Ad celeritātem
onerandī subductiōnēsque paulō facit humiliōrēs quam quibus in nostrō marī ūtī
cōnsuēvimus, atque id eō magis, quod propter crēbrās commūtātiōnēs aestuum
minus magnōs ibi flūctūs fierī cognōverat; ad onera, ad multitūdinem iūmentōrum
trānsportandam paulō lātiōrēs quam quibus in reliquīs ūtimur maribus. Hās omnēs
āctuāriās imperat fierī, quam ad rem multum humilitās adiuvat.
For speed of loading,
and for drawing them on shore, he makes them a little lower than those which we
have been accustomed to use in our sea; and that so much the more, because he
knew that, on account of the frequent changes of the tide, fewer swells
occurred there; for the purpose of transporting burdens and a great number of
horses, [he makes them] a little broader than those which we use in other seas.
All these he orders to be constructed for lightness, to which object their
lowness contributes greatly.
āctuārius, -a,
-um: swift, agile
aestus, -ūs [4/m]:
tide
cōnsuēscō, -ere,
cōnsuēvī, cōnsuētus [3]: [i] get used to; [ii] (here): be used to
iūmentum, -ī
[2/n]: can refer to any large animal capable of pulling, for example, carts;
horse, mule, donkey, cow
subductiō,
subductiōnis [3/f]: the act of hauling a ship ashore
Ad ¦ celeritātem ¦ onerandī │ for
the purpose of ¦ speed ¦ of loading
[i] ad [ii]
multitūdinem ¦ iūmentōrum ¦ [iii] trānsportandam │ for the
purpose of transporting … a great number of horses [= [i] for
the purpose of ¦ [ii] a large number ¦ of horses ¦ [iii] to be
transported]
Image: a ship
builder at work on a relief from Ravenna
Going into detail
regarding the types, dimensions, capacity and speed of Ancient Roman ships is
time-consuming and, depending on sources, inconsistent. Comenius uses the term unirēmis:
the English nouns unireme, monoreme (from Greek) refer to galleys
with one bank of oars but the term unirēmis itself is not attested, although
it makes sense since the following are attested:
birēmis, -is [3/f]: bireme, a ship having
two banks of oars
And there were
bigger ships than that: just change the beginning to identify how many banks of
oars a ship had!
[1] In his
description of the events surrounding the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, Pliny the
Younger refers to his uncle (Pliny the Elder) who, out of academic interest, prepares
of a boat in order to sail across to the location of the volcano:
Iubet
liburnicam aptārī │ He orders a “Liburnian” to be prepared
liburna, -ae [1/f]:
a Liburnian was a type of light and fast ship, two banks of oars (biremes)
on each side.
However, upon
receipt of a letter (this incident is, in my view, highly questionable) from
Rectina, an inhabitant who is unable to escape by land, Pliny the Elder decides
to “upgrade” to a bigger boat, his role in the narrative “evolving” from mere
academic interest to that of a rescuer i.e. the bigger the problem, the bigger
the boat, and the “bigger” the man.
We’ll look at
these letters in more detail in later posts, but note how, in one short
passage, Pliny significantly enhances his uncle’s involvement portraying him as
a decisive and heroic leader.
[i] Vertit ille
cōnsilium et [ii] quod studiōsō animō incohāverat obit maximō. [iii] Dēdūcit quadrirēmēs,
[iv] ascendit ipse [v] nōn Rectīnae modō ¦ sed multīs
(erat enim frequēns amoenitās ōrae) lātūrus auxilium.
[i] He changes his
plan, and [ii] that which he had begun with an attitude of study he takes on
with a spirit of courage. [iii] He draws out quadriremes; [iv] he
himself boards, [v] ready to bring assistance not only to Rectina, but to
many (for the pleasantness of that shore was crowded).
[2] And you didn’t
need to see these ships in battles and rescue missions; you could go and watch
a naval show; Suetonius is referring to a naumachia, -ae
[1/f], the artificial recreation of a sea battle:
nāvālī proeliō in
minōre Cōdētā dēfossō lacū birēmēs ac trirēmēsquadrirēmēsque
Tyriae et Aegyptiae classis magnō pugnātōrum numerō cōnflīxērunt.
