tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3152922918560926452024-03-14T01:16:15.773-06:00Nescio QuidHABE TIBI QUIDQUID HOC COMMENTARIOLII QUALECUMQUE...A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-74981971761522165762017-05-02T16:03:00.000-06:002017-05-02T16:03:56.021-06:00"Archaeology in Popular Comics and Graphic Novels" - My Contribution to the Public Archaeology Twitter Conference, 28 April 2017<div class="content clearfix" style="color: #14171a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-left: 58px;">
<div class="permalink-header" style="align-items: center; display: flex; height: 48px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
<div class="ProfileTweet-action ProfileTweet-action--more js-more-ProfileTweet-actions" style="display: inline-block; float: right; margin: -2px -9px 0px 0px; min-width: 0px;">
<div class="dropdown" style="position: relative;">
<button class="ProfileTweet-actionButton u-textUserColorHover dropdown-toggle js-dropdown-toggle" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; color: #aab8c2; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 0px 9px; overflow: visible; padding: 2px 9px; pointer-events: auto; position: relative;" type="button"><div class="IconContainer js-tooltip" style="display: inline-block;" title="More">
<span class="u-hiddenVisually" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px) !important; font-size: 1px !important; height: 1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important;">PATC<a class="twitter-hashtag pretty-link js-nav" data-query-source="hashtag_click" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/archmedia?src=hash" style="background: transparent; color: #0084b4; letter-spacing: 0.16px; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">rchmedia</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #14171a; letter-spacing: 0.16px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Comics genre=ideal medium to convey archaeo content&concepts. Text+image. Pop genre=pub app</span><span class="invisible" style="background: transparent; color: #0084b4; letter-spacing: 0.01em; line-height: 0; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://</span><span class="js-display-url" style="background: transparent; color: #0084b4; letter-spacing: 0.01em; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">comicsforum.org.ln.is/C0L</span></span></div>
</button></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="js-tweet-text-container" style="color: #14171a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last week I had the opportunity to participate in the international <a href="https://publicarchaeologyconference.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Public Archaeology Twitter Conference</a> organized by <a href="https://twitter.com/lornarichardson" target="_blank">Lorna Richardson</a>. Dozens of papers were tweeted, in 12 or fewer tweets, by people working at the intersection of archaeology and public engagement. My paper fit into the "Archaeology and Media" (#archmedia) panel. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm reproducing my abstract and paper here. I got some great feedback during the #PATC but would welcome other thoughts and conversations on the topic of archaeology in comics.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My Twitter handle is @am_christensen or leave a comment below.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Abstract:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The public face of archaeology in popular culture is
commonly represented by the Indiana Jones-type archaeologist as portrayed by
Harrison Ford in <i>Raiders of the Lost Ark</i>
(1981). The recent appearance of Doctor Aphra (first <i>Darth Vader </i>issue #3, (March 25, 2015) and in her own spin off
series <i>Doctor Aphra </i>(December 7,
2016) in Marvel’s Star Wars comic universe demonstrates this, overtly playing
with links between Harrison Ford’s portrayal of Indy and Han Solo in the
original Star Wars films (1977-1983). The work of archaeologists and scholars
like Johannes Loubser (<i>Archaeology: the
Comic</i>, 2003), Cornelius Holtorf (<i>Archaeology
is a Brand</i>,<i> </i>2007), and John
Swogger (<i>Comics and Archaeology</i>, 2011-ongoing)
have made clear the advantages of visual narrative for archaeological
scholarship and publication. Within the framework of these two diverse uses of
comics that portray different ends of the archaeological spectrum, I would like
to examine how the graphic novels by Richard McGuire (<i>Here</i>, Pantheon Graphic Novels 2014) and Peter Kuper (<i>Ruins</i>, SelfMadeHero, 2015) provide
another face of archaeology in comics. These graphic novels present an
alternative to the pop culture archaeologist represented by Doctor Aphra, but
they are not scholarly works that aim to focus on archaeology per se. Instead
both McGuire and Kuper address the relationship between sites and human
activity over the course of time. As both authors unfold their visual
narratives, McGuire’s in one corner of a living room in the northeastern United
States and Kuper in the pre-Columbian ruins of Monte Albán, we as audience can
see the interconnectedness of time and place. I propose that both authors
present us with experiences of Tim Ingold’s concept of the “taskscape,” (“The Temporality
of the Landscape,” <i>World Archaeology</i>,<i> </i>1993), allowing their audiences to
unpack the layers of local activity and visualize each within the longue durée.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
</div><a href="http://www.nescioquid.com/2017/05/archaeology-in-popular-comics-and.html#more">Read more »</a>A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-3850772444856474452017-03-05T20:48:00.001-07:002017-03-05T21:15:11.158-07:00Playing with Aeneid Book 8 in TimelineJSThis is a trial run for creating a visual tour of Rome, an assignment I'm creating for my Roman civ course this spring. I'm working with the text of <i>Aeneid </i>Book 8, especially the tour of Pallanteum (aka Future-Rome) Evander gives to Aeneas from Hercules' Ara Maxima to Evander's home on the Palatine hill.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://cdn.knightlab.com/libs/timeline3/latest/embed/index.html?source=1CC6s4Ka65ZccsPGTX8d8APp6PGVDuWZAUGW4iLCCp-0&font=Default&lang=en&initial_zoom=2&height=650" target="_blank">TimelineJS </a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Notes to self:<br />
pasted from get link for previewA.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-73621357983185193432017-02-05T18:38:00.004-07:002017-02-05T18:39:42.185-07:00Some thoughts on Caesar, gladiators, and crossing the Rubcon<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
As I was preparing my notes on the
civil wars in the late Roman Republic, for which I use the crossing of the
Rubicon as a focal point so my students can have an opportunity to look at some
primary sources, I was particularly struck by the mention in both Plutarch and
Suetonius of Caesar’s attention to gladiators on the day
before he crosses the Rubicon, There is no question that this crossing is the
symbol of a watershed moment in Roman
history, but it is interesting to look at how the moment is developed in
ancient sources: Beginning with Caesar himself (presumably writing in 49 BCE as
events were unfolding, and perhaps editing after the fact), who fails to even
mention the crossing (I personally like how<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqoCRsZG1ZQ" target="_blank"> HBO’s Rome</a> depicts this moment and
I show the clip in class), to the poet Lucan (mid 1st century CE) who provides
our earliest extant source after Caesar, to historical sources like Suetonius
(early 2nd century CE) and Appian (mid 2nd century CE) who, influenced by Lucan
and his sources, add much deliberating and even supernatural/divine elements,
and finally Cassius Dio (early 3rd century CE) who again downplays the
crossing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
In his <i>Life of Caesar</i>, Plutarch describes Caesar as spending the day at
Ravenna watching gladiators practice before sneaking off and crossing the
Rubicon under the cover of Darkness. In Suetonius’ version, (<i>Life of Caesar</i> 31.1), Caesar spends the
day at public gladiatorial spectacle and reviewing plans for a gladiatorial
school he was going to build in Ravenna. Suetonius attributes Caesar’s actions
to a conscious plan to avoid suspicion about his plans to enter Italy with his
army. In crossing the Rubicon, Caesar is illegally leaving his province and
essentially betraying the Roman state. Caesar makes no mention of the time of
Day, but Lucan emphasizes the darkness of the night (<i>de Bello Civili</i> 1.187)” obscuram..noctem”) in his account. Caesar’s crossing is made all the more nefarious by
doing it in the secrecy of night. Cicero makes it clear that night and
conspiracies go hand in hand at the beginning of his first Catilinarian speech
when he asks Catiline what he was up to on the preceding nights. Suetonius (<i>Life of Nero</i> 26) tells us that Nero
would wander the streets at night in disguise, assaulting people under cover of
darkness.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
I’d apparently never paid
much attention to these references to gladiators and Caesar’s activities just
before entering Italy. While there is no reason not to believe that this is
exactly what Caesar did on that day, it is an interesting and potentially
loaded comment in light of its juxtaposition with Caesar’s illegal departure
from his province. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
We know Caesar had an interest in
gladiators. As aedile, in 65 BCE, he staged an elaborate set of funeral games
for his father, (who had died 20 years earlier) with 320 pairs of gladiators
(Plutarch, <i>Life of Caesar</i> 5.5). This
number was apparently smaller than Caesar wished to display, because Suetonius
(<i>Life of Caesar</i> 10.2) tells us that a
decree was issued by Caesar’s opponents limiting the number of
gladiators that one could have in Rome.
Drawing from my notes on the origins of gladiatorial spectacles in Rome,
I’ve recorded a number of the earliest munera. 120 pairs at the funeral of P.
Licinius Crassus in 183 BCE, (Livy, ab urbe condita 39.46) is The largest
number I have in the period from 264 BCE when the first gladiatorial combats
were staged for the funeral of L. Junius Pera to 122 BCE, when G. Gracchus
ordered the bleachers in the Forum dismantled to allow free access to the
spectacles at some set of funeral games.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
In addition to his plans to build a
gladiatorial school at Ravenna, We also know that Caesar owned a ludus at Capua.
Cicero, who with Pompey and the rest of the anti-Caesar faction left Rome once
Caesar had crossed into Italy in 49 BCE, provides us with the information, in a
letter to his friend Atticus (<i>epistulae
ad Atticum</i> 7.14), that Caesar’s gladiators had been planning
their escape and that there were 5000 shields in the ludus. Presumably, Cicero
includes this number of shields to highlight the large number of gladiators
owned by Caesar, although it seems highly unlikely that we should read this as
a 1:1 ratio of shield:gladiator. Cicero also includes the information that
Pompey has taken care of the potential threat of Caesar’s gladiators by
distributing them in pairs to citizens, preventing them from conspiring in
large numbers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
It is important to bring one more
thread into this to explain my thoughts on what Plutarch and Suetonius might
have been doing when they chose to include the detail about Caesar spending the
day watching gladiators fight before crossing the Rubicon. For ca. three
years (73-71 BCE) the Romans in Italy
were terrorized by the rebellion of the gladiator Spartacus, which started in
Capua and grew in size as the army of gladiators, other slaves, and perhaps
impoverished citizens, moved up and down the Italian peninsula. Surely, Caesar’s plans for staging a large number of gladiators (beyond the 640
he did use) in 65 BCE must have stirred the fears of the Romans, who had just a
few years before feared an attack on Rome itself by Spartacus. It is also worth noting that Pompey, Caesar’s
opponent in the Civil War, helped wrap up the Spartacus rebellion, although it
was M. Licinius Crassus who did the bulk of the work and received official
credit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVEAD1bJ4mCAVDcT_5wGAW4K0A2ChWwBx3ASUAn26OyX7Iyq0WLgy1WszCVNIhHKfiGAHZf4yM_A7QVhW3H-4MKy_E5wGPW03yhRDiIIKg008veS0uI01n7BBiObPv0CB98L9ygxnyL0/s1600/spartacusmap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVEAD1bJ4mCAVDcT_5wGAW4K0A2ChWwBx3ASUAn26OyX7Iyq0WLgy1WszCVNIhHKfiGAHZf4yM_A7QVhW3H-4MKy_E5wGPW03yhRDiIIKg008veS0uI01n7BBiObPv0CB98L9ygxnyL0/s1600/spartacusmap.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: small;">[I like this map as it shows Spartacus<span style="text-align: start; text-indent: 48px;">’general path, the Rubicon River, & Capua. <br />Image via <a href="http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/spartacusmap.jpg" target="_blank">VROMA</a>]</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Lucan has Pompey deliver a speech to
his men in which he compares Caesar first to Catiline (2.541). Catiline
previously had been called a gladiator by Cicero (</span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">In Catilinam</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> 1.12) and identified as an associate as gladiators (</span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">In Catilinam</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> 2.4-5 and 11-12). In
addition, Sallust (ca. Late 40</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">’s BCE; </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Bellum
Catilinae</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> 30) tells us that Catiline was planning to recruit slaves from
Capua, but that the Roman senate dispatched men to make sure the gladiators
were kept in lock down. Lucan’s Pompey then specifically compares Caesar t</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">o Spartacus (2.554), (and in a twist
that matters a lot in thinking about Lucan), and has Pompey wishing that
Crassus was still alive to deal with Caesar as he did Spartacus.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To wrap my
thoughts up, I haven’t even begun to think about how Plutarch
and Suetonius present Caesar in their biographies as a whole. My general
recollection is that they are not particularly negative, and so that may leave
all of my potential nefarious connections to Caesar and gladiators without much
foundation for subversive readings of these authors’ inclusion of these details
just before they describe Caesar crossing the Rubicon. Maybe some Caesar
scholars have further thoughts to share.<o:p></o:p></div>
A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-33162406736264401922016-09-10T22:45:00.001-06:002016-09-10T22:45:39.105-06:00Some Very Preliminary Thoughts about Footprints on Roman Roof Tiles<div class="MsoNormal">
Just pulling together some thoughts after a Twitter conversation, (<a href="https://storify.com/amchristensen/footprints" target="_blank">collected here on my Storify of footprints)</a>, with <a href="https://twitter.com/rogueclassicist?lang=en" target="_blank">@rogueclassicist </a>and <a href="https://twitter.com/CarolineLawrenc?lang=en" target="_blank">@Caroline Lawrence</a>. We've had a least one similar conversation before. The question of the function of footprints on tiles, if there was one, has been focus of the debate, and the possibility of an apotropaic function seems to be at the heart of it in my recollection.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
[caveat - I checked my ancient citations and the Poggio Civitate reference because they were quick and easy, the rest comes from my imperfect memory]</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A variety of footprints have been identified pressed into
the top (always?) surface of roof tiles/tegulae. Many of these are the tracks
of animals, but there are also human footprints ranging from the small prints
of children to those of adults.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I suspect that the animal tracks are accidental, created by
animals wandering across tiles as they are laid out in the open to dry before
firing. The/some of the human footprints perhaps represent a different phenomenon.
