13.10.26: Level 3 / 3+ (Review): Hillard & Botting [72] Labours of Hercules (7)

Ōlim in īnsulā quādam, quae prope Hispāniam esse crēdēbātur, habitābat mōnstrum horrendum, Gēryon nōmine, quī tria corpora habēbat: huius pecora gigās et canis, cui duo erant capita, custōdiēbant. Haec cum reportāre iussus esset Herculēs per multās terrās errābat, tandem ad Libyam vēnit, ubi Herculis Columnās posuit; quō in itinere, cum magnopere sōlis ārdōre vexārētur, sagittam in ipsum sōlem ēmisit. Quā audāciā adeō deō placuit ut auream eī lintrem daret, in quā ad illam īnsulam nāvigāvit. Ibi et gigantem et canem ūnā cum ipsō dominō occīdit, tum praedam āvexit: auream autem lintrem sōlī reddidit. Pecora, cum plūrima perīcula superāvisset, tandem reportāvit ad rēgem, ā quō Iūnōnī immolāta sunt.

[1] Why are the following referred to? Give details.

[i] island (2)

[ii] three

[iii] two

[2] What was the role of the giant and the dog? (1)

[3] What had Hercules been ordered to bring back?

[A] Geryon [B] the dog [C] cattle [D] the giant? (1)

[4] What phrase tells you that Hercules’ journey was long? Quote the Latin and give the translation. (2)

[5] What happened in Libya? (1)

[6] Translate: “quō in itinere, cum magnopere sōlis ārdōre vexārētur, sagittam in ipsum sōlem ēmisit. Quā audāciā adeō deō placuit ut auream eī lintrem daret, in quā ad illam īnsulam nāvigāvit.” (10)

[7] Choose the correct form of the Latin words:

There he killed both the giant and the dog together with their master himself, then he carried off the spoil; but he returned the golden boat to the sun. The cattle, when he had overcome very many dangers, he finally brought back to the king, by whom they were sacrificed to Juno.

Ibi et [gigās / gigantem / gigantis] et canem [ūnā / ūnīus / ūnam] cum [ipsō dominō / ipsīus dominī / ipsī domino] occīdit, tum [praeda / praedā / praedam] āvexit: auream autem lintrem [sōlis / sōle / sōlī] reddidit. Pecora / pecus / pecorum], cum [plūrimīs perīculīs / plūrima perīcula / plūrimōrum perīculōrum] superāvisset, tandem reportāvit ad [rēgem / rēge / rēgī], ā [quī / quā / quō] [Iūnōnī / Iūnōnem / Iūnōne] immolāta sunt.

Vocabulary

gigās, gigantis [3/m]: giant 

ārdor, ardōris [3/m]: heat 

linter, lintris [3/f]: boat 

Notes: subjunctive

(1) pluperfect subjunctive

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2026/01/190426-level-3-subjunctive-22-tenses-4.html

cum plūrima perīcula superāvisset, … ∣ after / since he had overcome many dangers, …

(2) passive subjunctive forms

https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/subjunctive%3A%20passive%20%2F%20deponent

Haec cum reportāre iussus esset, … ∣ after / since he had been ordered to bring these things back,

cum magnopere sōlis ārdōre vexārētur, … ∣  while / since he was being greatly troubled by the heat of the sun

(3) result clauses

https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/subjunctive%3A%20result

… adeō deō placuit ut auream eī lintrem daret, …

… he pleased the god … to such an extent that he gave him a boat, … / he so pleased the god … that he gave him …

____________________

[1]

[i] home of Geryon (1), a horrible monster (1)

[ii] the monster had three bodies (1)

[iii] the dog had two heads (1)

[2] guarded Geryon’s cattle (1)

[3] [C] cattle (1)

[4] per multās terrās errābat (1) ⃒ he wandered through many lands (1)

[5] he set up the Columns / Pillars of Hercules (1)

[6] On this journey (1), when he was being greatly troubled (1) by the heat of the sun (1), he shot an arrow (1) at the sun itself (1). By this boldness (1) he pleased the god so much (1) that he gave him a golden boat (1), in which he sailed (1) to that island (1).

[7] Ibi et gigantem et canem ūnā cum ipsō dominō occīdit, tum praedam āvexit: auream autem lintrem sōlī reddidit. Pecora, cum plūrima perīcula superāvisset, tandem reportāvit ad rēgem, ā quō Iūnōnī immolāta sunt.

____________________

Once upon a time, on a certain island, which was believed to be near Spain, there lived a dreadful monster, by the name of Geryon, who had three bodies, and his cattle were being guarded by a giant and a dog, which had two heads.