A lake having been
dug in the little Codeta, ships of the Tyrian and Egyptian fleets, containing
two, three, and four banks of oars, with a number of men on board, afforded
an animated representation of a sea-fight.
image #1: Phoenician
warship with two rows of oars (Nineveh, ca. 700 BC)
image #2: Liburnians
of the Danube fleet during Trajan’s Dacian Wars (Bas Relief from Trajan’s
column, 118 AD)
A Ship furnished
with Oars, 1. is a Barge, 2. or a Foyst,
&c. in which the Rowers, 3. sitting on Seats, 4. by
the Oar-rings, row, by striking the water with the Oars,
5.
Navis īnstrūcta Rēmīs, 1. est Unirēmis,
2. vel Birēmis, &c. in quā Rēmigēs, 3. cōnsīdentēs pre Trānstra,
4. ad Scalmōs, rēmigant pellendō aquam Rēmīs, 5.
The Ship-master,
6. standing in the Fore-castle, and the Steers-man, 7.
sitting at the Stern, and holding the Rudder, 8. steer
the Vessel │ Prōrēta, 6. stāns in Prōrā, & Gubernātor,
7. sedēns in Puppī, tenēnsque Clāvum, 8. gubernant Nāvigium.
[1]
nāvigium, -ī
[2/n]: vessel, boat, ship
nāvis, -is [3/f]:
ship
nāvis āctuāria:
galley; āctuārius, -a, -um: swift, agile; Caesar uses this adjective to refer
to the construction of lightweight ships (see the next post)
[2]
puppis, -is [3/f]:
stern of a ship
prōra, -ae [1/f]:
prow of a ship; forecastle
prōrēta, -ae
[1/m]: lookout man at the prow of the ship
nāvis īnstrūcta
¦ rēmīs [ablative] │ a ship fitted ¦ with oars
scalmus, -ī [2/m]:
peg to which an oar was strapped; oarlock
trānstrum, -ī
[2/n]: crossbeam; a “thwart”, a seat across a boat which a rower sits on
Notes: present
active participles
rēmigēs cōnsīdentēs
pre trānstra │ the oarsmen [who are] sitting along the seats
prōrēta stāns
in prōrā et gubernātor sedēns in puppī, tenēnsque clāvum │the ship-master standing at the prow
of the ship, and the helmsman sitting at the stern and holding
the rudder
[1] Neuter nouns
ending in -e, -al, -ar undergo the same change in the
genitive plural as the i-stem nouns discussed in the previous post i.e. -ium,
but they also have changes in the ablative singular [-ī] and nominative
/ accusative plural [-ia]; such nouns are few in number and not common.
From the authors:
[1] Eundem in exemplāria
mīlle trānscrīptum per tōtam Ītaliam prōvinciāsque dīmīsit (Pliny) │ Then a
thousand copies were
written of the same memoir, which
he dispersed through all of Italy and the provinces.
[2] Reliquī
disseruērunt sine ūllō certō exemplārī fōrmāque reī pūblicae (Cicero) │ His
successors have discussed the different types of State and their basic
principles without any definite example or model
[3] in eō
conclāvī ego perfōdī parietem (Plautus) │ in that same room I have
dug a hole through the party-wall
[4] Etiam rogitās,
scelestē homō, quī angulōs in omnīs meārum aedium et conclāvium
mihi pervium facitis? (Plautus) │ Do you even ask me, you rascally fellow? You
who've been making a thoroughfare of every corner of my house, and the rooms
under lock and key? (conclāve can refer to a room that is locked)
Note: aedis, aedis
[3/f]: [i] temple, shrine [ii] plural (aedēs): house; i-stem noun (the same
number of syllables in the nominative and genitive singular)
[5] absolūtum
offendī in aedibus tuīs tēctum, quod suprā conclāvia nōn placuerat tibi
esse multōrum fastīgiōrum, id nunc honestē vergit in tēctum īnferiōris porticūs
(Cicero) │ I found the roof on your house finished: the part over the sitting-rooms,
which you did not wish to have many gables, now slopes gracefully towards the
roof of the lower colonnade.