Human footprints could be accidental. For example, at the Etruscan site Poggio
Civitate there are human prints preserved in roof tiles laid out in the
workshop to dry. This structure was destroyed by an accidental fire and in a
rush to flee the burning building, people ran across the still soft tiles. The
form of the tracks indicates that these individuals were running. (E. Nielsen,
1991) But not all prints suggest an obvious and accidental reason for their
presence. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recent excavations conducted by the Sangro Valley Project have
produced a tile fragment preserves traces, albeit faint, of boot print with
hobnails. There is nothing about this impression that suggests rapid movement,
or even an actual step being taken. Should we imagine that someone was
loitering about and decided to push his foot into the tile just because he
could?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In addition to the footprints of adults, there are a number
(how many?) of tiles that preserve the footprints of children. Now, surely
children are likely to push a foot or a hand into a drying tile just to do it.
But this then begs the question of whether children were present in tile
production areas. This could be an interesting area of research into the lives
of children and the spaces they inhabited in the Roman world. One could also imagine that perhaps these are
the footprints not of free born children but perhaps the children of slaves. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If, however, these prints are not accidental or minor
incidents of vandalism, why are they on tiles? One possible reason for these
impressions is apotropaic. Could these footprints represent religio-magic
attempt to ensure either a successful firing process or to add a layer of
protection to the roof constructed from the fired tiles, (or even a combination
of both)?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Roman culture there is an apotropaic/good luck function
associated with human feet. In Petronius’ <i>Satryicon
</i>(30.5), we see Ascyltos and Encolpius admonished by a slave to step into
Trimalchio’s dining room with <i>dextro pede</i>.
Roman brides were customarily carried over the threshold of their new husbands’
homes to ensure that they would not misstep and bring bad fortune to the
marriage right at the start. Vitruvius (<i>de
Architectura </i>3.4) also comments that temple staircases are designed with an
odd number of steps to ensure a fortuitous arrival on the podium.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
By the time of the Roman Empire terra sigillata vases were being
impressed with maker’s marks in the form of a footprint, <i>planta pedis </i>(literally the “sole of a foot), typically containing
the name or initials of the manufacturer. Why do these manufacturers’ stamps
take the form of a foot? Is it for good luck in the firing process?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Any other thoughts out there? Any references? Other examples of footprints on tiles? </div>
A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-56282514088662343842015-03-19T11:49:00.000-06:002015-03-19T11:50:19.040-06:00Some Thoughts on Catullus 64...I'm meeting up with a local reading group, Paideia, today. The group consists of ca. 15-20 women who have made their way through Greek literature and history and have just last year turned to the Romans. They meet once a month and invite a local scholar to lead their discussion on a particular author or work. I've had the pleasure of joining them several times in the past and its always a wonderful experience.<br />
<br />
Today we're going to be looking at Catullus, especially his epyllion, <i>carmen </i>64. As I was preparing, I came across the following thoughts I had written down about the poem about four years ago while teaching an Intellectual Traditions course on ancient epic for our Honors program here at the U of U. I recall that I started writing, (I only made may way through half the poem as you'll see), after reading Roger Travis post <a href="http://www.playthepast.org/?p=761" target="_blank">"Epic immersion, part 1: in medias res, not in mediis rebus" over at Play the Past</a>.<br />
<br />
I've read Catullus 64 in several different classes, in Latin and English translation, over the years using various commentaries, so I've no doubt been influenced by them as I wrote this off the cuff. But I decided I'd go ahead and post now it as I found it useful in preparing my thoughts and it's something I'd like to finish up at some point to use in classes. I'd welcome any feedback.<br />
<br />
________________________________________________________________________________<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Some Thoughts on Catullus 64</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First, a little background on the poet. Gaius Valerius Catullus (84-54 BCE) was the
son of a wealthy family from Verona (a town later made famous by Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliette). Catullus spent his
adulthood in Rome, and had probably been sent to Rome as a young man to be
educated and perhaps participate in political life. We know from his own poetry that Catullus
served on the staff of the governor of Bithynia, in northern Turkey, in 56 BCE. This sort of posting was typical of young men
of elite status seeking a political life.
While in Bithynia, Catullus may also have travelled to the Troad, home
to Troy, to perform funeral rites for his older brother, who, if we believe
Catullus’ poetry, died in a shipwreck off the coast and was commemorated by a
cenotaph on shore. We know little about
Catullus beyond what can be gleaned from his own poetry. He had a circle of poet friends, he knew
Marcus Tullius Cicero, consul of 63 and a famous orator. He wrote numerous scathing poems about Gaius
Julius Caesar and made reference to Pompey the Great as well. Catullus is perhaps most famous for a series
of poems about his beloved “Lesbia.”
These poems cover the entire arc of his relationship with Lesbia from
the happy, sunny days of new love to the dark and venomous attacks, alternating
with pleading calls for reunion, that the poet makes as their relationship
comes to an end. One of Catullus’ most
famous poems (85) captures most vividly the pain and confusion at the end of a
romance: <i>Odi et amo. quare id faciam,
fortasse requiris? / nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.</i> (I hate and I love. Why would I do this, you are perhaps asking?
/ I don’t know, but I feel it happening and I am torn in all directions.) Lesbia’s identity is not known for certain,
but she can most probably be identified with Clodia Metelli, a rather notorious
woman from a prominent Roman family.
Rumors of this woman abound, Clodia was accused of committing incest
with her even more notorious brother Publius Clodius Pulcher, of numerous affairs
with young men besides Catullus, of poisoning her husband, a former consul,
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<i>Carmen</i>, or Poem, 64 is the longest of Catullus’ poems and
focuses on mythological themes rather than daily life as does much of his poetry. 64 is typically identified as an epyllion,
not unlike Callimachus’ <i>Hekale</i>. It is very short, relies heavily on the
erudition of the reader to convey its meaning, and focuses more on the female helper-maiden
than the male hero. At the same time,
the poem also partakes of a genre of wedding hymns known as <i>epithalamia.</i> Catullus was known as a neoteric poet (i.e. a
“new poet”) during his own lifetime, which implies a connection to the
Alexandrian poets of the Hellenistic period, such as Callimachus and Apollonios
Rhodios. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
In a very short poem, Catullus covers a great deal of epic
territory, from the voyage of the Argonauts, via the deeds of the Athenian hero
Theseus, to the <i>aristeia </i> and death of Achilles at Troy. And yet, the heroes and their deeds are cast
in a thin and foreboding light, overshadowed by the female characters,
especially Ariadne and the Fates.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Lines 1-21<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first 21 lines of the poem require much of the
reader. Through a series of oblique
references, Catullus covers the story of the <i>Argonautika</i>: the pine trees brought down from Mt. Pelion to build
the <i>Argo</i> with the help of Athena, the
goddess of high citadels, especially Athens, home of Theseus. Even before the reader meets the chosen Greek
heroes and the goddess helps to build the ships, the journey to Colchis is
described as completed in the first three lines. Catullus makes it very clear, in contrast to
Apollonios, that the <i>Argo</i> was the
first ship ever built and that the sea goddesses, the Nereids, were amazed to
see such a craft. This aitiological
framing of the <i>Argo</i>’s journey is in
keeping with the erudition of Alexandrian poetry. It is not until the end of this description
that we have Peleus and Thetis named, the couple who are the ostensible focus
of the poem. But just as Catullus takes
his time in coming to them, he will just as quickly put them aside. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t202"
coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="202" path="m,l,21600r21600,l21600,xe">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
<v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="Text_x0020_Box_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_s1031"
type="#_x0000_t202" style='position:absolute;margin-left:363pt;margin-top:167.2pt;
width:168.85pt;height:48.75pt;z-index:251660288;visibility:visible;
mso-wrap-style:square;mso-width-percent:0;mso-height-percent:0;
mso-wrap-distance-left:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:9pt;
mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;
mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical:absolute;
mso-position-vertical-relative:text;mso-width-percent:0;mso-height-percent:0;
mso-width-relative:page;mso-height-relative:page;v-text-anchor:top' o:gfxdata="UEsDBBQABgAIAAAAIQC75UiUBQEAAB4CAAATAAAAW0NvbnRlbnRfVHlwZXNdLnhtbKSRvU7DMBSF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" stroked="f">
<v:textbox style='mso-fit-shape-to-text:t' inset="0,0,0,0">
<![if !mso]>
<table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width="100%">
<tr>
<td><![endif]>
<div>
<p class=MsoCaption>
<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Peleus wrestles
with Thetis as she transforms into frightening monsters (e.g. lion and
serpent).<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Interior of a drinking cup
(ca. 500 BCE) by Peithinos.<span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
9.0pt;mso-no-proof:yes'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<![if !mso]></td>
</tr>
</table>
<![endif]></v:textbox>
<w:wrap type="tight"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype
id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t"
path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/>
</v:formulas>
<v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/>
<o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_s1030" type="#_x0000_t75"
alt="Peleus wrestling the sea-goddess Thetis | Greek vase, Athenian red figure kylix"
style='position:absolute;margin-left:363pt;margin-top:2.25pt;width:168.85pt;
height:161.25pt;z-index:-251658240;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square;
mso-wrap-distance-left:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:9pt;
mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;
mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical:absolute;
mso-position-vertical-relative:text'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\Alexis\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image002.jpg"
o:title="Peleus wrestling the sea-goddess Thetis | Greek vase, Athenian red figure kylix"/>
<w:wrap type="tight"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->Catullus transforms the reader’s
expectation of the marriage of Peleus and Thetis, which was traditionally
depicted as a wrestling match, with an unwilling Thetis, forced to marry a
mortal, constantly shape-shifting as only sea divinities can do! Instead, he subtly indicates Thetis’
eagerness for such a marriage by use of litotes (“Thetis did not reject a human
marriage”), the use of two negatives to make an emphatic positive. The marriage is approved of by Juppiter (the
Roman equivalent of Zeus), and again Catullus glosses over other versions of
the myth in which Juppiter/Zeus is indeed eager to marry Thetis off because of
a prophecy about the goddess, that she will give birth to a son greater than
his father. Juppiter in fact goes to
great pains to learn this prophecy; he compels Prometheus to tell him by
chaining the Titan to a cliff in the Caucasus Mountains and has his eagle eat
out Prometheus liver every day. This
ominous scene was alluded to by the appearance of the eagle in Book 2 of the <i>Argonautika</i> as the heroes draw close to
Colchis. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Lines 22-31<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Catullus does not invoke the Muses or Apollo to tell his
tale, instead his address to the early heroes stands as a substitute. And Catullus inquires of them about Thetis’
and her grandparents’ willingness to see the marriage happen. Catullus states that he will “often call
upon” the heroes, and especially upon Peleus, in the course of his poem. In the end however, he does no such thing, we
see very little of heroic action. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Lines 32-49</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The day of the happy wedding arrives and all the people of
Thessaly, Peleus’ home territory, abandon their homes to attend the nuptials at
Pharsalus (we shall revisit Pharsalus in Lucan’s epic when Caesar defeats
Pompey). The guests are joyful and bring
gifts, but again Catullus’ language gives the reader pause. The people have “deserted” their homes, the
fields have been abandoned, the plow-oxen and farm implements fall into disuse
and even rust! On the other hand,
everything is gleaming gold, silver and ivory at Peleus’ palace. Particularly splendid is Thetis’ marriage bed, cloaked in deep purple
elaborately embroidered with the “brave deeds of heroes.” The allusion to Jason’s cloak in the <i>Argonautika</i> is clear, and like Jason’s
cloak, this coverlet is depicted with scenes that subvert heroic action, but in
a much less problematic fashion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Lines 50-264<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The long ekphrastic passage describing the myth of Theseus
and Ariadne focuses especially on the hero’s abandonment of the helper-maiden,
not on the “brave deeds of heroes” as Catullus claims it will. In the <i>Argonautika</i>,
Jason uses the story of Ariadne to win Medea over to his side. He, however, skips over all that Catullus
includes here, focusing instead on the fact that Ariadne is recognized by the
gods with a constellation in the end.
Apollonios also problematizes his use of the Theseus-Ariadne story,
because in fact Theseus was not even born when Jason tells the story to Medea.