When Hercules had been ordered to bring these back, he wandered through many lands; at last he came to Libya, where he set up the Pillars of Hercules. On this journey, when he was being greatly troubled by the heat of the sun, he shot an arrow at the sun itself. By this boldness he pleased the god so much that he gave him a golden boat, in which he sailed to that island.

There he killed both the giant and the dog together with their master himself, then he carried off the spoil; but he returned the golden boat to the sun. The cattle, after he had overcome very many dangers, he finally brought back to the king, by whom they were sacrificed to Juno.

12.10.26: topic: architecture [9]; The Roman House [4]; from the authors

[i] Occlude iānuam (Plautus)

• Bolt the door.

[ii] Sed quis hic est, quem astantem videō ante ōstium? (Plautus)

• But who is this I see standing in front of the door?

[iii] Pultābō forīs (Plautus); note the alternative accusative plural forīs or forēs

• I’ll knock at the door.

[iv] Exī ē culīnā sīs forās (Plautus)

• Get out of the kitchen, will you, outside.

[v] est etiam hīc ōstium aliud postīcum nostrārum hārunc* aedium (Plautus); *hārunc (early Latin) = hārum

• There is also here another back entrance of this house of ours.

[vi] Cūr nōn intrō eō in nostram domum? (Plautus)

• Or why don't I go inside our house?

[vii] Ubi tū cubuistī? / In eōdem lectō tēcum ūnā in cubiculō (Plautus)

• Where did you sleep? / In the same bed, together with you, in the bedroom.

[viii] Clōdī vestibulum vacuum sānē mihi nūntiābātur (Cicero)

• I have just had news that Clodius’ hall is utterly deserted.

[ix] Note Cicero’s use of triclinium to refer to the couch on which somebody dined rather than the location:

Exōrnat amplē magnificēque trīclīnium (Cicero)

He decorates a couch abundantly and magnificently.

[x] postquam in cūnās conditust, dēvolant anguēs iubātī deorsum impluvium duo maximī (Plautus)

•  After he was laid in the cradle, two immense crested serpents glided down in through the skylight; instantly they both reared their heads.

[xi] intrōdūcēs eōs in domum Dominī in ūnam exedram thēsaurōrum et dabis eīs bibere vīnum (Vulgate)

• Bring them into the house of Yahweh, into one side room, and give them wine to drink

[xii] aestāte apertīs cubiculī foribus ac saepe in peristȳliō … cubābat (Suetonius)

• In summer, he lay with the doors of his bedchamber open, and frequently in a piazza …

[xiii] Tablīnum locus proximus ātriō ā tabulīs appellātus (Diaconus)

• The tablinum, the place nearest to the atrium, is named from the tablets.

[xiv] Petrus autem sequēbātur eum ā longē usque in ātrium prīncipis sacerdōtum et ingressus intrō sedēbat cum ministrīs …  (Vulgate)

• But Peter followed him from a distance, to the court of the high priest, and having entered, he sat with the officers.

[xv] … duo signa pulcherrima … quae multōs annōs ante valvās Iūnōnis Samiae stetērunt (Cicero)

• … the two most beautiful statues … which stood for many years before the folding doors of the Samian Juno

[xvi] Inde ambulāvit in lītore. Post h. VIII in balneum (Cicero) 

• Then he walked on the shore. After the eighth hour he took his bath [ = (he went) into the bath house].

[xvii] Tam altī abdīcitque sēcrētī illa ratiō, quod interiacēns andrōn parietem cubiculī hortīque distinguit (Pliny)

• The reason for so deep and withdrawn a seclusion is that an intervening corridor separates the wall of the bedroom from the garden.

[xviii] "Apage tē" inquit "fētōrem extrēmae lātrīnae" (Apuleius)

• “Away with you!” he said, “you stench of the bottom of the latrine!”

[xix] coquī abstulērunt, comprehendite, vincite, verberāte, in puteum condite (Plautus)

•  "The cooks have stolen it! Collar 'em! Tie 'em up! Thrash 'em! Throw 'em in the dungeon!" 

[xx] The following quotation shows the original meaning of faucēs which, apart from referring to the narrow passageway at the entrance of a house, also means ‘throat’:

miserum est opus, igitur dēmum fodere puteum, ubi sītis faucēs tenet (Plautus)

• It is a wretched task: only then, indeed, to dig a well when thirst grips the throat.