[6] repente
glōriāns mariamontīsque pollicērī coepit (Sallust) │ suddenly, boasting,
he began to promise her seas and mountains
Note: montīs,
the alternative accusative plural of the i-stem noun
[7] Quōs vōs
implōrāre dēbētis ut … hanc omnibus hostium cōpiīs terrā marīque
superātīs ā perditissimōrum cīvium nefāriō scelere dēfendant (Cicero) │ You
ought to implore them … with all the forces of the enemy having been
overcome on land and (on) sea, that they defend her from this wicked
crime of the most dangerous citizens.
[8] Columella on
the management of chickens …
Plūrimī etiam
īnfrā cubīlium strāmenta grāminis aliquid et rāmulōs laurī │ Very many
people also lay a little grass under the litter of the nest-boxes and
small branches of bay
[9] Celsus on,
well, read it for yourself …
perīculōsa etiam,
quae inter febrēs fluēns conquiēscere hominem in cubīlī nōn patitur
(Celsus) │ it is dangerous also during fevers when fluid stools allow the
patient no rest in bed
[10] Celsus on
being bitten …
Dīxī dē iīs
vulneribus, quae maximē per tēla īnferuntur. Sequitur, ut dē iīs dīcam, quae
morsū fīunt, interdum hominis, interdum sīmiae, saepe canis, nōnnumquam ferōrum
animālium aut serpentium │ I have spoken of those wounds which
are mostly inflicted by weapons. My next task is to speak of those which are
caused by the bite, at times of a man, at times of an ape, often of a dog, not
infrequently of wild animals or of snakes.
serpēns, serpentis
[3m/f]: snake; gen pl: serpentium or serpentum
This is a good
example that leads us to the last point about i-stem nouns …
[2] Before we put
this topic “to bed”, remember where we started: The i-declension was
confused even to the Romans themselves, nor was it stable at all periods of the
language (Allen & Greenough).
In Modern English
there can be variations in, for example, plurals and verb forms and so it is
not surprising to find slight variations in the Latin language that was
used for centuries. In the grammar books, look out for words such as
“occasionally” or “(very) rarely” because that is indicating that a form is attested
i.e. it was used by an author but it does not frequently occur.
[i] You will come
across:
different ablative
singular endings for the same noun e.g. mare / marī; nāve
/ nāvī; colle / collī
different genitive
plural endings for the same noun:
apis, apis [3/f]:
bee; gen pl: apium or apum
serpēns, serpentis
[3m/f]: snake; gen pl: serpentium or serpentum
mēnsis, mēnsis
[3/m]: month; gen pl: mēnsium or mēnsum
[ii] a small group
of 3rd declension i-stem nouns have an alternative accusative
singular in -im
Nominative
singular: turris, turris [3/f] tower
Accusative
singular: turrim or turrem
Similarly:
febris, febris
[3/f]: fever > accusative: febrim or febrem
puppis, puppis
[3/f]: stern of a ship > accusative: puppim or puppem
[iii] Some forms
are rare or, in fact not attested in Classical Latin, but are evident in
later Latin:
Quandō māchinam
per verbum suum fēcit Deus caelī, terrae, marium (Mediaeval)│ When by
His Word, God made the system of heaven, earth, seas
At that point, it was simply stated that there are 3rd
declension nouns known as i-stem where the endings differ slightly from
what is the usual pattern because, at that stage, it was enough simply to
become familiar with this massive declension of nouns and the changes they
undergo. Furthermore, as the quotation below illustrates, it was not necessary
to go into such detail:
The i-declension was confused even to the Romans
themselves, nor was it stable at all periods of the language (Allen &
Greenough)
Even now, this post will only look again in a little more
depth as to the changes in i-stem nouns and patterns as to when those changes –
which are only slight and do not prevent understanding – take place.