In fact, Medea herself will attempt to kill Theseus as a young man when he
first arrives in Athens to claim his birthright. Medea sought refuge in Athens after she had
been brought back to Greece by Jason and abandoned by him at Corinth when he
attempts to make a more suitable marriage with a Greek princess (this story is
told in the 5<sup>th</sup> century BCE tragedy <i>Medea</i> by Euripides). Much of
Ariadne’s emotional reaction to her abandonment is similar or parallel to
Medea’s mental anguish as she decides to help Jason and then carries out the
deeds, and will be seen again in the figure of Dido in Vergil’s <i>Aeneid</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Lines 52-70</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Text_x0020_Box_x0020_5"
o:spid="_x0000_s1029" type="#_x0000_t202" style='position:absolute;
margin-left:361.5pt;margin-top:210.05pt;width:171pt;height:39pt;z-index:251666432;
visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square;mso-width-percent:0;
mso-height-percent:0;mso-wrap-distance-left:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;
mso-wrap-distance-right:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;
mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;
mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:text;
mso-width-percent:0;mso-height-percent:0;mso-width-relative:page;
mso-height-relative:page;v-text-anchor:top' o:gfxdata="UEsDBBQABgAIAAAAIQC75UiUBQEAAB4CAAATAAAAW0NvbnRlbnRfVHlwZXNdLnhtbKSRvU7DMBSF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" stroked="f">
<v:textbox style='mso-fit-shape-to-text:t' inset="0,0,0,0">
<![if !mso]>
<table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width="100%">
<tr>
<td><![endif]>
<div>
<p class=MsoCaption>
Ariadne abandoned by Theseus.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Wall painting from the House of the
Vettii at Pompeii (ca. 70 CE)<span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
mso-no-proof:yes'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<![if !mso]></td>
</tr>
</table>
<![endif]></v:textbox>
<w:wrap type="tight"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_s1026"
type="#_x0000_t75" style='position:absolute;margin-left:358.5pt;margin-top:34.5pt;
width:171pt;height:171pt;z-index:251665408;mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;
mso-position-vertical-relative:text' wrapcoords="-75 0 -75 21450 21600 21450 21600 0 -75 0">
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\Alexis\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image005.emz"
o:title=""/>
<w:wrap type="tight"/>
</v:shape><![if gte mso 9]><o:OLEObject Type="Embed" ProgID="Unknown"
ShapeID="_x0000_s1026" DrawAspect="Content" ObjectID="_1488270683">
</o:OLEObject>
<![endif]><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->The first image on the
coverlet sets the reader up to sympathize with Ariadne and to find Theseus to
be an ungrateful cad. Ariadne has woken
to find Theseus sailing away with nary a glance backward; she is abandoned on
the shores of Naxos (= Dia). The focus
is on Ariadne’s eyes as they follow the ship into the distance. This repetition creates an image of the
maiden with over-large and highly sympathetic puppy-eyes. This image is enhanced by the fact that she
runs about in the shallows of the sea, trying to get as close to the escaping
ship as possible, so much so that she has be undressed by the waves. Instead of being undressed by her lover, the
waves toy with her clothing. Not only
does this image suggest Theseus’ failure as a lover, but we are first
introduced to the hero as a breaker of promises to young women, promises that
can only be for marriage or love. In the
end, Ariadne’s whole being is focused on Theseus and will result only in dire
consequences. Vergil will use this same
image of the hero leaving on a ship under the highly focused gaze of his
distraught lover. Homer’s <i>Odyssey</i> introduces Odysseus in a
somewhat similar scene, the hero is found sitting on the shore of an island
where he is stranded in the midst of his journey home. Here, Catullus strands a young woman in the
middle of her story. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Lines 71-85<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Catullus returns to the beginning of the Theseus-Ariadne
story. Upon Theseus’ arrival on Crete
from the Athenian harbor Pireaus, Ariadne was compelled to love the hero by
Venus (= Aphrodite; Venus had a famous sanctuary on Mt. Eyrx on Sicily and was
hence known as Erycina). Theseus had
come to right a long-standing wrong.
Years before, King Minos’ son Androgeos had gone to Athens and been murdered
by the Athenians after he had won numerous athletic contests held in honor of
the goddess Athena. Thereafter, Minos
demanded that seven young men and seven young women be sent to Crete each year
to be thrown to the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull monster that lived locked
up in a labyrinth at Knossos. Theseus,
having come to Athens to claim his birthright, volunteered to go to Crete as
one of the seven young men and bring the tribute to an end. Notice the parallels between Medea and
Ariadne, both princesses bewitched by love, Aietes and Minos, both unjust,
arrogant and cruel kings, and Jason and Theseus, heroes out to right an old
wrong by “capturing” a “farm-animal.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Lines 86-115<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Text_x0020_Box_x0020_3"
o:spid="_x0000_s1028" type="#_x0000_t202" style='position:absolute;
margin-left:.75pt;margin-top:154.1pt;width:147.75pt;height:39pt;z-index:251663360;
visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square;mso-width-percent:0;
mso-height-percent:0;mso-wrap-distance-left:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;
mso-wrap-distance-right:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;
mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;
mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:text;
mso-width-percent:0;mso-height-percent:0;mso-width-relative:page;
mso-height-relative:page;v-text-anchor:top' o:gfxdata="UEsDBBQABgAIAAAAIQC75UiUBQEAAB4CAAATAAAAW0NvbnRlbnRfVHlwZXNdLnhtbKSRvU7DMBSF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" stroked="f">
<v:textbox style='mso-fit-shape-to-text:t' inset="0,0,0,0">
<![if !mso]>
<table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width="100%">
<tr>
<td><![endif]>
<div>
<p class=MsoCaption>
<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Theseus killing
the Minotaur.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Inside of a drinking
cup (ca. 550 BCE) attributed to the Tleson Painter.<span style='font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif";mso-no-proof:yes'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<![if !mso]></td>
</tr>
</table>
<![endif]></v:textbox>
<w:wrap type="tight"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_4"
o:spid="_x0000_s1027" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Theseus & the Minotaur | Greek vase, Athenian black figure kylix"
style='position:absolute;margin-left:1.5pt;margin-top:3.35pt;width:147.75pt;
height:148.5pt;z-index:-251655168;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square;
mso-wrap-distance-left:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:9pt;
mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;
mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical:absolute;
mso-position-vertical-relative:text'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\Alexis\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image008.jpg"
o:title="Theseus & the Minotaur | Greek vase, Athenian black figure kylix"/>
<w:wrap type="tight"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->Having explained Theseus’ purpose for
coming to Crete, Catullus returns to Ariadne’s emotions and the reasons for
them. Ariadne is a young unmarried
maiden in the care of her mother, but she longs for the marriage bed, she is
tossed about as if victim of a shipwreck, and she grows pale with fear as she
contemplates the dangerous task Theseus must complete. Her passion is a burning flame and she is
driven to a frenzy of desire by none other than Cupid (= Eros) and his mother
Venus, who Catullus again refers to indirectly by two cities on Cyprus, one of
the goddess’ favored islands. Theseus’
success is ensured by the gifts Ariadne gives to the gods. His heroic deed is staged for the reader by a
simile in which the monster is identified with a tree ripped out of the ground
by a tornado. Although Theseus kills the
Minotaur, he only escapes the final danger of being trapped in the labyrinth by
following a thread. Catullus expects
that the reader will again know the mythic tradition: Ariadne, instead of
offering magical aid, provides Theseus with a gift that any young woman would
have access to, a ball of yarn, to help him escape the trap of the
labyrinth. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Lines 116-130</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Catullus interrupts his story to put himself back on track,
ending the flashback, but at the same time completing the connection between
the two threads of the story through a series of questions. In this praeteritio (a refusal to address
something, which is then addressed through the refusal itself) Catullus makes
it clear that Ariadne abandoned her father, mother and sister for love of
Theseus, and that they had a marriage, on which he turned his back. Switching from his own authorial voice,
Catullus then falls back on the authority of traditional voices, “they tell
us,” to convey the frenzy of Ariadne rushing from mountain top to shore as
Theseus sails farther and farther away.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Lines 131-201</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is through Ariadne’s speech that we see how the
relationship between the hero and the girl developed. Again the emphasis is on Theseus’
faithlessness and failure to uphold his promises, especially promises of
marriage. Ariadne mourns for the brother
whose death she has facilitated, despite the fact that he was a cannibalistic
monster. In fact, she instead identifies
Theseus with the monstrous. He is the
offspring of a lioness, or of one of the hazards to sailors, the Syrtes
sandbanks, Scylla with her dog-headed tentacles, or the whirlpool Charybdis,
all referenced in the <i>Argonautika</i>. In a twist, Ariadne offers that she would
have gone with Theseus even as a servant, that is she would have been happy to
be a prize, the thing the women at Troy most feared. Ironically, Ariadne questions why she bothers
to speak, as no one but the unhearing and unspeaking breezes can hear her, when
in fact she is nothing more than a mute, frozen image embroidered on a
coverlet. Her plea that none of these
things had happened ends with the image of Theseus as a traitorous guest,
violating the laws of guest-friendship, like Paris and Jason.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ariadne seems to come back to her senses as she explores
three possible escapes, which she will ultimately reject. First, she asks whether she should go back to
Crete (Mt. Ida); no, she’s stuck on an island with no way to get there. Second,
will my father save me; no, I ran off with the boy who killed my brother. Finally, can I rely upon my loving husband;
no, he has abandoned me here on this empty island. There is no escape for Ariadne, and yet
before she succumbs to death she will curse Theseus, calling upon the Furies to
avenge her, to leave Theseus alone in the world as she has been left.<o:p></o:p></div>
<h1 class="title" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 30px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><cufon alt="rebus" class="cufon cufon-canvas" style="display: inline-block !important; font-size: 1px !important; height: 30px; line-height: 1px !important; position: relative !important; vertical-align: middle !important; width: 73px;"><cufon alt="Epic " class="cufon cufon-canvas" style="display: inline-block !important; height: 30px; position: relative !important; vertical-align: middle !important; width: 61px;"><cufontext style="display: inline-block !important; height: 0px !important; overflow: hidden !important; text-indent: -10000in !important; width: 0px !important;"></cufontext></cufon><cufon alt="immersion, " class="cufon cufon-canvas" style="display: inline-block !important; height: 30px; position: relative !important; vertical-align: middle !important; width: 144px;"><canvas height="32" style="height: 32px; left: -1px; position: relative !important; top: -2px; width: 169px;" width="169"></canvas><cufontext style="display: inline-block !important; height: 0px !important; overflow: hidden !important; text-indent: -10000in !important; width: 0px !important;"></cufontext></cufon><cufon alt="part " class="cufon cufon-canvas" style="display: inline-block !important; height: 30px; position: relative !important; vertical-align: middle !important; width: 59px;"><canvas height="32" style="height: 32px; left: -1px; position: relative !important; top: -2px; width: 83px;" width="83"></canvas><cufontext style="display: inline-block !important; height: 0px !important; overflow: hidden !important; text-indent: -10000in !important; width: 0px !important;"></cufontext></cufon><cufon alt="1: " class="cufon cufon-canvas" style="display: inline-block !important; height: 30px; position: relative !important; vertical-align: middle !important; width: 20px;"><canvas height="32" style="height: 32px; left: -1px; position: relative !important; top: -2px; width: 45px;" width="45"></canvas><cufontext style="display: inline-block !important; height: 0px !important; overflow: hidden !important; text-indent: -10000in !important; width: 0px !important;"></cufontext></cufon><i style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 30px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><cufon alt="in " class="cufon cufon-canvas" style="display: inline-block !important; font-size: 1px !important; height: 30px; position: relative !important; vertical-align: middle !important; width: 29px;"><canvas height="32" style="height: 32px; left: -1px; position: relative !important; top: -2px; width: 54px;" width="54"></canvas><cufontext style="display: inline-block !important; height: 0px !important; overflow: hidden !important; text-indent: -10000in !important; width: 0px !important;"></cufontext></cufon><cufon alt="medias " class="cufon cufon-canvas" style="display: inline-block !important; font-size: 1px !important; height: 30px; position: relative !important; vertical-align: middle !important; width: 104px;"><canvas height="32" style="height: 32px; left: -1px; position: relative !important; top: -2px; width: 129px;" width="129"></canvas><cufontext style="display: inline-block !important; height: 0px !important; overflow: hidden !important; text-indent: -10000in !important; width: 0px !important;"></cufontext></cufon><cufon alt="res" class="cufon cufon-canvas" style="display: inline-block !important; font-size: 1px !important; height: 30px; position: relative !important; vertical-align: middle !important; width: 40px;"><canvas height="32" style="height: 32px; left: -1px; position: relative !important; top: -2px; width: 60px;" width="60"></canvas><cufontext style="display: inline-block !important; height: 0px !important; overflow: hidden !important; text-indent: -10000in !important; width: 0px !important;"></cufontext></cufon></i><cufon alt=", " class="cufon cufon-canvas" style="display: inline-block !important; height: 30px; position: relative !important; vertical-align: middle !important; width: 12px;"><canvas height="32" style="height: 32px; left: -1px; position: relative !important; top: -2px; width: 37px;" width="37"></canvas><cufontext style="display: inline-block !important; height: 0px !important; overflow: hidden !important; text-indent: -10000in !important; width: 0px !important;"></cufontext></cufon><cufon alt="not " class="cufon cufon-canvas" style="display: inline-block !important; height: 30px; position: relative !important; vertical-align: middle !important; width: 51px;"><canvas height="32" style="height: 32px; left: -1px; position: relative !important; top: -2px; width: 76px;" width="76"></canvas><cufontext style="display: inline-block !important; height: 0px !important; overflow: hidden !important; text-indent: -10000in !important; width: 0px !important;"></cufontext></cufon><i style="background: transparent; border: 0px; font-size: 30px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><cufon alt="in " class="cufon cufon-canvas" style="display: inline-block !important; font-size: 1px !important; height: 30px; position: relative !important; vertical-align: middle !important; width: 29px;"><canvas height="32" style="height: 32px; left: -1px; position: relative !important; top: -2px; width: 54px;" width="54"></canvas><cufontext style="display: inline-block !important; height: 0px !important; overflow: hidden !important; text-indent: -10000in !important; width: 0px !important;"></cufontext></cufon><cufon alt="mediis " class="cufon cufon-canvas" style="display: inline-block !important; font-size: 1px !important; height: 30px; position: relative !important; vertical-align: middle !important; width: 91px;"><canvas height="32" style="height: 32px; left: -1px; position: relative !important; top: -2px; width: 116px;" width="116"></canvas><cufontext style="display: inline-block !important; height: 0px !important; overflow: hidden !important; text-indent: -10000in !important; width: 0px !important;"></cufontext></cufon><cufon alt="rebus" class="cufon cufon-canvas" style="display: inline-block !important; font-size: 1px !important; height: 30px; position: relative !important; vertical-align: middle !important; width: 73px;"><canvas height="32" style="height: 32px; left: -1px; position: relative !important; top: -2px; width: 93px;" width="93"></canvas><cufontext style="display: inline-block !important; height: 0px !important; overflow: hidden !important; text-indent: -10000in !important; width: 0px !important;"></cufontext></cufon></i></cufon></i></h1>
A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-7494485736692798212015-02-20T15:26:00.000-07:002015-02-20T20:53:18.567-07:00Digital Romans - New Assignments for CL CV 1570 The RomansI'm teaching our Roman civ class again this spring and I've implemented some new assignments. My hope for these Digital Romans assignments is that they will introduce students to some of the new technologies available that allow us to ask new questions about the Romans, and to re-frame old questions as well. I'm also hoping that since CL CV 1570 is a gen ed class here at the U of U that I will create some interest in students to explore how the fundamental methods of studying the Romans might have relevance for their own majors. In addition to using various web tools and software, I want my students to think about how best to present the results of their studies. To this end, I am asking them to make use of various non-traditional (i.e. not just writing a paper with bibliography and footnotes) means of presenting their projects.<br />
<br />
Since this is a first run, I will be seeking feedback from my students on individual assignments, but I'd also love to have feedback from others who teach similar classes or concepts. If you'd like to see what I'm up to you can check out my Digital Romans assignments <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vjeejlqw8uebn7e/AABfN8mb0I8iQwIYH1773yRUa?dl=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. I'd welcome any feed back and I'm also happy to have others adopt and adapt my assignments.<br />
<br />
Digital Romans I - Storifying a Roman Festival<br />
<br />
Digital Romans II - Moving Marbles in 203 CEA.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-69647468502382120142014-11-23T15:56:00.000-07:002014-11-23T15:58:35.341-07:00Moving Forward with a Latin Commentary on Book 2 of Augustine's Confessions<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
In lieu of their original translation final, my upper level Latin students unanimously agreed that they would prefer to work toward creating a commentary on Book 2 of the <i>Confessions</i>. To that end, each student has been assigned a ca. 435 word chunk of the text to work on. Our primary goals will be to address difficulties that an intermediate level Latin student might have with the Latin vocabulary and grammar. We should be able to work through the entire text in the time remaining during the semester, so the students will be able to draw from our in class discussions and translations as they prepare their section of the commentary. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
While they're working on their sections, I'll be looking at the best way to compile and then publish our final result as an open access document.</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>Augustine <i>Confessions</i></b><b> Commentary
Project<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Goal:</b> Produce a grammatical commentary geared toward intermediate Latin
students. First and foremost such a commentary should assist with grammatical
constructions, clarify in cases of complex word order, and indicate nuances of
the non-classical Latin vocabulary. To meet these needs the commentary should
provide individual entries on phrases and words in the text that provide basic
definitions and form identifications for individual words, and identifications
of grammatical constructions with reference to a standard grammar text. In
cases of complex word order, clarification by sentence diagramming or
re-ordering the Latin in a more familiar English word order may be desirable. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of secondary importance in creating our commentary may be to provide
descriptive headings for sections of the text. Additionally, notes addressing
aspects of relevant (late) Roman culture would be a welcome addition to provide
the reader, familiar with classical Latin authors such as Cicero and Caesar,
with a point of reference to place Augustine within his cultural context as a
Roman living in 4-5<sup>th</sup> century CE North Africa.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Resources:</b> Please make use of the Lewis & Short Latin Dictionary. It
is available on the <i>Perseus Project</i> and is used in the SPQR app.
Likewise for grammar commentary, use Allen & Greenough’s <i>New Latin
Grammar</i>. This is also on the <i>Perseus Project </i>and in SPQR; it is also
the grammar that was available at the University Bookstore for this course. For
non-classical Latin constructions Nunn’s <i>An
Introduction to Ecclesiastical Latin</i> may be of assistance. It is freely available
on <a href="https://archive.org/details/introductiontoec00nunnuoft" target="_blank">archive.org</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Format:</b> Please limit your use of formatting in typing up your commentary.
Plain text would be ideal. In addition, organize your entries in the following
fashion:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Reference to the text : lemma : commentary</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Reference to the text – book, chapter and sentence
number within the chapter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Lemma – the word or phrase you are addressing in the
Latin</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Commentary – for vocabulary this should include the
form (e.g. gender, number and case) first, and for grammatical constructions it
should first list the type of construction followed by a reference to the
appropriate section of Allen & Greenough.</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Example from the beginning of Book 2 of Augustine’s <i>Confessions</i> (2.1.1):</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 24.0pt; margin-right: 24.0pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Garamond","serif";">1 <b>recordari </b>volo
transactas foeditates meas et carnales corruptiones animae meae, <b>non quod eas amem</b>, sed ut amem te, deus
meus. 2 amore amoris tui facio istuc, recolens vias meas nequissimas in
amaritudine recogitationis meae, ut tu dulcescas mihi, dulcedo non fallax,
dulcedo felix et secura, et conligens me a dispersione, in qua frustatim
discissus sum dum ab uno te aversus in multa evanui. 3 exarsi enim aliquando
satiari inferis in adulescentia, et silvescere ausus sum variis et umbrosis
amoribus, et contabuit species mea, et computrui coram oculis tuis placens mihi
et placere cupiens oculis hominum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.8pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 24.0pt; margin-right: 24.0pt; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Garamond","serif";">2.1.1.1 : recordari
: recordor, recordari, recordatum : to call to mind, recollect</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 16.8pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 24.0pt; margin-right: 24.0pt; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Garamond","serif";">2.1.1.1 : non
quod eas amem : causal; A&G 540, but Nunn 156 on later Latin’s disregard
for division between uses of the subjunctive with quod causal clauses.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-4250507927798762422014-11-17T14:09:00.002-07:002014-11-17T14:09:24.495-07:00Working Towards an Open Access Commentary on Book 2 of Augustine's Confessions<div class="MsoNormal">
We have just started working on Book 2 of Augustine’s <i>Confessions
</i>in my upper level Latin prose course. My choice of this text was sort of
the result of a perfect storm last spring. I was teaching a course, Intellectual
Traditions II – Medieval to Renaissance, for the Honors Program here at the U
and the <i>Confessions</i> was one of our common texts. I also had a student in
my second year Latin poetry class who was interested in working on Augustine. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’re just a week into the text, but it is one of the best
things I have read in Latin in quite a while. I'd read bits and pieces of
Augustine over the years, but I'd never really sat down and worked through a
big chunk like this. His language is viscerally descriptive and his style is
clear and straightforward. The biggest difficulty for my students, and myself
too, is the vocabulary. We spent the first ten weeks of the semester reading
Cicero's <i>Pro Caelio</i>. Augustine uses words that often seem familiar at
first glance, from English derivatives, but they are Latin words that aren't
encountered in Cicero or have unexpected nuances. It's a great read for someone
who likes to pour through dictionaries, because the definition one needs is
often near the bottom of the entry.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The real draw back to reading the <i>Confessions</i> with
undergraduates, who have essentially studied only Latin texts from the late
first century B.C.E., is that there is not a good student commentary. <a href="http://www.stoa.org/hippo/" target="_blank">O’Donnell's text and commentary</a> is great for tying the text into the traditions of early
Christianity and the philosophical context, as is Gillian Clark's Cambridge
edition, but they aren't of much assistance to a student who is still mastering
grammar and dealing with the overload of new vocabulary and idiom. So over the
weekend I started thinking about what a good student commentary would consist
of, and today I proposed to my students that we could develop a commentary on
Book 2 for students like themselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We did a little brain storming in class about what a good
commentary should look like. I took in half a dozen commentaries of various
sorts and had my students flip through them and identify the things they liked
and didn't like. Perhaps not surprisingly they were very much in favor of those
texts that included a bit of Latin, vocabulary notes, and grammar explanations
in separate sections on facing pages, like Cerutti's <i>Pro Archia</i> (2006)
published by Bolchazy-Carducci or Steadman's self-published <i>Plato's</i> <i>Symposium
</i>(2009). Besides the obvious convenience of this layout, one student pointed
out that since there is relatively little Latin text on each page it makes you
feel like you’re really making progress on the text. They were also in favor of
diagrams of complex sentences. Specifically for Augustine we agreed that it
would be nice to have a vocabulary that included definitions that would be appropriate
for the specific context of the <i>confessions</i>, but also include a follow
up of basic or classical definitions that one might have encountered, or will,
in reading other texts as they continue their studies. We're working largely
from O’Donnell’s commentary via stoa.org and we also decided we’d like to have
more on the Roman side of things in terms of cultural content. These are
students who are not exposed much to material from the later Roman Empire due
both to the research interests and scholarly strengths of the faculty and also
the design of our curriculum. So some contextual essays would also be helpful. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I left them to ponder this ideal commentary until our
meeting on Wednesday. I offered to substitute working toward creating such a
commentary for their planned translation final. In addition, I suggested that
we could do this work with the aim of publishing an open access student
commentary on Book 2 of the <i>Confessions</i>, with all contributors getting
publication credit to add to their CV. I really like this idea for a number of
reasons. First and foremost it will get them working with their dictionaries
and grammars and then making the hard choices about meanings of words and types
of constructions. Depending on how we break down the work, they will also have
the chance to think and write about the cultural context of the text.<o:p></o:p></div>
A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-79794223744784927392014-11-06T21:33:00.000-07:002014-11-17T19:02:18.109-07:00Spend Spring 2015 at the University of Utah with the Romans - CL CV 1570<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2bANoTzvcmvpmqK6DDyPB7pVQYyvNNjttzwa2BLOruMhw1Dps3tBAjlNRXIjqdFnL56xjDfSP_s0hTLQj1-Xjpt9QM5VAcjuQxoIw_dHgvbEuErNSRmzIOAn63KDUqCATkVYCY_a1tA/s1600/flyer+pic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2bANoTzvcmvpmqK6DDyPB7pVQYyvNNjttzwa2BLOruMhw1Dps3tBAjlNRXIjqdFnL56xjDfSP_s0hTLQj1-Xjpt9QM5VAcjuQxoIw_dHgvbEuErNSRmzIOAn63KDUqCATkVYCY_a1tA/s1600/flyer+pic.png" height="433" width="640" /></a></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Course Description</span></h3>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">In this course we will explore Roman culture from its legendary