[xxi] circāque in porticibus argentāriae tabernae maeniānaque superiōribus coaxātiōnibus conlocentur (Vitruvius)

• and the bankers' shops are to be situated in the surrounding porticos with apartments on the upper floors over them

coassātiō (coax-), -ōnis [3/f]: joining of boards together i.e. a boarded floor

porticus, -ūs [4/f]: colonnade; arcade

11.10.26: Level 1-2 (review): Julia (a Latin Reader) [1] (1)

IŪLIA

Iūlia puella parva est. Prope ōram maritimam habitat. Britannia est Iūliae patria. Puellae Britannicae ōram maritimam amant. Nautās quoque amant puellae Britannicae. Iūlia est fīlia agricolae et casam parvam habitat. Sed Iūlia ōram maritimam et nautās amat. Nautae quoque Iūliam amant. Saepe prope ōram maritimam Iūlia ambulat. Nautārum fīliae cum Iūliā ambulant, et prope ōram maritimam saltant.

Multae rosae sunt prope Iūliae casam. Rosīs aquam dat Iūlia. Saepe Iūlia rosās nautīs dat. Agricola Iūliam nōn culpat sed laudat, quod rosās pulchrās nautīs dat. Rubrae et albae sunt rosae. Saepe Iūlia ad nautārum casās rosās pulchrās portat. Nautae puellam parvam laudant.

[1]

agricola, -ae [1/m]: farmer

Britannia, -ae [1/f]: Britain

casa, -ae [1/f]: house, cottage

fīlia, -ae [1/f]: daughter

Iūlia, -ae [1/f]: Julia

nauta, -ae [1/m]: sailor

ōra, -ae [1/f]: shore, coast

patria, -ae [1/f]: country, homeland

puella, -ae [1/f]: girl

rosa, -ae [1/f]: rose

[2]

albus, -a, -um: white

Britannicus, -a, -um: British

maritimus, -a, -um: of the sea, maritime

multus, -a, -um: many, much

parvus, -a, -um: small

pulcher, pulchra, pulchrum: beautiful

ruber, rubra, rubrum: red

[3]

ambulō, ambulāre [1]: walk

amō, amāre [1]: love

culpō, culpāre [1]: blame

dō, dare [1]: give

habitō, habitāre [1]: live, dwell

laudō, laudāre [1]: praise

portō, portāre [1]: carry

saltō, saltāre [1]: dance

sum, esse [irregular]: be

[4]

ad (+ acc.): to, towards

cum (+ abl.): with

prope (+ acc.): near

et: and

sed: but

quod: because

nōn: not

quoque: also

saepe: often

____________________

Julia is a small girl. She lives near the seashore. Britain is Julia’s homeland. British girls love the seashore. The British girls also love sailors. Julia is the daughter of a farmer and lives in a small cottage. But Julia loves the seashore and the sailors. The sailors also love Julia. Julia often walks near the seashore. The daughters of the sailors walk with Julia, and they dance near the seashore.

There are many roses near Julia’s cottage. Julia gives water to the roses. Julia often gives roses to the sailors. The farmer does not blame Julia but praises her, because she gives beautiful roses to the sailors. The roses are red and white. Julia often carries beautiful roses to the sailors’ cottages. The sailors praise the little girl.

10.10.26: Level 3 / 3+ (Review); Hillard & Botting [70] Labours of Hercules (6)

[1] Rex quīdam, Diomēdēs nōmine, equās suās carne hūmānā pascēbat. Hās Mycēnās portāre iussus Herculēs cum paucīs comitibus ad ōram dūxit. Quō cum cīvēs rēgis vēnissent, diū et ācriter pugnātum est. Equās, dum proeliō interest, Herculēs amīcō suō Abdērō mandat, quem illae statim vorant.

[i] What did the horses eat? (1)

[ii] Who had accompanied Hercules? (1)

[iii] Where did the battle take place? (1)

[iv] What did Hercules ask Abderus to do? (2)

[v] What happened to Abderus? (1)

[2] Translate: Herculēs, cum hostēs vicisset, rēgem occīdit corpusque equīs iactāvit: tum urbem in eō locō condidit, quam urbem Abdēra vocāvit. Equās, quae cum dominī carnem ēdissent mansuēverant, Mycēnās avexit: mox līberātae et ipsae ā ferīs in Monte Olympō vorābantur. (12)

[3] Posteā Amazonum rēgīnae zōnam, quam eī Mārs dederat, petere iussus, cum multa perīcula superāvisset, rēgīnam ipsam occīdit zōnamque reportāvit.

Which of the following statements is true?

[A] Mars took back the girdle.

[B] Hercules killed the Queen.

[C] The Queen of the Amazons gave Mars a girdle.

[D] Hercules brought back the girdle.