We can divide the
third declension into two groups:
image
#1: consonant stems (masculine and feminine); the sole focus is the
genitive plural that ends in -um
image #2: i-stems [1]
ignis, -s [3/m]: fire; also a 3rd declension noun
but note [i] the genitive plural in -ium and [ii] an alternative
accusative plural ending i.e. either -ēs (the same as the consonant
stems) or -īs; the -īs ending is important to note because [a] it occurs
a lot in the literature, and [b] it is the dative and ablative plural of
1st and 2nd declension nouns (where you will most often
see it), whereas here, in these 3rd declension nouns, it is an accusative
plural.
Alright, it is a question of playing “spot the difference”,
but there is a (sort of) pattern to this.
Image #3
[1] Nouns which make these changes are known as non-increasing;
this means that the noun has the same number of syllables in the
nominative and genitive singular; in grammar this can also be described as parisyllabic.
Compare:
[i] an increasing noun; it has an additional syllable
in the genitive singular
Nominative singular: prīn-ceps (chief)
Genitive singular: prīn-ci-pis
[ii] a non-increasing noun; it has the same number of
syllables in both the nominative and genitive singular
Nominative singular: fē-lēs (cat)
Genitive singular: fē-lis
Non-increasing nouns end in -s (mainly -is) e.g. cīvis, -is
(citizen), fēlēs, -is (cat), hostis, -is (enemy), nāvis, -is (ship)
But remember: just because a noun ends in -s does not mean
that it is i-stem; it is the non-increasing nouns that are i-stem.
Compare:
[i] increasing
Nominative singular: mī-les (soldier)
Genitive singular: mī-li-tis
Genitive plural: mīlitum
[ii] non-increasing
Nominative singular: cī-vis (citizen)
Genitive singular: cī-vis
Genitive plural: cīvium
Note: As in any language there are words which do not
conform to the “rules” i.e. there are non-increasing nouns which do not take
the endings -ium and the alternative accusative plural -īs, for
example:
canis, canis (dog); gen. pl: canum; acc. pl: canēs
iuvenis, iuvenis (youth); gen. pl: iuvenum; acc. pl:
iuvenēs
māter, mātris (mother); gen. pl: mātrum; acc. pl:
mātrēs
pater, patris (father); gen. pl: patrum; acc. pl:
patrēs
senex, senis (old man); gen. pl: senum; acc. pl: senēs
This is not something over which you should lose sleep!
Image #4
[2] These changes also apply to monosyllabic
nouns (i.e. nouns with one syllable) in the nominative singular which, in the
genitive singular, have two consonants as the stem. Note that they all have a
consonant + /s/ in the nominative singular. That, I accept, sounds long-winded
but take a look at the pattern to see what is happening:
Nominative singular: urbs (city); one syllable
Genitive singular: urb¦is; 2 consonants in
the stem
Nominative singular: dēns (tooth); one syllable
Genitive singular: dent¦is; 2 consonants in
the stem
Nominative singular: pars (part); one syllable
Genitive singular: part¦is; 2 consonants in
the stem
Words that end in -x can also appear in this
category. However, compare:
[i]
Nominative singular: nox /k+s/ (night)
Genitive singular: noctis; 2 consonants in
the stem
Itaque per centum
ferē annōs rēgēs Britannicī vel rēgīnae Britannicae in Britanniā rēgnāvērunt,
nec Rōmānī Britannōs bellō vexāvērunt. In numerō eōrum rēgum erat Cunobelīnus.
Is rēvērā "Britannōrum rēx" erat: sīc eum Suētōnius, scrīptor Rōmānus,
nōminat. Nam quamquam nōn omnēs gentēs Britannicae eī subiectae erant,
tamen magnam partemgentium Britanniae mediterrāneae et
merīdiānae in ūnum rēgnum cōnsociāverat. Caput eārum gentium Camulodūnum
erat. Exstant hodiē nummī Cunobelīnī; in eīs nōmen rēgis vel litterās nōnnūllās
eius nōminis lēctitāre possumus: exstant quoque nummī patris eius Tasciovānī et
frātris eius Epaticcī.
