Roma, which recounts a huge sweep of Roman history, and soon to be joined by its follow-up volume Empire to be released at the end of August 2010. I can hardly wait.

In keeping with the genre of sleuthing in an ancient Roman setting, quite by accident I tumbled upon Ruth Downie and her three works featuring Gaius Petrius Ruso, a doctor assigned to the Roman legion in Britain, who becomes a reluctant investigator of murders on the island as the Romans seek to gain control of the province. These stories are well-written and have captured by attention and imagination. I await her next release as well.

Who would have thought that books set in an ancient Roman setting and featuring charming, down-to-earth, believable investigators of murder would be so appealing? I am thrilled that there is a market for this genre so that these authors continue to create the ancient Roman world in their version. It is exciting to read stories set in Rome and elsewhere around the empire where I can say, "I've been there! I've seen that!" or "Is that really what they envision that site tyo look like?"

What I enjoy most about these stories is the opportunity to create my own vision of the ancient world by sharing the visions of others, who are certainly much more creative than I.

Digging Up A Vocabulary List

I was asked by my sister-in-law to provide a simple list of Latin words to help her young daughter learn vocabulary and reading. I thought such a list would be easy to find and I put the task off until the last minute. When I began my search in Google, I quickly discovered that there are any number of specialized lists, but there really isn't a generic list of basic vocabulary for someone who is not (at the moment) interested in learning Latin. I finally settled on the "First Latin Book Beginners Vocabulary" list from http://www.textkit.com/. There is a good mix of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and such with, most importantly, the English meanings. I printed out this hefty list (amounting to four pages) and felt that was a decent place to start.

My search did recall to my memory an outstanding book, The Usborne First Thousand Words in Latin, which I hope to find in the neighborhood bookstore when we visit. This would certainly be much more appropriate for my niece's purpose.

In any case, I do plan to warn my sister-in-law that learning lists of vocabulary words is not the same as learning the language. While the vocabulary words are the building blocks, one cannot merely stack them randomly and call it a wall. Further, forcing the memorization of lists of words no more constitutes the learning of language than does committing to memory the numbers zero through nine and calling it mathematics.

The Parthenon

This was the view of the Parthenon, under repair, in July 2005. Quite an impressive sight!

The New AP Latin Curriculum

The big news at this year's ACL Institute was the new AP Latin curriculum for the May 2013 exam. This summer's announcement brought some relief to those who were bewailing the Vergil-Caesar combination, particularly after some suggestions were given for teaching by theme.

The new requirements for Vergil's Aeneid (rather, the pared-down list) are:

• Book 1: lines 1-209, 418-440, 494-578
• Book 2: lines 40-56, 201-249, 268-297, 559-620
• Book 4: lines 160-218, 259-361, 659-705
• Book 6: lines 295-332, 384-425, 450-476, 847-899

The mention was made that this selection of lines was made with much soul-searching, tears, and regret. More regrettable, though, is the announcement that the student is required to read only Books 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12. Why not the whole Aeneid? I may still require that the student read the entire work in order to completely appreciate this important piece of literature. I'm intrigued by the inclusion of Book 8.

The required lines for Caesar's Bellum Gallicum are:

• Book 1: chapters 1-7
• Book 4: chapters 24-35 and the first sentence of chapter 36
• Book 5: chapters 24-48
• Book 6: chapters 13-20

The required reading in English is the entirety of Books 1, 6, and 7.

I plan to take a much closer look at these lines later in the summer.

I am pleased, though, with the suggestion of themes for this new combination of authors. I was initially disappointed, maybe even let down, with the announcement of Caesar as the author who would be paired with the vates, but these suggestions are exciting:

• literary genre and style
• war and empire
• view of non-Romans
• history and memory
• Roman values
• leadership
• human beings and the divine

I am most interested in the last four items of the list, particularly Roman values and the relationship between humans and the gods. As I become more familiar with these lines, I will be able to make a better stab of their application.

I am hoping that there are good textbooks produced to make this combination of authors interesting and exciting. I'd write my own, bu there are other things to do.

Keeping the Spirit

The Virginia delegation heading to the National Junior Classical League's annual convention in Fargo, North Dakota, in a few short weeks is carrying with it, in their minds' eye, a large, shiny number "8". Virginia, as a large delegation, has won the spirit competition at this week-long event for seven years in a row. They have out-cheered, out-shouted, out-danced, and out-costumed all the other delegations in their division. Their rivals, as I understand, are Florida and Texas.

Leading the cheers at the NJCL Convention in 2009.

To win this award for the eighth year has become an unquestionable expectation, a self-imposed requirement, if you will. Planning for this event began back in February, and the details have been revisited, on occasion, every month since. The frenzy of preparation began this week at the inaugural "Spirit Castra" held at our Riverbend High School here in Fredericksburg. For four days out of their summer slumber, a few Latin students from around the state, some coming more than an hour away, have gathered to draw, paint, cut, glue, shout, jump, and cheer... all in the name of Virginia, but more impressively, in the name of Latin and the classics!

The Virginia delegation shows their spirit in 2009.

These students who choose to attend the annual Latin convention, and those who plot and plan to cheer on the name of Latin, are unabashed lovers of the Latin and the ancient world, and our students here in Virginia want to shout it out louder than all others!

Scenes from the ACL Institute at Wake Forest

Zee Poerio has put together a neat presentation showing scenes from this year's ACL Summer Institute. She thought it appropriate to create this collage in keeping with one of the themes of technology. I think it appropriate too! What a neat tool!

Tag! You're It! (Or Not)

Since I have returned to my blog, I have been tinkering with templates and layout. I have discovered that nifty gadget called a "label cloud," and installing this and viewing its results has caused me to rethink my practice of tagging or labeling each entry. This cloud reveals, in a graphic way, which topics occur most often by presenting that label in a larger font size. Many labels are the smallest, default size and form a crowd with only a few names more noticeable. Now I am obsessing over each appellation and asking myself whether it is too descriptive, obscure, redundant, not descriptive enough, or just plain wrong. I am going back and changing tags, adding and deleting some, and all this effort is compelling me to find some standard. In all, not only am I moving forward with Marginalia, but I also seem to be moving backward.

ACL at Wake Forest

I attended this year's American Classical League Institute and Annual Meeting held on the gorgeous campus of the Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. All things considered, it was a great conference with some good ol' fashioned Southern hospitality!

I particularly enjoyed the presentations on Vergil and using technology in the Latin classroom. It was good to hear about the new AP Latin syllabus (a future blog entry on that), the NJCL National Classics Exams, and the status of Latin in this "age of accountability."

Of course, the best part of attending is the opportunity to learn, share with colleagues, and network with those who love the same things you do. If you are a Latin teacher, you MUST join the American Classical League, an organization whose sole purpose is to support the teaching of Latin, Greek, and the Classics.

Next year ACL will be held in Minneapolis!

Oh Those Aqueducts

This is a section of the Aqua Claudia outside Rome. It was taken in June 2010 by Susann Sowers Lusnia, Professor of Classics at Tulane University.

Summertime... and the Working is Easy!

Apologies to the original song lyrics celebrating easy summertime pursuits! The July 4th holiday has passed and I can turn myself to numerous projects put aside during the busy school year. I dare to say attention to this nearly-abandoned blog is now high on my list! I admit that I get excited and begin to post, only to become distracted by things which push other projects out of the way.

Labor est etiam ipsa voluptas.