[E] Mars had overcome many dangers.

[F] The Queen killed herself.

[G] Hercules had overcome many dangers.

[H] Mars gave Hercules a girdle.

[I] The Queen had overcome many dangers.

[J] Mars had given the Queen of the Amazons a girdle.

Vocabulary

equa, equae [1/f]: mare 

fēra, fērae [1/f]: wild beast 

mansuēscō, mansuēscere, mansuēvī, mansuētus [3]: become tame 

zōna, zōnae [1/f]: girdle

Notes: subjunctive

(1) cum-clauses conveying the circumstances in which something happened, or the causes for it

https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/subjunctive%3A%20cum-clauses

(2) pluperfect subjunctive

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2026/01/190426-level-3-subjunctive-22-tenses-4.html

quō cum cīvēs rēgis vēnissent, … ∣ and after the king’s subjects had arrived there, …

cum hostēs vicisset, …  ∣ after he had conquered the enemy, …

cum multa perīcula superāvisset, … ∣  since he had overcome many dangers, …

____________________

[1]

[i] human flesh

[ii] a few companions

[iii] at the shore

[iv] take care of the horses (1) while he was in the battle (1)

[v] eaten by the horses

[2] When he had defeated the enemy (1), Hercules killed the king (1) and threw the body to the horses (1): then he founded a city (1) in that place (1), and he called the city Abdera (1). The horses, which had become tame (1), since they had eaten the master’s flesh (1), he took away to Mycenae (1): having soon been freed (1) they themselves were also devoured (1) by wild beasts on Mount Olympus (1).

[3]

[B]; [D]; [G]; [J]

____________________

A certain king, named Diomedes, used to feed his horses on human flesh. Having been ordered to bring these to Mycenae, Hercules led them to the coast with a few companions. When the king’s subjects had come there, a long and fierce battle was fought. While he was taking part in the fight, Hercules entrusts the horses to his friend Abderus, whom they immediately devour. After Hercules had defeated the enemy, he killed the king and hurled his body to the horses; then he founded a city in that place, which he called Abdera. The horses, which had become tame since they had eaten their master’s flesh, he took to Mycenae; soon after, having been set free, they too were devoured by wild beasts on Mount Olympus.

Afterwards, having been ordered to seek the girdle of the queen of the Amazons, which Mars had given her, he killed the queen herself, after he had overcome many dangers, and brought back the girdle.

09.10.26: topic: architecture [7]; The Roman House [2]

[4] Images #5 - #8: beyond the ātrium are two further main areas of the house:

[i] tablīnum, -ī [2/n]: the ‘study’; the office in a Roman house, where the owner would receive his clients.

The tablīnum was separated from the ātrium by curtains and, in image #6, partitioned from the peristȳlium by wooden sliding doors.

These are “standard” explanations. However, when researching, we must be careful not to make too many assumptions:

Tablinum was in all probability a recess or room at the farther end of the atrium opposite the door leading into the hall, and was regarded as part of the atrium. It contained the family records and archives (Vitruv. vi. 4 and 8). It appears, from the houses of Pompeii, to have been separated not by a door, but simply by a curtain or velum, while it had a door at the back leading into the peristylium.” (Thurston Peck)

“It is very difficult to assign the correct position of the tablinum, nor are we acquainted with any passage containing information on the subject.” (Becker)

While Vitruvius refers to it, he does not clearly define its position, and it is not mentioned by any other Roman authors beyond:

Tablīnum proximē ātrium locus dīcitur (Festus)

The place nearest the atrium is called the tablinum.

Festus goes on to explain that the name refers to the place where records of accounts were kept on tablets (tabulae).

[ii] images #7 and #8: peristȳlium, -ī [2/n]: an internal ‘peristyle’ garden surrounded by colonnades; within the garden there could also be a piscīna, -ae [1/f]: (fish) pond; pool

fish pond of a Roman villa excavated in Turkey

[5] āla, -ae [1/f]

[i] the wing (of an animal)

[ii] usually in the plural (ālae, -ārum): the wings of a house; two small quadrangular apartments or recesses on the left and right sides of the ātrium 

INTERIOR OF A ROMAN HOUSE, showing:

[1] ātrium

[2] ālae

[3] compluvium

[4] impluvium

[5] faucēs

[6] tablīnum

[7] peristȳlium

08.10.26: Level 1 (review); vocabulary [22]: the Portall to the Gate of Tongues (1642): comparatives [ii]

Label the images:

Aspis est pessima.

Camēlus est māior.

Cervīsia est bona.

Elephās est maximus.

Lacerta est mala.