beginnings in the seven hills of Rome, through its expansion across the
Mediterranean and Europe, to the rise the Roman Empire. Roman cultural studies
rely on a multidisciplinary approach, including the fields of archaeology,
philology and history. As students, you will acquire and develop the basic
tools used to interpret the preserved textual and artifactual evidence of the
Roman civilization. We will discuss many aspects of Roman society,
including politics and the military, religion and mythology, production and
trade, sport and leisure, & art and literature, as we examine the daily
life of ancient Romans</span><span style="line-height: 107%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Questions?</b></span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Send me an e-mail at alexis DOT christensen AT utah DOT edu.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Textbooks</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;">Daily
Life in the Roman City, </span></i><span style="line-height: 107%;">by G.S. Aldrete. University of Oklahoma Press,
2009. ISBN </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">978-0806140278</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;">Roman
Social History, </span></i><span style="line-height: 107%;">by T.G. Parkin & A.J. Pomeroy. Routledge, 2007. ISBN </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">978-0415426756</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-pagination: none; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;">Satyricon</span></i><span style="line-height: 107%;">, by Petronius; translated S. Ruden. Hackett Publishing
Co., 2000. ISBN </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">978-0872205109</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="line-height: 107%;">Aeneid,
</span></i><span style="line-height: 107%;">by
Virgil;</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> translated by
S. Lombardo. Hackett Publishing Co., 2005. ISBN </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">978-0872207318</span></span><span style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNl4QRCpwB3Aqe4OJUv9aa5jBTBf4ffaJWFXMqt9rKR3wLrDJ4_yMBrk4dB4KiQQ-Z1Ass3pCk4mNcRVuMRVibNSaPJELp6cDEN3rDuwDtZTM8N3DTcL8MuyltuWpbIYhzNfS28FsvXAc/s1600/61xLSbAEqlL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNl4QRCpwB3Aqe4OJUv9aa5jBTBf4ffaJWFXMqt9rKR3wLrDJ4_yMBrk4dB4KiQQ-Z1Ass3pCk4mNcRVuMRVibNSaPJELp6cDEN3rDuwDtZTM8N3DTcL8MuyltuWpbIYhzNfS28FsvXAc/s1600/61xLSbAEqlL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_+(1).jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZsORZzq0xrxFG-tAtt4FupwT-Jl2CQS2XdHjhyphenhyphen1KgdkzvrRp2hphca5Nqmy8mE2iUTdvwCW5VGQ3ADtfk8W-vVhIcK8NVL_PsZu6xiCVgCHXJ9GZ7JWDVCv9iyO_P7PdddsGUX39Mpt4/s1600/51MWxvKqbdL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZsORZzq0xrxFG-tAtt4FupwT-Jl2CQS2XdHjhyphenhyphen1KgdkzvrRp2hphca5Nqmy8mE2iUTdvwCW5VGQ3ADtfk8W-vVhIcK8NVL_PsZu6xiCVgCHXJ9GZ7JWDVCv9iyO_P7PdddsGUX39Mpt4/s1600/51MWxvKqbdL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfrg1tk55byXVE-vk5_EJJKDaVz62Thf1TgFQpJmUGO_TLyTGHDjVD-LiX0DXXSppvFYR_NaRitRMQ9VUOF3XxDhDbJYuqgRJDi7qp84wM1A41bGD2J-RTra5rwbX2KHZ8uKA98jnNjc/s1600/61xGqFDzPSL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfrg1tk55byXVE-vk5_EJJKDaVz62Thf1TgFQpJmUGO_TLyTGHDjVD-LiX0DXXSppvFYR_NaRitRMQ9VUOF3XxDhDbJYuqgRJDi7qp84wM1A41bGD2J-RTra5rwbX2KHZ8uKA98jnNjc/s1600/61xGqFDzPSL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRyM9At9TgpvdddUw4giBMik1T14jBCu87prk7XGhJ-E8a3dxJNXr14K4jANTvoooKzyfJP1-Lt9TbHRBVQqFXX2JuNhLQ8ood3Lo7EdVa_czvCnWyimHyGOia149Osmemnx6HdZpJi0/s1600/71+EryAoz1L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBRyM9At9TgpvdddUw4giBMik1T14jBCu87prk7XGhJ-E8a3dxJNXr14K4jANTvoooKzyfJP1-Lt9TbHRBVQqFXX2JuNhLQ8ood3Lo7EdVa_czvCnWyimHyGOia149Osmemnx6HdZpJi0/s1600/71+EryAoz1L.jpg" height="200" width="126" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
[Images via amazon.com]</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Key to Flyer</h3>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These graffiti & public notices from Pompeii date to the
mid-first century A.D., with the exception of #6. It features in Monty Python’s
1978 comedy, <i>The Life of Brian.</i></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-variant: small-caps;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrdIyslO0Y0VIi3dSrl0ZNUdRmEoLsgEA_kcHdGhXR7gW29ckT54vVmUyw0oy-Ae3o2qBb0cswmN8Pmzh72_6Vlg8k7RoZZg4Zaqgbrikm_QxLsNqLlX2pwwrl4eGZKIXw8W4SMPxMZg/s1600/flyer+sp15+layers+without+class+with+numbers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrdIyslO0Y0VIi3dSrl0ZNUdRmEoLsgEA_kcHdGhXR7gW29ckT54vVmUyw0oy-Ae3o2qBb0cswmN8Pmzh72_6Vlg8k7RoZZg4Zaqgbrikm_QxLsNqLlX2pwwrl4eGZKIXw8W4SMPxMZg/s1600/flyer+sp15+layers+without+class+with+numbers.png" height="412" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrFNpSuCuF-m-Nq-cigCqQ4MXPighNRAK-AYhYe481bQ11GL99b6ZRq3Id0WxDts7pbo8m8IVQrqBQjEiSWOtVrwMl2LnXbIR9MH76Y3rZuE4dt7swUsMJVLjxobdCG2oi3d8utnA3bQ/s1600/1111.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmrFNpSuCuF-m-Nq-cigCqQ4MXPighNRAK-AYhYe481bQ11GL99b6ZRq3Id0WxDts7pbo8m8IVQrqBQjEiSWOtVrwMl2LnXbIR9MH76Y3rZuE4dt7swUsMJVLjxobdCG2oi3d8utnA3bQ/s1600/1111.png" height="86" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAQ1lI4Di5E1ECj4N-1eV77OAifRBMnUYEhzYNPxXQmnkbpSXkhn_yAuZsw_pFp3NmF26-Lz0i0ROe9uIqsD3Z5gJk9DroQpYaAz5tk6Hm_cfKCDcTYbWLEhkmyKTIrdLw2K3WUwZ34A/s1600/2222.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAQ1lI4Di5E1ECj4N-1eV77OAifRBMnUYEhzYNPxXQmnkbpSXkhn_yAuZsw_pFp3NmF26-Lz0i0ROe9uIqsD3Z5gJk9DroQpYaAz5tk6Hm_cfKCDcTYbWLEhkmyKTIrdLw2K3WUwZ34A/s1600/2222.png" height="108" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hGdrLTy83nltIy_lRQpnzvnbWEVb87mWikPs4oFHwFCZ_D-i3n9poLK_gFKTXW-vR2NqH0cxV0QdvKQc05Z8jNTPy1bJF7hJg_jedU2KiyZ_HuXGXB2TMKvd_qUY336ghdTweIE0gRg/s1600/3333.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hGdrLTy83nltIy_lRQpnzvnbWEVb87mWikPs4oFHwFCZ_D-i3n9poLK_gFKTXW-vR2NqH0cxV0QdvKQc05Z8jNTPy1bJF7hJg_jedU2KiyZ_HuXGXB2TMKvd_qUY336ghdTweIE0gRg/s1600/3333.png" height="74" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Nhe3NN5rthsYC_uHA1Wpgj2V2JAKJnnAHrqmqDKB4Qn_qoyxU-WCrX6qgjKERvE9QAZQpLIbJs3hftF4YcnTnke3Rv040cJHYNQcvK5OxcJ8UBA5Ob5OzTFgmBMi5t0KQvC6LxZbEUo/s1600/4444.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Nhe3NN5rthsYC_uHA1Wpgj2V2JAKJnnAHrqmqDKB4Qn_qoyxU-WCrX6qgjKERvE9QAZQpLIbJs3hftF4YcnTnke3Rv040cJHYNQcvK5OxcJ8UBA5Ob5OzTFgmBMi5t0KQvC6LxZbEUo/s1600/4444.png" height="104" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCmQwGoCGHibUf1Lmk2Dw9-ETCNwhCZdo9gB9xuho410tPqHEP5xgejup65-S2UKeWuXaKny-dAvZk8CnES8keHNctS6VsToYm7uwz8hAjOBxR1RRYRwdIFxZXWXqI7QT5kX-U62UmUI/s1600/5555.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCmQwGoCGHibUf1Lmk2Dw9-ETCNwhCZdo9gB9xuho410tPqHEP5xgejup65-S2UKeWuXaKny-dAvZk8CnES8keHNctS6VsToYm7uwz8hAjOBxR1RRYRwdIFxZXWXqI7QT5kX-U62UmUI/s1600/5555.png" height="158" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOa81pCO9jlNofB8XVpS-Eu_ccSdvQv-Of2-y4FD0k8oLMsnWfRXjebZfv1ZFdu74kcPUFRdYIet1lmB7z72oL7xP-r5Cz48N8wmZ54mM2qN5Ahv9XmU1kZG9MSOO98vuryX3dHnyBGHg/s1600/6666.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOa81pCO9jlNofB8XVpS-Eu_ccSdvQv-Of2-y4FD0k8oLMsnWfRXjebZfv1ZFdu74kcPUFRdYIet1lmB7z72oL7xP-r5Cz48N8wmZ54mM2qN5Ahv9XmU1kZG9MSOO98vuryX3dHnyBGHg/s1600/6666.png" height="156" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_1xFeQl1wN-QK7fBjtURM9xzE1nHYKzZULdDh_c9eUdnXaFgTQgNGM5wOZd9icEAaf4Gmbi5ct-R51rf0ZuLm3J3g4k5nqM_VYG7x4HGOXXw4bxNqqTO39gBbJni3V_cISO-SPfxaEc/s1600/7777.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_1xFeQl1wN-QK7fBjtURM9xzE1nHYKzZULdDh_c9eUdnXaFgTQgNGM5wOZd9icEAaf4Gmbi5ct-R51rf0ZuLm3J3g4k5nqM_VYG7x4HGOXXw4bxNqqTO39gBbJni3V_cISO-SPfxaEc/s1600/7777.png" height="144" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUx77kQ4u5HRhJuORsileU3QZBNL0UlXoFshyr6zDxPbGjXml_lYefJZguNHKke8H-nq64wm2fH-deyd3ppSi1l8e44Vtl5AkhnMgALcP2jkSNW1xWL58YUCbF78qO0bv0ATNBt3PQdFQ/s1600/Screenshot+2014-11-06+18.28.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUx77kQ4u5HRhJuORsileU3QZBNL0UlXoFshyr6zDxPbGjXml_lYefJZguNHKke8H-nq64wm2fH-deyd3ppSi1l8e44Vtl5AkhnMgALcP2jkSNW1xWL58YUCbF78qO0bv0ATNBt3PQdFQ/s1600/Screenshot+2014-11-06+18.28.png" height="155" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Location of These Graffiti & Public Notices in Pompeii </h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHmXuiQJWujiJ-cZ-KdBaISoq1XV1ag4pecZFiPNATI3USzmGRIJ3kdmf7v7hKUdsGUD5QfpY8w38HrtXGiGI_EKWv59Z-orlyz1fLOvAXjcgjk5QROExxfP3cbZsSdSzpxf7t3RVQf8/s1600/2014-11-06+16.40.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHmXuiQJWujiJ-cZ-KdBaISoq1XV1ag4pecZFiPNATI3USzmGRIJ3kdmf7v7hKUdsGUD5QfpY8w38HrtXGiGI_EKWv59Z-orlyz1fLOvAXjcgjk5QROExxfP3cbZsSdSzpxf7t3RVQf8/s1600/2014-11-06+16.40.22.jpg" height="310" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adapted from P. Foss & J. Dobbins' <i>World of Pompeii, </i>2007.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-7417947529490533332014-06-20T08:44:00.000-06:002014-06-20T08:45:02.570-06:00Want to Buy an Italian SIM Card for Your Phone? Or, How to Get a Codice Fiscale.<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">How to get an Italian codice fiscale from the USA. Since this took me some time to figure out, I figured I would share. "Why might one need a codice fiscale?," you may be asking yourself. I've gone 20+ years of summers in Italy without one. </span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">But if you want to buy an Italian SIM card for your unlocked smart phone or even a pay-as-you-go, not-so-smart-phone nowadays (or perhaps a quaint Tuscan farmhouse which you plan on gifting to me), you'll need one.<br /><br />The process is pretty simple and I received my codice via e-mail in about two weeks. I still haven't received a physical card as those seem to be sent from Italy to your embassy and then on to you.<br /><br />1) Find your Italian Consulate, based on your state of residence, on the list <a href="http://www.immihelp.com/visas/schengenvisa/italian-consulates-usa.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br /><br />2) On your consulate website, and they all seem to be a tiny bit different, look for the "Modulistica" link or change the language to English and look for "Forms." Then find the link for the codice fiscale form.<br /><br />It seems each consulate has a slightly different form, but all asking for the same info. My consulate is in San Francisco and they kindly include instructions in both Italian and English. The link to the form for the SF office is <a href="http://www.conssanfrancisco.esteri.it/NR/rdonlyres/0A00D282-EB4F-4CD4-B91A-564EAC087ECB/0/ISTRUZIONIEMODULOPERLARICHIESTADICODICEFISCALE.pdf" target="_blank">here</a> in case you'd like some decent instructions and your consulate isn't quite as thorough. I don't know if it matters whether you fill out your consulate's specific form, but some do have their location listed in the form title. SF doesn't.<br /><br />3) Follow the instructions to fill out the form and send it, a copy of your passport, and a self-addressed stamped envelope to your consulate. Wait ca. two weeks for them to email your codice to you. They will ultimately send you a card in the mail, but you just need the number apparently, (just as we Americans don't need to run around with our social security cards, we just need to know the number).</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">If you're already in Italy and would like to get a codice you can visit an Agenzia delle Entrate. I would recommend asking at your hotel for the nearest location or you can use <a href="http://www1.agenziaentrate.it/inglese/revenue_agency/contact_us/Tax_enquiries/find_office.htm" target="_blank">this on-line form</a>. (n.b. once you click through the "Find the Office" link it is in Italian. Comune di residenza = municipality. Indirizzo di partenza = street address. You may want to click the button for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #122644; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17.92179298400879px;">Ufficio più vicino all'indirizzo di partenza, which will provide locations physically closer to the address you have entered rather than use the default location for your comune.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">)</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; display: inline; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Heads up: There are also various websites that will calculate your codice for you. THIS DOES NOT CREATE A VALID CODICE FISCALE. I compared my real codice to those created by these on-line calculators and they were off by two characters. I don't know what, if anything, happens if you're found to be using an invalid codice, but personally I'm a bit paranoid about these things and prefer not to find out. If you decided you want to try one of these calculators to get an invalid codice, <a href="http://italychronicles.com/how-to-create-a-codice-fiscale/" target="_blank">Italy Chronicles</a> has a thorough explanation of how to go about this. </span>A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-62943532611527041582014-01-31T11:32:00.000-07:002014-02-03T23:02:16.246-07:00Sappho Round-up<span style="font-family: inherit;">I find myself repeatedly posting new links in a variety of places as coverage of the new Sappho fragment continues, so I am going to simplify my life and collect them here. I'm actually teaching Sappho next week in my Women in Ancient Greece and Rome course, and we just did Catullus 51 in my second year Latin poetry course, so this is all quite timely.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">January 29th </span></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Victoria Woollaston in the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2548083/Rare-Sappho-love-poems-discovered-tattered-1-700-year-old-papyrus.html" target="_blank">Daily Mail</a>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">James Romm in the <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/28/scholars-discover-new-poems-from-ancient-greek-poetess-sappho.html" target="_blank">Daily Beast</a>, with comment by Albert Heinrichs of Harvard University, who has seen the papyrus himself.</span></li>