Cunobelīnus multōs
annōs rēgnāvit; eō ferē tempore rēx Britannōrum erat cum Tiberius et Caligula
prīncipēs Rōmānōrum erant. Eī ab annō quārtō decimō ad annum prīmum et
quadrāgēsimum post Chrīstum nātum imperiō Rōmānō praeerant. Iēsus Chrīstus
nātus erat dum Augustus prīnceps erat: mortī datus erat dum Tiberius
imperitābat, ut Tacitus in capite quārtō et quadrāgēsimō librī quīntī decimī Annālium
commemorat. Inter fīliōs Cunobelīnī erant Caractacus et Togodumnus. Is rēx
magnus et bonus erat, atque dēfēnsor ācer lībertātis Britannicae. Sed Rōmānī
tantum rēgem tolerāre nōn poterant. Itaque dē novā expedītiōne contrā
Britanniam cōgitābant.
Poētae Rōmānī eius
aetātis īnsulam nostram et incolās eius saepe commemorant. Horātius eōs
"ferōs" et "remōtōs" et "intāctōs" id est
"nōn dēbellātōs" vel "līberōs" nōminat: Vergilius eōs
"tōtō orbe terrārum dīvīsōs" id est "sēparātōs"
vocat. Mare eōs ab aliīs partibus orbis terrārum sēparābat; et lībertās
eīs cāra erat. Prō ārīs et focīs suīs contrā Rōmānōs magnā virtūte pugnāverant,
atque hostibus Rōmānōrum in bellō Gallicō auxilia subministrāverant. Itaque
Rōmānī lībertātem eōrum nōn tolerābant.
Identify the cases
and explain why they are being used:
[1] nec Rōmānī
Britannōs bellō vexāvērunt
[2] magnam partem
gentium Britanniae mediterrāneae
[3] Cunobelīnus
multōs annōs rēgnāvit
[4] eō ferē
tempore
[5] Eī … imperiō
Rōmānō praeerant.
[6] mortī
datus erat
[7] mare eōs ab
aliīs partibus orbis terrārum sēparābat
[8] lībertās eīs
cāra erat
[9] magnā
virtūte pugnāverant
Notes
annālis, annālis
[3/n]: chronicle; mainly in plural i.e. annālēs: chronicles, annals
gēns, gentis
[3/f]: people; nation; tribe
mors, mortis
[3/f]: death
orbis, orbis
[3/m]: circle; ring; anything circular
orbis terrārum:
the earth; the globe
pars, partis
[3/f]: part
These nouns have
been seen before. However, take a second look at them because they are all
known as i-stem nouns, a topic which was referred to some time back.
However, now at Level 3, we will take some time to discuss them again in more
detail which will be the focus of the next few posts.
____________________
[1] nec Rōmānī
Britannōs bellō vexāvērunt │ and the Romans did not trouble the Britons with
(by means of) war; ablative of means
[2] magnam partem
gentium │ a large part / the majority of the tribes; partitive
genitive; gēns, gentis [3/f]: tribe; nation
[3] Cunobelīnus
multōs annōs rēgnāvit │ Cunobelinus ruled for many years;
accusative of duration of time
[4] eō ferē
tempore │ at around that time; ablative of time when
[5] Eī … imperiō
Rōmānō praeerant. │ they were in charge of the Roman empire; dative
after the verb praesum, praeesse
Listen to the recording without looking at the transcript
and answer the questions.
[A] Answer the
following questions with a single word or short phrase:
["Duo
erant genera nāvium in classe Rōmānā; ūnum erat genus nāvium longārum, alterum
nāvium onerāriārum. Nāvēs longae ad pugnam aptae erant, nāvēs onerāriae ad
onera atque multitūdinem hominum et equōrum transportanda. Tōta classis
Caesaris octingentārum erat nāvium; nam sescentās nāvēs onerāriās per hiemem in
Galliā aedificāverat, ut narrāvī. Inter cēterās, ducentās numerō, nōnnullae
nāvēs longae erant. Sed nāvibus longīs rēvērā non opus erat Caesarī; nam
Britannīs antīquīs nulla erat classis; neque nāvēs onerāriās aedificābant.”]
[1] How many types
of ship were in the Roman fleet? __________
[2] What was the
function of:
[i] the nāvis
longa? __________
[ii] the nāvis
onerāria? __________
[3] The cargo
ships were built:
[i] where?