Mulsum est melius.

Pārus est minor.

Passer est parvus.

Prīmus est doctus.

Secundus est doctior.

Taurus est magnus.

Tertius est doctissimus.

Trochilus est minimus.

Vīnum est optimum.

Vīpera est peior.

____________________

08.10.26: Level 1 (review); vocabulary [21]: the Portall to the Gate of Tongues (1642): comparatives [i]

Comparatives | Comparātīva

The first is learned. | Prīmus est __________.

The second is more learned. | Secundus __________.

The third most learned | Tertius __________.

Irregular Comparison | Anōmala Comparātiō

A bull is large. | Taurus est __________.

A camel bigger. | Camēlus __________.

An elephant the biggest. | Elephās __________.

A sparrow is small. | Passer est __________.

A titmouse smaller. | Pārus __________.

A wren the smallest. | Trochilus __________.

Ale is good. | Cervīsia est __________.

Meath (mead) better. | Mulsum __________.

Wine the best. | Vīnum __________.

A lizard is bad. | Lacerta est __________.

A viper worse. | Vīpera __________.

An asp the worst. | Aspis __________.

bonus, doctior, doctissimus, doctus, magnus, malus, māior, maximus, melius, minor, minimus, optimus, parvus, peior, pessimus

07.10.26: Level 3+ (review); impersonal verbs [10] with gerundives

(1) We’ll begin with a quick review of the gerundive:

02.06.25: Level 3; the gerundive [1]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/03/020625-level-3-gerundive-1.html

The basic meaning of the gerundive is to express that something needs to be done [X needs to be Yed] and may be translated in several ways:

Hoc faciendum est. │ This must be / has to be / needs to be / is to be done.

Hoc faciendum erat. │ This had to be / needed to be done.

Hoc faciendum erit. │ This will have to be done.

Hic liber legendus est.

Literally: This book is to be / ought to be / should be / worthy of being / read 

This book is worth reading.

Carthāgō dēlenda est.

Carthage must / should be destroyed.

Mīles laudandus erat.

The soldier was to be praised [= the soldier was praiseworthy].

If the action that needs to be done includes who needs to do it i.e. the agent, then the dative is used to express it. The gerundive conveys a sense of obligation, and it is given that grammatical term: the gerundive of obligation.

Carthāgō nōbīs dēlenda est. │ Carthage is to be destroyed by us i.e. even though the translation is ‘by us’ (which would suggest an ablative), it is the dative that expresses the idea in this construction.

It would be perfectly possible to rework the sentence from a passive to an active meaning:

Carthāgō nōbīs dēlenda est. │ Carthage is to be destroyed by us > We must destroy Carthage.

English can convey a similar idea:

Hic liber tibi legendus est │ literally: this book is to be read by you >  this book is for you to read > you need to read this book.

(2) However, the neuter singular of the gerundive + esse can express an impersonal idea: there is no noun naming what must be done; the gerundive itself functions as the grammatical subject.

Mihi currendum est │ I need to run; the gerundive here indicates the agent must perform that action.

Sometimes, no agent is indicated i.e. there is simply a neuter gerundive with esse; context will determine how that is best translated, for example:

Pugnandum est │ (I, you, we etc.) need to fight i.e. there is need for fighting; even though no agent is indicated, it is usually best to include a subject.

Examples; note that translations will not necessarily convey the original impersonal idea:

Quid igitur nōbīs faciendum est?  (Cicero)

What then must be done ¦ by us? / What then are we to do?

In the examples that follow note that:

[i] the impersonal construction may not be rendered in English

[ii] the person to whom the impersonal construction refers may not be specifically stated but understood from context

[iii]  a literal translation can frequently sound clumsy

(1) Nam id maximē cavendum est (Cato)

• For this is especially to be avoided.

(2) Quotiēns dīcendum est tibi? (Plautus)

• How many times do you need to be told [literally: does it need to be said to you?]

(3) Ab domō abeundum est mihi (Plautus)

• I have to leave the house.

(4) Clam illūc redeundum est mihi (Plautus)

• I must return there secretly.

(5) Nōn pol mīrandum est (Plautus)

• By Pollux, it’s no wonder [literally: it is not to be wondered at]

(6) Ita nōn verbōrum tantum grātiā legendum vel audiendum est (Quintilian)

Literally: Thus it not must be read or heard merely for the sake of words.

• Then one / you should not read or listen merely for the sake of words.

