27.02.24: topical vocabulary [5] things around you (in the street and in the town)

[1] Quid est in viā tuā? What’s in your street?

In viā meā est pavīmentum. On my street there’s a pavement.

pavīmentum: refers to a floor composed of stones that have been beaten down rather than, specifically, a raised walkway either side of the street. The separate image, however, does show that, in Pompeii, there were raised walkways.

Smaller than a via is sēmita, which is a footpath or a lane.

In viā meā est thermopōlium. …a hot food outlet

In viā meā sunt multae tabernae. In my street are many shops.

[2] Quid est in oppidō tuō? What’s in your town?

Note: the word for ‘city’ is urbs, a feminine noun which is not a first or second declension noun. If you use it, then note the difference: Quid est in urbe tuā? In urbe meā est / sunt … What’s in your city? In my city there is / are …

In oppidō meō / in urbe meā est fluvius. In my town / city there is a river.

In oppidō meō est ludus. … a school

ludus: can refer to school, or, specifically, a gladiator school; the word schola also can be used to refer to a school. The image shows the remains of the gladiator school next to the Colosseum in Rome.

In oppidō meō est circus. … a racecourse; the most famous racecourse was the Circus Maximus

In oppidō meō est unum amphitheātrum. ...one amphitheatre

In oppidō meō est castrum. … a castle

castrum: You will see this word far more often in the plural i.e. castra to mean a military camp

In oppidō meō sunt multa templa. In my town there are many temples.

In oppidō meō sunt lātrīnae. …toilets

lātrina: toilet; the image posted shows that public toilets were far more ‘public’ than we would have liked.

In oppidō meō sunt thermae. …baths

thermae are public baths; the image shows the Roman baths in the aptly named English city of Bath

In oppidō meō sunt moenia …walls

moenia: refers to the defensive walls of a city, an important word to know since the Romans seemed to be constantly attacking or defending them.