<li>Paul Barford has a rather cynical take on the discovery of the new Sappho Papyrus on his Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues <a href="http://paul-barford.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/some-bloke-reads-ripped-up-papyrus-from.html" target="_blank">blog</a>. While the issue of black market and illegal antiquities should not be dismissed, without any information on the owner it is difficult to state when or whether this piece may have been illegally obtained. Also, it looks to me like the fragment that is being included with the news stories cannot be from the papyrus in question. I've barely scanned it, but the final line does not seem to correspond to any of Obbink's reading. And Obbink gives the papyrus dimensions as 18.2 x 10.8 cm, thus the nicely squared image in the articles seems unlikely to be from the new find.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">January 30th </span></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Charlotte Higgins in the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/29/sappho-ancient-greek-poet-unknown-works-discovered" target="_blank">Guardian</a>. Contains a link to Tim Whitmarsh's <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jan/30/read-sappho-new-unknown-poem-papyrus-classical" target="_blank">translation</a> of the nearly complete poem naming Charaxos and Larichos, and a link to Dirk Obbink's forthcoming <a href="http://www.papyrology.ox.ac.uk/Fragments/Obbink.Sappho7.draft.pdf" target="_blank">publication</a> of the fragment in <i>Zeitschrift <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;">für</span></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;"><i> Papyrologie und Epigraphik</i> (<i>ZPE</i>). (Although the <i>ZPE </i>link seems to no longer work.)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;">Annalisa Quinn for </span><a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/01/30/268732774/book-news-two-poems-by-greek-poet-sappho-discovered" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.98px;" target="_blank">NPR</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;">, with comment by Margaret Williamson at Dartmouth College.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;">Tom Payne in the </span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/10607569/A-new-Sappho-poem-is-more-exciting-than-a-new-David-Bowie-album.html" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.98px;" target="_blank">Telegraph</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;">, in which Sappho is compared with, nay, surpasses David Bowie! Payne has translated Ovid's </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;">Ars Amatoria</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;"> and offers his own translation of the Charaxos and Larichos poem.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Laura Swift, lecturer in Classics at the Open University, published her thoughts in <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-sappho-poems-set-classical-world-reeling-22608" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>, also with the broken link to Obbink's article. </span></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">January 31st</span></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;">Oliver Moody in the </span><a href="http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/books/poetry/article3991067.ece" style="line-height: 18.98px;" target="_blank">Times</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;">. This is behind a pay wall.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;">Katy Waldman for </span><a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/01/31/read_two_newly_discovered_sappho_poems_in_english_for_the_first_time.html" style="line-height: 18.98px;" target="_blank">Slate Magazine</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;"> includes translations of both poems by Thomas H. Buck which have been "Sappho-ized" by Katy herself.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18.98px;"><b>February 1st</b></span></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;">Res Gerendae, a blog written by grad students at Cambridge, has a </span><a href="http://resgerendae.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/new-sappho-poems/" style="line-height: 18.98px;" target="_blank">write up</a><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.98px;"> by Matt Scarborough with a bit more background on Sappho's corpus.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 18.979999542236328px;"><b>February 3rd</b></span></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.979999542236328px;">Prof. Francesca Tronchin has collected tweets on her </span><a href="http://storify.com/tronchin/new-fragments-of-poems-by-sappho" style="line-height: 18.979999542236328px;" target="_blank">Storify</a><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.979999542236328px;"> page with lots of good discussion of cultural heritage issues and questions about the provenience of the fragment.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 18.979999542236328px;">Dr. Llewelyn Morgan has a nice post about Sappho's influence on the Roman poet Catullus on his</span><a href="http://llewelynmorgan.wordpress.com/2014/02/03/sappho-a-roman-twist/" style="line-height: 18.979999542236328px;" target="_blank"> blog.</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-85931408481979484762013-10-10T16:45:00.003-06:002013-10-10T16:45:53.671-06:00Vergilathon 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJbtEZznHKNTCDcUIl6FuRUD3mjxqQkJw-0LtnU-6f2VcSIzU62ZVIDd1KVM5EPnvXqQ72InfeCKbNUc8TklIVTTVQBdg1yvbKUck0TnYOuys4p-thwmbPeUiv186xqf6CWVxpy1ldvQ/s1600/2013-10-01+20.34.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJbtEZznHKNTCDcUIl6FuRUD3mjxqQkJw-0LtnU-6f2VcSIzU62ZVIDd1KVM5EPnvXqQ72InfeCKbNUc8TklIVTTVQBdg1yvbKUck0TnYOuys4p-thwmbPeUiv186xqf6CWVxpy1ldvQ/s320/2013-10-01+20.34.43.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
This past Tuesday, October 8th, the University of Utah's Zeta Pi Chapter of Eta Sigma Phi, for which I am the faculty adviser, sponsored their second annual marathon reading of an ancient epic. This year's text was Vergil's <i>Aeneid</i>. We used Fagles' 2006 translation, which reads aloud quite well. The reading began at 8:00 a.m. and we finished just before 8:00 p.m. with 22 people reading throughout the day. A number of people paused to listen as they passed through the plaza in front of the Language and Communications Building, but others stopped and sat for a half hour or more. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
You can check out the collect tweets at <a href="http://storify.com/amchristensen/2013-vergilathon">http://storify.com/amchristensen/2013-vergilathon</a>. Credit is due to @HomerathonGVSU for paving the way by live-tweeting Homer's <i>Iliad</i> on October 2nd and 3rd. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We're hoping to continue the tradition next fall, so stay tuned!!</div>
A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-85818489013127321742012-11-25T13:29:00.001-07:002012-11-25T13:30:07.282-07:00Latin in the Real World<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I frequently do an assignment in my beginning Latin classes called "Latin in the Real World." I ask my students to collect examples of Latin that they find in their daily lives<i>. </i>This fall I've started collecting images of Latin I find in the real world around me via Instagram. I'll periodically post my images here.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDnTzLTVFIkgheerjFIx60OHuYuj2GflcJZbyPwa5cSmeUFJGzkJ3ymAdj1M_xCC9u8zgmQ1cOQLw2eEpEY_HT8mIZY_Cv-n7L8XROTHyBoKwubR81a_FL5uqFUUBNYfd16-5oS_VB3c/s1600/2012-09-04+18.15.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDnTzLTVFIkgheerjFIx60OHuYuj2GflcJZbyPwa5cSmeUFJGzkJ3ymAdj1M_xCC9u8zgmQ1cOQLw2eEpEY_HT8mIZY_Cv-n7L8XROTHyBoKwubR81a_FL5uqFUUBNYfd16-5oS_VB3c/s320/2012-09-04+18.15.46.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The "Rostrum" dedicated by the 1914 graduating class at the University of Utah. I've been digging around into the history of this senior class gift and will write it up at some point.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixp_G5AMhh761Pjw1f-psAOwVemIx3eIvqnm8exy_QdtF61YfMXO-Wg8fZ4X72TUBo6n3EYfkTQUkDLBlauHVp7KUrIV8aNRJgirMM2dqsL4V9-0lVSh51RZQJUxMW5RMXPEleN-Qxwfc/s1600/2012-10-28+18.34.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixp_G5AMhh761Pjw1f-psAOwVemIx3eIvqnm8exy_QdtF61YfMXO-Wg8fZ4X72TUBo6n3EYfkTQUkDLBlauHVp7KUrIV8aNRJgirMM2dqsL4V9-0lVSh51RZQJUxMW5RMXPEleN-Qxwfc/s320/2012-10-28+18.34.27.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Carpe diem! from Horace's (65-8 BCE) <i>Odes</i> 1.11:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"You should not ask (to know
is forbidden) what end the gods will give to me or to you, Leuconoe, nor try
out Babylonian astrology. Whether Jupiter allots us many more winters or this one
last winter, which now wears down the Tyrrhenian sea on the exposed rocks. Be
sensible, strain the wine and hold back distant hope for a short time. While we
talk, hateful time flies: seize the day, trusting tomorrow as little as
possible." (my translation)</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Tu ne quaesieris (scire
nefas) quem mihi, quem tibi</span> / finem di dederint, Leuconoe, nec Babylonios
/ temptaris numeros. Vt melius quicquid erit pati! / Seu pluris hiemes
seu tribuit Iuppiter ultimam, / quae nunc oppositis debilitat pumicibus
mare / Tyrrhenum, sapias, uina liques et spatio breui / spem longam
reseces. Dum loquimur, fugerit inuida / aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum
credula postero. (via the <a href="http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/horace/carm1.shtml" target="_blank">Latin Library</a>)</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPquYdDukd054geSVDgCj-2-Mh2L4GGq8cKWfYYiX7qwOpAu6LbewiBwYSg6i1DYrFgFpuwjoN-E_tIO71frHIfv5jfHoj6guZQYJanyYGDOBTz7dMNc9kf8t54k9f7_sa2psRqZY0aWc/s1600/2012-11-02+09.38.05+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPquYdDukd054geSVDgCj-2-Mh2L4GGq8cKWfYYiX7qwOpAu6LbewiBwYSg6i1DYrFgFpuwjoN-E_tIO71frHIfv5jfHoj6guZQYJanyYGDOBTz7dMNc9kf8t54k9f7_sa2psRqZY0aWc/s320/2012-11-02+09.38.05+-+Copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Semper Fidelis! Always faithful. The United States Marine Corps motto.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QwmOT4kwQdPZiDEGiwniXo2iqpD6HmPMdFCg1j7VlmAfPMOLwZ2bWUrS3IPF4iNI4Z9guqTUTAiavCzDL5qQTq9CbwvIbAoTGAtW_6szV9v58u2sa8jZWaDHQ4ppJIAdYOLU1FU4zxs/s1600/2012-11-09+11.44.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QwmOT4kwQdPZiDEGiwniXo2iqpD6HmPMdFCg1j7VlmAfPMOLwZ2bWUrS3IPF4iNI4Z9guqTUTAiavCzDL5qQTq9CbwvIbAoTGAtW_6szV9v58u2sa8jZWaDHQ4ppJIAdYOLU1FU4zxs/s320/2012-11-09+11.44.47.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some of the trees on the University of Utah campus have been identified by their Linnaean classification. This system has been used to classify all living things since Carl Linnaeus developed the system in the 18th century. As of this January, the International Botanical Congress has ruled that plant species no longer need to be given Latin names, (read about it <a href="http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/culturing-science/2011/12/28/botanists-finally-ditch-latin-and-paper-enter-21st-century/" target="_blank">here</a>).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYO9JEWDaZISl2uOSU4fP3RDUqeJ50zhjfaWLuFUusyHoae7lX34vj0FkPUhWjs5Mwx-VaEsEvYJlW_K1Wgclk0n7I_Z-QWgHHoIKkzAucrHzqM6mzFIdRzFi3UCmQXJBCNjFhtYeJjY/s1600/2012-11-25+10.44.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXYO9JEWDaZISl2uOSU4fP3RDUqeJ50zhjfaWLuFUusyHoae7lX34vj0FkPUhWjs5Mwx-VaEsEvYJlW_K1Wgclk0n7I_Z-QWgHHoIKkzAucrHzqM6mzFIdRzFi3UCmQXJBCNjFhtYeJjY/s320/2012-11-25+10.44.02.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">DUCER | ERAB | THRAX</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Is this really Latin? Who knows what the author intended, but it definitely seems to have a bit of Latin in it. One possible reading, if we read EHAB for ERAB, is "Thracian consider rehab!" Romans weren't perfect spellers and their inscriptions frequently break words at the end of a line, so this would be a reasonable reading, if only it was painted by a Roman!! Maybe it's a message to Spartacus.</span></div>
</div>
A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-63150924799614402782012-11-22T14:12:00.001-07:002012-11-23T12:06:55.335-07:005 Dinners You Can Be Thankful That You’re Not Responsible For Preparing This Thanksgiving<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I suspect that everyone has a Thanksgiving preparation
anecdote in which preparing the “big meal” didn’t go so smoothly. Mine occurred
just a few years ago. We had gone to spend the holiday with my grandfather, who
had a small cattle ranch on the Great Plains. We brought the turkey and other
fixin’s with us, most of it pre-made, except the turkey. When I went to
pre-heat the oven, we discovered that it no longer worked. “No problem,” my
grandfather said, “try the one in the trailer.” So I carried the turkey across
the yard to the trailer, cleared off the stuff that had been “stored” around
the stove and turned on the oven. It didn’t work either. We next contemplated
the oven in the camper, but decided it was too small. In the end, I cooked the
turkey on the gas grill, hoping the whole time that we had enough propane to
get it cooked. It actually turned out quite nicely, in the end. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here is my top 5 list of dinners from ancient Rome that I wouldn’t
want to have to prepare. Enjoy while you wait for the guests to arrive or
recovering from a food coma!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><strong>Potluck Extreme:</strong> I love the Roman poet Catullus (ca. 84-54
BCE); he may be my favorite in fact. But be wary if he invites you over for
dinner, as he plays the poor poet image to its fullest. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carmen </i>13, Catullus invites his friend Fabullus to dinner, asking
him to bring just a few things with him:</span><o:p><span style="color: #333333;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“You
will dine well, Fabullus my friend, at my place in a few days, (if the gods are
in your corner), if you bring along a good, big dinner, including a pretty girl
and the wine and some salt and all the laughs. If, I declare, you bring these
things my charming friend, you will dine well; for the wallet of your buddy
Catullus is full of cobwebs. But in return you will receive undiluted love, or
whatever is sweeter and more choice: for I will give you a perfume, which the
Venuses and Cupids have given to my girlfriend, and when you smell it, you will
beg the gods to make you, Fabullus, all nose.” (my translation)</span></blockquote>
<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><strong>Least Appealing Menu:</strong> The story of the original “Thyestean
Banquet” has its origins in Greek myth, but it is perhaps most vividly related
by Seneca the Younger (ca. 4 BCE – 65 CE), a Roman philosopher, tragedian, and
tutor to the emperor Nero. In his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thyestes</i>
</span><span style="color: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(lns
759-783),</span><span style="color: #333333;"> Seneca describes how Atreus sought revenge against his brother
Thyestes, who had stolen his kingdom and his wife, (there might have been a