(7) Poscit, dandum est; vocat, veniendum est; ēicit, abeundum; minātur, extimēscendum (Cicero)

Note in the example that est is not used with all the gerundives; the sense of obligation is already clear from the first two; Cicero then quickens the pace of the Latin statement by using the gerundive alone:

• He demands — it must be given; he calls — one must come; he drives out — one must go away; he threatens — one must be afraid.

In these last three examples, note the appropriate though highly idiomatic rendering of the construction in translation:

(8)

Haud somnīculōsē hoc agendum est (Plautus)

• We can't go to sleep doing it [literally: This is not to be done sleepily].

(9) Male cubandum est (Plautus)

• I’m in for a bad night [literally: It is to be slept badly].

(10) Inambulandum est (Plautus)

• Now for some wandering around / It’s time to wander around.

07.10.26: Level 3+ (review); impersonal verbs [9] impersonal passive constructions

Diū pugnātum est. │ The battle went on for a long time.

[i] A transitive verb can be followed by a direct object, for example:

Rēx epistulam scrībit │ The king writes / is writing a letter.

Imperātor epistulam legēbat │ The commander was reading a letter.

Magister epistulam mīsit / mīserat │ The teacher (has) sent / had sent a letter.

Fēmina epistulam accipiet │ The lady will receive a letter.

[ii] Those transitive verbs can be changed into passive forms, epistula becoming the subject of the sentence:

Epistula (ā rēge) scrībitur │ A letter is (being) written (by the king).

Epistula (ab imperātōre) legēbatur│ The letter was being read (by the commander).

Epistula (ā magistrō) missa est / erat│ The letter was (has been) / had been sent by the teacher.

Epistula (ā fēminā) accipiētur │ A letter will be received by the lady.

[iii] Intransitive verbs cannot be followed by a direct object, for example:

currō, -ere: run

dormiō, -īre: sleep

eō, īre: go

pugnō, -āre: fight

veniō, -īre: come

[iv] Intransitive verbs cannot have passive forms with a subject e.g. *he has been slept*, *they were being run*. However, passive forms of intransitive verbs without a subject are used to convey impersonal ideas; in English, that may be expressed by, for example:

“There was shouting going on outside / people were shouting” i.e. the focus is on an action rather than anybody specific performing it.

Diū pugnātum est.

Literally: It was fought for a long time

• There was fighting / people fought for a long time, or (an impersonal) ‘they’ fought for a long time

A noun related to the verb may also work:

• There was a battle for a long time / the battle went on for a long time.

Translations can vary but, in the examples below from the authors, you can see that the impersonal nature of the verb is retained:

Pugnātum est ab utrīsque ācriter (Caesar)

• There was fierce fighting on both sides [ literally: ‘it’ was fought bitterly …]

Ea mē spectātum tulerat per Dionȳsia. postquam illō ventum est, iam, ut mē collocāverat, exorītur ventus turbō (Plautus)

• She had taken me to see (the show) at the Dyonisiac festival. After we’d arrived there, just as she had settled me, a storm wind arose.

Ergō ex omnibus locīs urbis in forum curritur (Livy)

• Therefore, from all parts of the city people are running into the forum.

Macte novā virtūte, puer: Sīc ītur ad astra (Vergil)

• Be blessed in your new courage, boy; this is the way to the stars / one goes to … [literally: In this way it is being gone …]

Ad arma conclāmātum est (Livy)

• The cry ‘to arms!’ was raised.

Et Rōmam inde frequenter migrātum est, ā parentibus maximē ac propinquīs raptārum (Livy)

• And from there, there was frequent migration to Rome, especially by the parents and relatives of those / the women who had been abducted.

Magnīs opibus dormītur in urbe (Juvenal)

• Only with great wealth is it possible to sleep / do people sleep in the city.

However, Martial’s dormouse doesn’t quite obey the ‘rule’:

(1) Tōta mihi (2) dormītur (1) hiems et pinguior illō tempore sum, quō mē nihil nisi somnus alit.

• Literally:  (1) the whole winter for me (2) is slept [ = I sleep the whole winter] and I am fatter during that time (season), when nothing but sleep feeds me.

06.10.26: Level 3 / 3+ (Review); Hillard & Botting [68] Labours of Hercules (5)

Ingēns ōlim aper ā monte Erymanthō in campōs dēscenderat. Hunc, cum agrōs ubīque vastāret, vīvum ad rēgem portāre iussus Herculēs per altam nivem diū petēbat: tum labōre fessum rēte impedīvit Mycēnāsque avexit. Aprum dum petit, Centaurō Pholō occurrit, cui Bacchus olim cadum optimī vīnī dederat. Hunc cadum Herculēs aperuit: tum reliquī Centaurī, vīnī odōre dulcissimō ductī, spēluncam in quā Pholus habitābat obsēdērunt: ab Herculē pulsī Chīrōnis domum fugā petīvērunt. Quōs ille cum fugāret, incautē amīcum suum Chīrōnem sagittā venenātā vulnerāvit: Pholus quoque sagittā, quae in pedem eius forte ceciderat, vulnerātus est. Chīrōn, cum immortālis esset, sagittā nōn necātus erat: ultrō tamen vītā excessit.