__________
[ii] when? __________
[4] Number of
ships:
[i] In the entire fleet
__________
[ii] for
transportation __________
[iii]for battles __________
[5] Tick the
correct answer A, B, C or D
A: The Britons had
battle ships but no cargo ships. __________
B: Caesar did not
need cargo ships. __________
C: The Britons had
neither a fleet nor cargo ships. __________
D: The Britons
were building cargo ships. __________
[B]
[Tum ego
"Britannia nōndum domina undārum erat" inquam; "sed quōmodō
frūmentum exportāre poterant, sī nullās nāvēs aedificābant?"
"Venetōrum nāvēs" inquit patruus meus "frūmentum Britannicum in
Galliam portābant, et ex Galliā gemmās, vitrea, cētera in Britanniam. Nam
Venetī, nātiō maritima, in ōrā Gallicā habitābant. Hostēs fuerant Rōmānōrum, et
magnam classem comparāverant."]
[1] The speaker asks
about the export of __________.
[2] How did the
Veneti assist the Britons? __________
[3] What two items
were exported from Gaul? __________ and __________
[4] Why did the
Veneti help the Britons? __________
[C] Complete this
summary with a single word or short phrase:
[Tum Marcus
"Num nātiōnēs barbarae" inquit "nāvēs longās ornāre
poterant?" Et patruus meus "Formam nāvium Gallicārum Caesar in tertiō
librō Bellī Gallicī commemorat. Puppēs altae erant, ad magnitūdinem tempestātum
accommodātae; carīnae plānae. Venetī nāvēs tōtās ex rōbore fabricābant; ad
ancorās catēnīs ferreīs, nōn fūnibus, dēligābant. Pellēs prō vēlīs erant, sīve
propter līnī inopiam, sīve quia in pellibus plūs firmitūdinis quam in vēlīs
līneīs erat. Nāvēs longae Rōmānōrum nōn tam altae erant quam Venetōrum, sed
rostrīs ferreīs et interdum turribus armātae erant; itaque victōriam ā Venetīs
reportāverant." Tum Alexander "Num nāvēs Rōmānae lāminīs ferreīs
armātae erant?" inquit. Sed Marcus: "Quid opus erat lāminīs ferreīs,
sī tormenta hodierna antīquīs dēerant?"]
[1] Caesar
describes __________ ships in the __________ book of the Gallic War.
[2] The ships had
__________ sterns, suitable for __________ and flat __________.
[3] The ships were
built from __________.
[4] They tied
ships to __________ with iron __________ and did not use __________.
[5] Sails were
made from __________ because they did not have __________.
[6] Sails of this
type were __________.
[7] Roman ships
were __________ than those of the Veneti.
[8] Roman ships
had iron __________ and sometimes armed __________.
[9] Alexander asks
why Roman ships did not have__________.
[10] Marcus
replies that there were no__________.
____________________
[C] Tum Marcus
"Num nātiōnēs barbarae" inquit "nāvēs longās ornāre
poterant?" Et patruus meus "Formam nāvium [1] Gallicārum Caesar
in tertiō librō Bellī Gallicī commemorat. Puppēs [2] altae erant,
ad magnitūdinem tempestātum accommodātae; carīnae plānae. Venetī
nāvēs tōtās ex [3] rōbore fabricābant; ad [4] ancorāscatēnīs
ferreīs, nōnfūnibus, dēligābant. [5] Pellēs prō vēlīs
erant, sīve propterlīnīinopiam, sīve quia in pellibus [6]
plūs firmitūdinis quam in vēlīs līneīs erat. Nāvēs longae Rōmānōrum [7] nōn
tam altae erant quam Venetōrum, sed [8] rostrīs ferreīs et interdum turribus
armātae erant; itaque victōriam ā Venetīs reportāverant." Tum Alexander
"Num nāvēs Rōmānae [9] lāminīs ferreīs armātae erant?" inquit.
