17.03.24: how to wage war in Latin

This text is particularly useful from the point of view of vocabulary. If you’re aiming to read the literature, then you will certainly encounter detailed descriptions of armies waging war, battles, armed soldiers attacking towns and burning them, or people fortifying their cities, Romans conquering their enemies, commanders leading their troops and making deals with allies, soldiers conquering the foe …or abandoning their positions. It’s useful to begin compiling a list of vocabulary that is related to this topic because the same words come up again and again.

[The Road to Latin (Chesnutt) 1932]

Dē Equō Ligneō

Multī dominī Rōmānī servōs Graecōs habent. Servī Graecī saepe sunt paedagogī puerōrum Rōmānōrum. Dominī paedagōgōs cum fīliīs ad lūdum mittunt. Paedagōgus Lūcī et Aulī est Graecus. Puerīs fābulās dē Graeciā saepe nārrat. Fābula dē equō ligneō Lūcium et Aulum dēlectat. “Graecī sunt īrātī quod Troiānī pulchram fēminam Graecam Troiae tenent. Itaque multī armātī ōrās Graeciae relinquunt et Troiam nāvigant. Interim Troiānī arma et frūmentum cōgunt et mūrōs Troiae dīligenter mūniunt. Posteā Graecī mūrōs oppugnant et longum bellum cum Troiānīs gerunt. Sunt multa proelia in ōrīs Troiae sed deī neque Graecīs neque Troiānīs victōriam dant. “Tandem Graecī magnum equum ligneum aedificant. Noctū multī armātī in equum ascendunt. Tum reliquī Graecī ad īnsulam parvam nāvigant sed equum extrā mūrōs Troiae relinquunt. Māne Troiānī ā Troiae mūrīs equum magnum vident. Portās celeriter aperiunt et ad equum properant. Multī clāmant, ‘est certē dōnum deōrum!’ Troiānī equum nōn timent sed dēsīderant; itaque equum intrā mūrōs trahunt. Noctū armātī ex equō veniunt. Troiānī Graecōs nōn impediunt quod armātōs nōn audiunt. Ab īnsulā parvā ad Troiae portās reliquī Graecī properant. Tum armātī ad portās veniunt et sociōs intrā mūrōs dūcunt. Sīc Graecī Troiānōs vincunt et Troiam incendunt.”

Vocabulary

aedificō, aedificāre [1] build

armātus, -a, -um: armed, but used here as a noun i.e. “armed (men / soldiers)"

ascendō, ascendere [3]: climb

celeriter: quickly

cōgō, cōgere [3]: collect; compel, force

dōnum, ī, n. gift, offering

dūcō, dūcere [3]: lead, guide

extrā (preposition + accusative): outside

gerō, gerere [3]: carry on; wear

• bellum gerere: wage war

incendō, incendere [3]: burn, set fire to

interim: meanwhile; in the meantime

intrā (preposition + accusative): within; inside

mūniō, mūnīre [4]: fortify; defend

oppugnō, oppugnāre [1]: assault; besiege; storm

also:

pugnō, pugnāre [1]: fight

• ex¦pugnō, ex¦pugnāre [1]: take by assault; storm; plunder; pillage
• re¦pugnō, re¦pugnāre [1]: fight against; resist; defend oneself

porta: gate

proelium: battle

relinquō, relinquere [3]: leave; abandon

reliquus, -a, -um: remaining; rest of

sīc: thus; in this way

socius: companion; comrade; ally

trahō, trahere [3]: drag; draw

Troia: Troy

Troiānus, -a, -um: Trojan; a Trojan

victōria: victory

vincō, vincere [3]: conquer; subdue; overcome

Notes

[1] dē: in a previous post it was mentioned that prepositions may refer to physical position or to abstract concepts; dē can mean (physically) down from somewhere, but here it has the abstract meaning of ‘about; concerning’

[2] Itaque multī armātī … Troiam nāvigant. With the names of towns and cities, expressing movement to the place is expressed by the accusative alone; no preposition is needed: “And so, many armed soldiers sail to Troy.”

[2] extrā + accusative: outside; think of the English derivative extra­curricular activities i.e. those activities done by students outside the regular academic curriculum

[3] intrā + accusative: inside; a nice way of remembering this one is the name Intramuros (‘inside the walls’), which is an area of Manila surrounded by fortifications. The term is actually from Spanish, but you can see its derivation.