[1] The following statements are untrue; correct them:

[i] The boar had gone up to Mt. Erymanthus.

[ii] Hercules had been ordered to kill the boar.

[iii] There was heavy rain.

[iv] The boar was caught by a trap.

[2] Translate: Aprum dum petit, Centaurō Pholō occurrit, cui Bacchus olim cadum optimī vīnī dederat. Hunc cadum Herculēs aperuit: tum reliquī Centaurī, vīnī odōre dulcissimō ductī, spēluncam in quā Pholus habitābat obsēdērunt: ab Herculē pulsī Chīrōnis domum fugā petīvērunt. (10)

[3] Complete the Latin with the words listed below; note the differences in word order:

(1) While he was chasing (2) them, he accidentally wounded (3) his own friend Chiron with a (4) poisoned arrow. Pholus also was (5) wounded by an arrow (6) which had (7) by chance fallen on (8) his foot. Chiron, since he (9) was immortal, (10) was not killed by the arrow; (11) nevertheless, (12) of his own accord, he died [ = departed from life].

(2) __________ ille (1) __________ fugāret, incautē amīcum (3) __________ Chīrōnem sagittā (4) __________ vulnerāvit: Pholus quoque sagittā, (6) __________ in pedem (8) __________  (7) __________ ceciderat, (5) __________ est. Chīrōn, cum immortālis (9) __________, sagittā nōn necātus (10) __________: (12) __________ (11) __________ vītā excessit.

cum; eius; erat; esset; forte; quae; quōs; suum; tamen; ultrō; venenātā; vulnerātus

Vocabulary

aper, aprī [2/m]: boar 

cādus, cādī [2/m]: cask 

odor, odōris [3/m]: smell 

rēte, rētis [3/n]: net 

venēnātus, -a, -um: poisoned

Notes: subjunctive

(1) cum-clauses conveying the circumstances in which something happened, or the causes for it

https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/subjunctive%3A%20cum-clauses

(2) imperfect subjunctive

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2026/01/070426-level-3-subjunctive-13-tenses-3.html

cum agrōs ubīque vastāret, … ∣ since it was ravaging the fields everywhere, …

quōs ille cum fugāret, … ∣ while he was chasing them away, …

cum immortālis esset, … ∣  since he was immortal, …

____________________

[1]

[i] had come down from Mt. Erymanthus

[ii] bring the boar back alive

[iii] deep snow

[iv] caught in a net

[2] While he was pursuing the boar (1), he encountered the centaur Pholus (1), to whom Bacchus had once given (1) a jar (bottle, cask) of excellent wine (1). Hercules opened this jar (1); then the other centaurs / the rest of the centaurs (1), led by the very sweet smell of the wine (1), besieged the cave (1) in which Pholus lived. Driven off by Hercules (1), they fled and made for the home of Chiron (1).

[3]

(2) Quōs ille (1) cum fugāret, incautē amīcum (3) suum Chīrōnem sagittā (4) venenātā vulnerāvit: Pholus quoque sagittā, (6) quae in pedem (8) eius (7) forte ceciderat, (5) vulnerātus est. Chīrōn, cum immortālis (9) esset, sagittā nōn necātus (10) erat: (12) ultrō (11) tamen vītā excessit.

____________________

Once, a huge boar had come down from Mount Erymanthus into the plains. Since it was ravaging the fields everywhere, Hercules, having been ordered to bring it back alive to the king, pursued it for a long time through deep snow. Then, when it was exhausted from effort, he trapped it in a net and carried it off to Mycenae.

While he was pursuing the boar, he encountered the centaur Pholus, to whom Bacchus had once given a jar of excellent wine. Hercules opened this jar; then the other centaurs, led by the very sweet smell of the wine, surrounded the cave in which Pholus lived. Driven off by Hercules, they fled in panic to the home of Chiron.

While he was chasing them away, he accidentally wounded his own friend Chiron with a poisoned arrow. Pholus also was wounded by an arrow which had by chance fallen on his foot. Chiron, since he was immortal, was not killed by the arrow; nevertheless, of his own accord, he died.