curse at work):<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“…[Atreus] is now free to prepare his brother’s banquet. With his own hands he cuts the body <of his nephew> into parts, severs the broad shoulders at the trunk, and the retarding arms, heartlessly strips off the flesh and severs the bones; the heads only he saves, and the hands that had been given to him in pledge of faith. Some of the flesh is fixed on spits and, set before slow fires, hangs dripping; other parts boiling waters tosses in heated kettles. The fire overleaps the feast that is set before it and, twice and again thrown back upon the shuddering hearth and forced to tarry there, burns grudgingly. The liver sputters on the spits; nor could I well say whether the bodies or the flames made more complaint. The fire dies down in pitchy smoke; and the smoke itself, a gloomy and heavy smudge, does not rise straight up and lift itself in air – upon the household gods themselves in disfiguring cloud it settles. O all-enduring Phoebus, though thou didst shrink afar, and in mid-sky didst bury the darkened day, still thou didst set too late. The father rends his sons and with baleful jaws chews his own flesh; with hair dripping with liquid nard he sits resplendent, heavy with wine; oft-times the food sticks in his choking gullet. In the midst of these thy woes, Thyestes, this only good remains, that thou knowest not thy woes." (translation </span><a href="http://www.theoi.com/Text/SenecaThyestes.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">by F.J. Miller</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, via theoi.com)</span></blockquote>
<span style="color: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Most Painstaking Preparation:</strong> The emperor Vitellius (15-69
CE) was a well-known glutton. In his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Life
of Vitellius</i> (13), the Roman biographer Suetonius (ca. 70-130 CE) describes
the ingredients of the “Shield of Minerva,” a dish of his own design:<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“<Vitellius> himself actually exceeded this by the dedication of a platter which, by reason of its great size, he called the shield of Minerva, protectress of cities. On this he combined the livers of parrotfish, the brains of pheasants and peacocks, the tongues of flamingoes, and eels’ intestines, sought from Parthia and all the way from the Spanish strait by trireme captains.” (my translation)</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>The Biggest Guest List:</strong> In his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Silvae</i>, the Roman poet Statius (ca. 45-96 CE) recounts several
banquets hosted by the emperor Domitian. </span><a href="http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/StatiusSilvaeBkI.htm#_Toc312943211" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Silvae</em> 1.6.11-50</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> describes an elaborate festival and feast provided by Domitian
for the people of Rome at the beginning of December. The feast is staged in, or
perhaps adjacent to, an amphitheater, probably the Colosseum, which could seat ca.
50-90,000 people:</span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">“…And already good things rained down:<br />These the dews the easterly sprinkled:<br />Whichever are best of Pontic nuts,<br />And dates from Idume’s fertile hills,<br />And plums pious Damascus grows,<br />And figs Ebusos and Caunos ripen,<br />Freely the lavish spoils descend.<br />And pastries and ‘little Gaiuses’<br />Ameria’s un-dried apples and pears,<br />Spiced cakes and ripened dates,<br />Shower from an unseen palm. <br />Not stormy Hyas drenches Earth<br />Nor the Pleiades with such showers<br />As rattled down on the Latian theatre<br />Like bursts of hail from a clear sky.<br />Let Jupiter cloud the whole world<br />Threaten to deluge the open fields,<br />So long as our Jove brings such rain.<br /> Look, along the aisles comes another<br />Crowd, handsome and finely dressed,<br /> No less in number than those seated!<br /> These bring bread-baskets and white<br /> Napkins, and elegant delicacies to eat,<br /> Those pour out mellow wine freely:<br /> So many cupbearers down from Ida.<br /> The fourteen rows, now virtuous, sober,<br /> Are fed, with the people wearing gowns;<br /> And since you nourish so many, Lord,<br /> Annona, the price of corn’s, outweighed.<br /> Ages, compare now, if it’s your wish,<br /> Old Saturn’s centuries, golden days:<br /> Never flowed wine so, even then,<br /> Nor did harvest anticipate new year.<br /> Every order eats here at the one table:<br /> Women, children, knights, plebs, Senate:<br /> Freedom has set aside reverence.<br /> Why you yourself (which of the gods<br /> Issues and accepts his own invitation?)<br /> Have come to the feast along with us.<br /> Now all, now whoever, rich or poor<br /> Can boast of dining with our leader…” <br />(translated by A.S. Kline)</span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Biggest Logistical Nightmare:</strong> In his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Satyricon, </i>Petronius (ca. 27-66 CE) describes a banquet hosted by a
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">nouveau riche</i>, freedman by the name of
Trimalchio. The dinner is a master piece of stage craft from the food to the
entertainment. It really must be read in full (which you can do </span><a href="http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/course/dinner.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">) to fully
appreciate it, but here is a preview of some of the menu highlights:</span></span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pastry peacock eggs filled with fig-peckers in peppered egg yolk</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></li>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Wild boar garnished with dates and pastry piglets, stuffed with live thrushes</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></li>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pastry Priapus accompanied by cakes and fruit</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></li>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pastry doves filled with raisins and nuts</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></li>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Goose, fish and other birds modeled from pork<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></li>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></ul>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Happy Thanksgiving to all!! May your dinner preparations go smoothly!!!</span>A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-24666083972695169392012-11-09T14:46:00.003-07:002012-11-09T14:48:39.535-07:00Spring 2013 Courses & Textbooks<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Although it is hard to believe it, we are almost finished with fall semester courses and students are registering for spring courses. I'll be teaching a whopping four courses! Second semester Beginning Classical Greek, The Romans, and Trojan Wars for the Classics Section and Medieval-Renaissence Intellectual Traditions (IT) for the Honors Program. I'm looking forward to them all for different reasons. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7MXT5jgtBOCB-cxwGYe_B7msZw1nPs8Bg95PBiiO7GS4_tQbqFYKWOCBrRT1IdvEGTWDqBebUasYor2iDFnzsN7OLcX_Iub1VChrAIYdUxzxC6huUHpg4go2UcF0oGob4N_UWi0JDfU/s1600/sp13+courses1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7MXT5jgtBOCB-cxwGYe_B7msZw1nPs8Bg95PBiiO7GS4_tQbqFYKWOCBrRT1IdvEGTWDqBebUasYor2iDFnzsN7OLcX_Iub1VChrAIYdUxzxC6huUHpg4go2UcF0oGob4N_UWi0JDfU/s400/sp13+courses1.JPG" width="307" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKccgtuUbMAHmwO9lMvrrzh8g9xQnnJXJuqp6gAKBD_NkSv7SFqgD8BiDrUwnnD2J657Dk-WAzYGSpZZxG6V-OZoIR80jvLiY9BzmKz3vRF5pJfGl1q1JmNLKIFYF7FvurCrvGM2xnXP8/s1600/sp13+courses2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKccgtuUbMAHmwO9lMvrrzh8g9xQnnJXJuqp6gAKBD_NkSv7SFqgD8BiDrUwnnD2J657Dk-WAzYGSpZZxG6V-OZoIR80jvLiY9BzmKz3vRF5pJfGl1q1JmNLKIFYF7FvurCrvGM2xnXP8/s400/sp13+courses2.JPG" width="308" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This will be only my second time teaching second semester Greek and we're using a new textbook this year and so I get the fun of tweaking things and improving upon the first time. I also suffered through a bout of pneumonia the last time I taught the course, so I'm hoping not to repeat that experience!! I'll also be teaching the IT course for a second time. The Romans is essentially Roman civ and I've taught it a number of times here at the U of U and elsewhere. The Romans are my own research focus, so I especially enjoy this course and this semester I am planning some new things. The Trojan Wars course is completely new and I am very excited to teach it. We'll cover the Homeric version of the war, but also look at the archaeological/art historical side of things and reception issues.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">For students looking to do some comparison shopping for textbooks, here is a list of the required texts I have asked the bookstore to order. Many of them are available as ebooks as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>GREEK 1020 - Beginning Classical Greek II</strong> (same text as fall semester)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Introduction to Greek</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">by C. Shelmerdine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Focus Publishing, 2008</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">ISBN 1585101842</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMtm9HATs-vrXvGiWynoJLH-QWEjwuK6_q7TIOrgX1GCHz6P0Un-EW1fCe8I8PtdVyBKDxERGo2YU3dSb6M5YaZYlpE8arVvi9SfFK6kO57m67ju5LGdE0N5LaMTfc4sGzRrHdT7ZgCw/s1600/Romans.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMtm9HATs-vrXvGiWynoJLH-QWEjwuK6_q7TIOrgX1GCHz6P0Un-EW1fCe8I8PtdVyBKDxERGo2YU3dSb6M5YaZYlpE8arVvi9SfFK6kO57m67ju5LGdE0N5LaMTfc4sGzRrHdT7ZgCw/s400/Romans.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>CL CV 1570 - The Romans</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Ancient Rome: An Introductory History</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">by P. Zoch</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">University of Oklahoma Press, 2000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">ISBN 0806132876 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span id="btAsinTitle"><em>Catiline's War, The Jugurthine War, Histories</em> </span><br />
translated by A.J. Woodman<br />
Penguin Classics, 2008<br />
ISBN 0140449485 <br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Essential Aeneid</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">translated by S. Lombardo</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Hackett Publishing CO., 2006</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">ISBN 0872207919 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em>Four Comedies</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">translated by E. Segal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Oxford University Press, 2008</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">ISBN 019954056X </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Satyricon</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">translated by S. Ruden</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Hackett Publishing Co., 2000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">ISBN 087220510X </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><strong>HONOR 2102-006 - Intellectual Tradiations II: Mediaval-Renaissance</strong></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Arabian Nights</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">translated by H. Haddawy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">W.W. Norton & Co., 2008</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">ISBN </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span id="ctl00_ctl00_Content_Content_rptCourses_ctrl0_rptItems_ctl00_lblItemTxtISBN">9780393331660</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>Beowulf: A New Verse Translation</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">translated by S. Heaney</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">W.W. Norton & Co., 2001</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">ISBN 0393320979 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>Consolation of Philosophy</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">translated by J. Relihan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Hackett Publishing Co, 2001</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">ISBN 0872205835 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>Inferno</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">translated by S. Lombardo</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Hackett Publishing Co., 2009</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">ISBN 0872209172 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>The Lays of Marie de France</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">translated by E. Gallagher</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Hackett Publishing Co., 2010</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">ISBN 1603841881 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span id="btAsinTitle"><em>The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches</em>
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">translated by N. Yuasa</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Penguin Classics, 1967</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">ISBN 0140441859 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>Utopia</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">translated by D. Wootton</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Hackett Publishing Co., 1999</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">ISBN 087220376X </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaO4fT05UvAZy0mvIXUwUwcSKjTTZJ3izRBeJrgPdH_lASbQH63tGTIcd46U1Y4fYoGpKOEQsjbmX7AsgQEgb2JjqgLiFDiYA0iOfi3ZI46XsE1ge7J4upst_7x-7O5tvCFIBk6XSZPCs/s1600/Trojan+Wars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaO4fT05UvAZy0mvIXUwUwcSKjTTZJ3izRBeJrgPdH_lASbQH63tGTIcd46U1Y4fYoGpKOEQsjbmX7AsgQEgb2JjqgLiFDiYA0iOfi3ZI46XsE1ge7J4upst_7x-7O5tvCFIBk6XSZPCs/s400/Trojan+Wars.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><strong>CL CV 4580-002 - Trojan Wars</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>Age of Bronze, Vol. 1: A Thousand Ships</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">by E. Shanower</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Image Comics, 2001</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">ISBN 1582402000 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em></em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>Iliad</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">translated by R. Lattimore</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">University of Chicago Press, 2011</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">ISBN 0226470490 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">[n.b. any edition of the <em>Iliad</em>, except S. Mitchell's, will be fine]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><em>In Search of the Trojan War</em></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">by M. Woods</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">University of California Press, 1998</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">ISBN 0520215990 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-59087369768037544042012-11-06T00:57:00.001-07:002012-11-06T11:56:18.369-07:00Catiline & Cato Get Out the Vote!I've always been fascinated by these two pots. They are in the <a href="http://archeoroma.beniculturali.it/en/museums/national-roman-museum-baths-diocletian" target="_blank">Museo Nazionale Romano - Terme di Diocleziano</a> which houses an excellent epigraphical collection. These are just small (ca. 4 inch diam.), common ware dishes that would have been used for individual servings of food. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sebastiagiralt/4326045361/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Bols de propaganda electoral a favor de Cató el Jove i de Catilina (63 a.C.), Museo Nazionale Romano nelle Terme di Diocleziano, Roma by Sebastià Giralt, on Flickr"><img alt="Bols de propaganda electoral a favor de Cató el Jove i de Catilina (63 a.C.), Museo Nazionale Romano nelle Terme di Diocleziano, Roma" height="224" src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4008/4326045361_909b277f5f.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Sebastia Giralt, 2009</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The things that makes them interesting are their inscriptions:<br />