Sed Marcus: "Quid opus erat lāminīs ferreīs, sī [10] tormenta hodierna
antīquīs dēerant?"
image #1: classis,
-is [3/f]: fleet; turris, -is [3/f]: tower; the relief shows the
battle of Actium (31BC) resulting in the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra; on
each ship is a turris, -is [3/f](tower)
image #2: nāvis,
-is [3/f] longa: battle ship; galley; fresco found in the temple of
Isis at Pompeii but the fresco does not depict a ship in a real battle, but
taking part in a naumachia, -ae [1/f], the artificial recreation of a
sea battle for the purpose of entertainment
images #3 and #4: nāvis
onerāria, transport ship;
merchant vessel; the first image is from the external wall of a house in
Pompeii, the second depicting the offloading of goods from a merchant vessel,
the goods then checked and registered
image #5: vēlum,
-ī [2/n]; ship’s sail; floor mosaic with two
approaching ships in the harbour of Portus
image
#6: puppis, -is [3/f]; stern of the ship; mosaic with
stern of trading vessel in Portus
image #7: carīna,
-ae [1/f]: hull / keel of a ship; the hull of a Roman shipwreck, 55 feet in
length
image #8: vitrea: glassware, from vitreus, -a, -um:
made of glass; glassware from a 2,000 year old Roman shipwreck
images #9 and #10: rōstrum, -ī [2/n]: [i] the beak of a
bird or the snout of an animal; [ii] the prow of a ship and also specifically
referring to the battering ram; rostra from Roman warships sunk at the
Battle of the Aegates Islands, off Sicily, against the Carthaginians in 241 BC.
The Romans also used the word ariēs, arietis
[3/m], a ram / male sheep, to refer to battering “rams” used for breaking down
walls and gates in land conflicts
A ram is depicted in image #10, and four are visible in the
bas-relief of the Battle of Actium [image #1]
the rostra are made of iron: ferreus, -a, -um
images #11 – 16:
ancora, -ae [1/f]: anchor; Roman anchors found in Maltese
waters
catēna, -ae [1/f]: chain
fūnis, -is [3/m]: rope; the rope is from Egypt during the
Roman period
lamina, -ae [1/f]: a thin piece of metal, wood, marble etc; one
of the uses of lamina was in the creation of a dēfixiō, dēfixiōnis
[3/f]: curse tablet, a scroll or an inscription often made of lead, the wording
of which was intended to bring harm to a specific person:
līnum, -ī [2/n]: flax, linen; from a cache of linen bandages discovered
in Egypt in 1907, part of embalming refuse from the mummification of
Tutankhamun
rōbur, rōboris [3/n]: oak; the image is of a Roman-style ship
built of oak, discovered in Engand
"Duo erant
genera nāvium in classe Rōmānā; ūnum erat genus nāvium longārum, alterum nāvium
onerāriārum. Nāvēs longae ad pugnam aptae erant, nāvēs onerāriae ad onera atque
multitūdinem hominum et equōrum transportanda. Tōta classis Caesaris
octingentārum erat nāvium; nam sescentās nāvēs onerāriās per hiemem in Galliā
aedificāverat, ut narrāvī. Inter cēterās, ducentās numerō, nōnnullae nāvēs
longae erant. Sed nāvibus longīs rēvērā non opus erat Caesarī; nam Britannīs
antīquīs nulla erat classis; neque nāvēs onerāriās aedificābant." Tum ego
"Britannia nōndum domina undārum erat" inquam; "sed quōmodō
frūmentum exportāre poterant, sī nullās nāvēs aedificābant?" "Venetōrum
nāvēs" inquit patruus meus "frūmentum Britannicum in Galliam
portābant, et ex Galliā gemmās, vitrea, cētera in Britanniam. Nam Venetī, nātiō
maritima, in ōrā Gallicā habitābant. Hostēs fuerant Rōmānōrum, et magnam
classem comparāverant."