05.10.26: topic: architecture [6]; The Roman House [1]

Many of the wealthy houses in Pompeii were deliberately designed to appear modest and closed off from the street, with narrow entrances that opened into spacious and richly decorated interiors. The presence of shops along the street frontage – which were often owned by the household behind them – also contributed to this limited visibility.

The layout controlled privacy and social access, allowing owners carefully to manage how visitors experienced their homes and to reveal their wealth only to selected guests.

The design faces inward with only a few small windows which regulated temperature in the warm climate, creating a cooler and more comfortable environment inside.

The restricted entrance and minimal exterior openings may have provided some security benefits.

According to the Roman architect Vitruvius, the main parts of a Roman house were:

ālae (plural)

ātrium

faucēs (plural)

ōstium

peristȳlium

tablīnum

vestibulum

[1] vestibulum, -ī [2/n]: enclosed space between the entrance of the house and the street

There is debate as to what this represented since it had different meanings in different periods of history and in different kinds of houses. Moreover, written records and what has been discovered in archaeology do not always match.

[i] In palaces or large villas, this could refer to a courtyard surrounded on all three sides by the house itself: In the vestibulum the clients assembled, till the door was opened, to pay their respects (salūtātiō) to the master of the house, so that they might not be left standing either in the street or within the house. (Thurston Peck)

[ii] Image #1: in smaller houses in Rome and in other towns, there was either no vestibulum i.e. the door opened straight onto the street, or the vestibulum was simply marked by a door standing a few feet back from the street. Steps sometimes led up to the vestibulum.

The Diagram below shows (figure 4) that the entrance to the properties could be surrounded by shops. In other words, the only part of the house visible from the street was the door.

Comenius’ use of the word – and Hoole’s translation of it as ‘porch’ – conveys the second idea, which, of course, is still a feature of houses now.

By Domus_romana_Vector001.svg: *PureCorederivative work: PureCore (talk)derivative work: Papa Lima Whiskey 2 (talk) - This file was derived from: Domus romana Vector001.svg:, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18274163

[2] Images #2 and #3: the terms vestibulum and faucēs, -ium [3/f] are sometimes not differentiated, especially in town houses. The first meaning of faucēs is ‘throat’ but, in architecture, it specifically refers to the narrow entry passage immediately beyond the main entrance and door to the house. In the diagram faucēs are also marked as being narrow corridors within the property.

ōstium, -ī [2/n]: entrance

iānua, -ae [1/f]: door

foris, -is [3/f]: door; entrance; pl: forēs, -ium, refers to the two leaves of a door

Note: forās, an adverb referring to “out of doors”

In this line from Plautus, the entrance area and door are expressed as separate ideas:

īte forās: hīc volō ante ōstium et iānuam 

Come out of doors; here, before the entrance and the door

This typically led to the:

[3] image #4: ātrium, -ī [2/n]: the main reception room in a large city house or villa – a declaration of wealth and status; you can imagine first walking through the narrow entrance that finally reveals this large and impressively decorated area with natural overhead light from the [a] compluvium, -ī [2/n], the opening in the ceiling through which rainwater fell into the [b] impluvium, -ī [2/n], a shallow pool directly below. The water from the basin flowed down into a well: puteus, -ī [2/m].

04.10.26: Level 1 (review); vocabulary [20]: food and drink (5)

[1] Which of the following refer to:

(a) cooking utensils; kitchen equipment

(b) cutlery

(c) drinking vessels or objects for holding liquids

amphora

caccabus

calix

cantharus

coc(h)lear

culter

frixōrium

fuscinula

lagēna / lagoena

mortārium

ōlla

pistillum

pōcillum

pōculum

spatha

urceus

vāsa coquināria

[2] Label the images:

amphora, -ae [1/f]     

fuscinula, -ae [1/f]

lagēna / lagoena, -ae [1/f]

ōlla, -ae [1/f]

spatha, -ae [1/f]

cantharus, -ī [2/m]   

caccabus, -ī [2/m]     

urceus, -ī [2/m]

culter, cultrī [2/m]

frixōrium, -ī [2/n]     

mortārium, -ī [2/n]

pistillum, -ī [2/n]      

pōcillum, -ī [2/n]

pōculum, -ī [2/n]

vāsa coquināria         

vāsum, -ī [2/n]

calix, calicis [3/m]     

cochlear, -āris [3/n]

____________________

[1]

(a) caccabus; frixōrium; mortarium; ōlla; pistillum; spatha; vāsa coquināria

(b) coc(h)lear; culter; fuscinula

(c) Amphora; calix; cantharus; lagēna / lagoena; pōcillum; poculum; urceus

[2]