Tum Marcus
"Num nātiōnēs barbarae" inquit "nāvēs longās ornāre
poterant?" Et patruus meus "Formam nāvium Gallicārum Caesar in tertiō
librō Bellī Gallicī commemorat. Puppēs altae erant, ad magnitūdinem tempestātum
accommodātae; carīnae plānae. Venetī nāvēs tōtās ex rōbore fabricābant; ad
ancorās catēnīs ferreīs, nōn fūnibus, dēligābant. Pellēs prō vēlīs erant, sīve
propter līnī inopiam, sīve quia in pellibus plūs firmitūdinis quam in vēlīs
līneīs erat. Nāvēs longae Rōmānōrum nōn tam altae erant quam Venetōrum, sed
rostrīs ferreīs et interdum turribus armātae erant; itaque victōriam ā Venetīs
reportāverant." Tum Alexander "Num nāvēs Rōmānae lāminīs ferreīs
armātae erant?" inquit. Sed Marcus: "Quid opus erat lāminīs ferreīs,
sī tormenta hodierna antīquīs dēerant?"
Venetī, Venetōrum
[2/m/pl]: seafaring Celtic tribe from northern Brittany
Nāvēs longae ad
pugnam aptae erant, nāvēs onerāriae ¦ adonera … transportanda.
│ Battle-ships were suitable for fighting, merchant vessels … ¦ for the
transporting of loads (cargo); literally: for loads to be transported;
the gerundive of purpose:
[1] Vocabulary review: Match the Latin
and English
aptus, -a, -um
carīna, -ae [1/f]
classis, -is [3/f]
fūnis, -is [3/m]
genus, generis
[3/n]
lāmina, -ae [1/f]
līnum, -ī [2/n]
onerārius, -a, -um
pellis, -is [3/f]
plānus, -a, -um
puppis, -is [3/f]
rostrum, -ī [2/n]
tormentum, -ī
[2/n]
turris -is [3/f]
vēlum, -ī [2/n]
vitreus, -a, -um
(adjective) cargo,
transport; animal skin; engine for hurling missiles; flat; flax, linen; fleet; hull,
keel (of a ship); made of glass; prow of a warship; rope; sail of a ship; stern
of a ship; suitable; thin piece of lead; tower; type
The tense sign of the Future Indicative in the first and
second conjugations is -bō / -bi- / -bu-. This is joined to the present stem of
the verb and followed by the personal ending, as follows:
Mārcus
autem: “Ego manēbō et amīcōs meōs adiuvābō!”
Tum
Rōmānī: “Sī tū Graecōs adiuvābis, et tibi et amīcīs tuīs malum (1) dabimus!”
“Tum
vōs nōn iam iuvābit hīc esse! Immō vērō timēbitis et horrēbitis.”
“Gaudēbimus,
sī maestī vōs movēbitis! (2)”
“Nōs
cūnctōs Graecōs fugābimus, Rōmam nostram līberābimus, nōbīs dīvitiās parābimus.
Tum dēmum laetī et contentī erimus.”
“Cūnctī
Rōmānī nōbīs grātī erunt et gaudēbunt!”
“Neque
ego tum maestus et miser sedēbō, sed opulentus erō. Nunc Graecī multās vīllās,
multōs agrōs possident: mox erunt Rōmānōrum. Nunc nōbīs nihil est nisi vīta
misera, mox autem et tibi et mihi magnae dīvitiae erunt! (3) Tum nōs vīnō bonō
et cibīs iūcundīs implēbimus!”
Subitō
magnus Molossus in caupōnā stat, valdē lātrat, cūnctōs Rōmānōs fugat.
Et
Mārcus: “Ecce! Nunc ūnus Graecus – nam Molossus sine dubiō Graecus est – multōs
Rōmānōs terret!”
(1)
(here): beating
(2)
literally: you will move yourselves = you will disappear
(3)
tibi et mihi ¦ magnae dīvitiae erunt │ literally: to you and to
methere will be great riches = you and I will have great
wealth
This
text uses the future tense i.e. describing what somebody will do:
manēbō
│ I shallremain
Graecōs
adiuvābis │ you (singular) willhelp the Greeks
vōs
nōn iam iuvābit │ it will no longer please you
tibi
… malum dabimus │ we will give you a beating
timēbitis
│ you (plural) will fear
Cūnctī
Rōmānī … gaudēbunt │ All the Romans will rejoice
opulentus
erō │ I shall be wealthy
contentī
erimus │ we will be content
mox
erunt Rōmānōrum │ they will soon be the Romans’