<br />
Casius Longinu(s) quei Catilinae <su> <su> | sufragatur (<a href="http://cil.bbaw.de/cil_en/dateien/cil_pgsql_eng.php?PHPSESSID=c00a80a2b39332bd3f47dba0d88604ec" target="_blank"><i>CIL</i> VI 40897</a> = <i>AE</i> 1979, 63)<br />Cassius Longinus who gives his support to Catiline (My translation)<br /><br />M(arcus) Cato quei petit tribun(at)u(m) plebei (<a href="http://cil.bbaw.de/cil_en/dateien/cil_pgsql_eng.php?PHPSESSID=bdde874a8975d9fd20790d4fe5b0354f" target="_blank"><i>CIL</i> VI 40904</a> = <i>AE</i> 1979, 64)<br />M. <Porcius> <porcius> Cato who is running for tribune of the plebs (My translation)<br /><br />These inscriptions, assuming they are authentic, indicate that these bowls were used as election propaganda in 63 B.C.E.. They would have been filled with food and give out to the people to remind them to vote for the candidate whose name was scratched into the interior. In his defense of L. Licinius Murena, consul-elect for 62 B.C.E., against charges of electoral bribery (ambitus), M. Tullius Cicero argues that the provision of entertainments, gladiators, and banquets are traditional and should be viewed as generosity rather than bribery, (<a href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0019%3Atext%3DMur.%3Asection%3D77" target="_blank"><i>Pro Murena,</i> 77</a>).<br /><br />We know that in 63 B.C.E L. Sergius Catilina was standing for the consulship of 62 B.C.E. He had also run the previous year, 64 B.C.E. and lost to Cicero and G. Antonius Hybrida. L. Cassius Longinus had also run for consul in 64 B.C.E., but he seems to have stood down in 63 B.C.E. and thrown his support over to Catiline. We know quite a bit about Catiline thanks to the fact that, after the elections in 63 B.C.E, he resorted to an attempted coup, which was ferreted out by Cicero and cost Catiline his life. This conspiracy is recorded for us in Cicero's own speeches against Catiline (<i>In Catilinam</i>) and Sallust's history of the events (<i>Bellum Catilinae</i>). <br /><br />Also in 63 B.C.E., Cato the Younger was running for the office of tribune of the plebs. Things turned out rather better for Cato. He won. Plutarch, (<a href="http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0014%3Achapter%3D20%3Asection%3D1" target="_blank">Life of Cato the Younger, 20-23</a>), tells us that Cato made a point of learning and remembering people's names while campaigning, rather than use a nomenclator to remind him. Cato also supported Cicero against Catiline. Sallust provides us with a speech by Cato endorsing the execution of the Catilinarian conspirators. After the elections in 63 B.C.E., Cato prosecuted Murena, consul-elect for 62 B.C.E., for ambitus.<br /><br />So we have here two bowls that would have been used not as electoral bribes, but to "get out the vote" for Cato and Catiline in the elections of 63 B.C.E.. These are tangible evidence of Roman campaigning practices. Or are they? I've known about these bowls for a number of years and thought it odd that they haven't made it into popular handbooks on the Romans, but I have never really looked into the scholarship on them. It turns out that there isn't very much available. The inscriptions are listed in the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (<i>CIL</i>) and there is a bit of discussion of them in L'Année épigraphique (<i>AE</i> 1979, 63-64). They are said to have come from the Monte Sacro quarter of modern Rome, at the northern edges of the city, just east of the Tiber River and identified as a type of pot that is commonly handed out as gifts during festivals, gladiatorial games and banquets. But their authenticity is called into question ("si elles sont authentiques!"). This sort of inscription could be easily forged, as it is scratched into the surface of an already fired pot. Also, the diminutive size and common fabric of these bowls would make them likely candidates for surviving intact for roughly 2000 years. So, it wouldn't be hard to imagine someone acquiring a couple of uninteresting, little bowls and making them much more interesting by inscribing the names of two famous Romans, Cato and Catiline, on them. </porcius></su><br />
<su><porcius></porcius></su><br />
<su><porcius>[gratias maximas tibi ago to H. Conley for talking pottery with me on these!]</porcius></su>A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-44856322451068220912012-10-30T15:50:00.003-06:002012-10-30T15:50:57.910-06:00Academic Writing Month...<br />
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I've decided to make the leap and commit to Academic
Writing Month (#acwrimo). You can check out the details <a href="http://www.phd2published.com/tag/acbowrimo/" target="_blank">here</a>. I have several things I need to be writing, but I
have decided to focus on getting <a href="http://aia.archaeological.org/webinfo.php?page=10489&action=display&sid=4J" target="_blank">my paper</a> for the Archaeological Institute of
America (AIA) conference at the beginning of January finished. I'll be
presenting on the <a href="http://www.sangro.org/" target="_blank">Sangro Valley Project</a> (SVP) excavations from 2011-2012. Since
this is a conference paper, the written text ends up at about 10 pages.</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Goal: write conference paper in one month</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="background: white; border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed;">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; page-break-inside: avoid;">
<td colspan="4" style="border: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 267.4pt;" valign="top" width="357">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15pt;">November<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">1<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">2<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">3<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; page-break-inside: avoid;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">4<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15pt;">5<o:p></o:p></span></s></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #68a22f; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">6<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15pt;">7<o:p></o:p></span></s></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">8<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">9<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">10<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; page-break-inside: avoid;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">11<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15pt;">12<o:p></o:p></span></s></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #68a22f; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">13<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15pt;">14<o:p></o:p></span></s></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">15<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">16<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">17<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; page-break-inside: avoid;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">18<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15pt;">19<o:p></o:p></span></s></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #68a22f; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">20<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15pt;">21<o:p></o:p></span></s></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15pt;">22<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">23<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">24<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 17.0pt; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes; page-break-inside: avoid;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">25<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15pt;">26<o:p></o:p></span></s></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #68a22f; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">27<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15pt;">28<o:p></o:p></span></s></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">29<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #c10c21; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">30<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; border-top: none; height: 17.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #B1B1B1 1.0pt; padding: 4.0pt 0in 4.0pt 0in; width: 66.85pt;" valign="top" width="89">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<br /></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Strategy: </span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Mondays: heavy teaching load, so nothing required</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Tuesdays: read and/or edit as much as possible</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Wednesdays: heavy teaching load, so nothing required</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Thursdays (6 hours/day): (1st, 8th, 15th) research/data
analysis; (22nd, 29th) writing</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Fridays (4 hours/day): (2nd, 9th) research/data analysis;
(16th, 23rd, 30th) writing</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Saturdays (4
hours/day): (3rd, 10th) research/data analysis; (17th, 24th) writing</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Sundays (2 hours/day): (4th, 11th) research/data analysis;
(18th, 25th ) writing</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: #0400; mso-bidi-language: X-NONE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: #0400;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">So, if you see me around in November or follow me on Twitter (@ProfChristensen) or are a friend on Facebook, feel free to ask me how it's going!</span></div>
A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-87166460450430890962012-10-30T14:45:00.001-06:002012-10-30T14:58:31.305-06:00Witches, Werewolves & Ghosts...Oh My!!!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last year for
Halloween I threw together a handout on ghastly and spooky beings for my Latin
students and I’m updating it here with a little extra background info (and less Latin). The
Romans, and Greeks, had their share of witches, werewolves and ghosts.
Cemeteries were spooky places where witches gathered ingredients for potions
and werewolves transformed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cLkNXtcjwBB9B4kL4Jyk2qzMuw4wZZXWRxnM7qug4VP70uxGtAsO2QEb4OumIi2OjIXRSZoCOFx7zJ3AwHlUq96v3sEDt-7lHlA5E5XuWfYqrRBiUrT7K4MTQEXSHQPHK24iDSfIlm8/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cLkNXtcjwBB9B4kL4Jyk2qzMuw4wZZXWRxnM7qug4VP70uxGtAsO2QEb4OumIi2OjIXRSZoCOFx7zJ3AwHlUq96v3sEDt-7lHlA5E5XuWfYqrRBiUrT7K4MTQEXSHQPHK24iDSfIlm8/s400/photo.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Larva Convivialis from the Museo Nazionale Romano - Palazzo Massimo</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(photo by author)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Witches were <i>lamiae </i>or <i>strigae</i>, particularly known to harm children and suck their blood.
The term <i>venefica</i> could also be used
for a witch; it specifically refers to one who makes/uses poison, but of course
witches are the prime demographic for poison marketing! There are a number of
famous witches from the ancient Greek and Roman world. Medea and her aunt Circe
are perhaps the most famous, coming from far distant Cholchis on the eastern
end of the Black Sea. Thessaly, in northern Greece, was also a hotbed of
witches. Lucan's description (in Book 6 of his <i>Bellum Civile</i>) of Erichtho, as she revives the corpse of a dead
soldier to foretell the future for Pompey the Great's son before the battle of
Pharsalia, is absolutely terrifying. A number of Thessalian witches feature in
Apuleius' <i>Metamophoses</i>, where we see
them changing into animals, cutting out men's hearts and cutting off their ears
and noses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I give my students
a passage from Horace's <i>Epode</i> 5
(lines 16-55) in which the witch Canidia prepares a love potion with the help
of her friends Sagana, Veia and Folia. The main ingredient: 1 boy, buried and
starved to death. Canidia makes an appearance in a few other of Horace’s poems,
especially <i>Epode </i>17. Here is David
West's translation (Oxford University Press, 2008) of the passage (maybe by
next Halloween I'll have had a chance to do some nice polished translations
myself!):</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"…Canidia,
with tiny vipers binding her tangled <br />
hair, commanded them to dig out the fig trees from <br />
the graves, to bring her funeral cypresses, to gather <br />
eggs and feathers of the screech-owl, bird of night, <br />
and soak them in the blood of loathsome toads, to <br />
pick whatever herbs Iolcus grows and poison-rich <br />
Hiberia, and rip the bones from starving bitches’ <br />
jaws <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">–</span> and burn all
this on Cholchian fires.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But Sagana was
rushing through the house, <br />
sprinkling the waters of Avernus as she went. She <br />
looked like some sea urchin, with her bristling hair, <br />
or like a wild boar on the charge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And Veia,
conscienceless, scooped out the earth <br />
with the iron-bladed mattock. Groaning she worked <br />
to bury him, where each long day the boy would <br />
three times see the rich fare served to him, and <br />
seeing it, would die, only his face above the ground, <br />
like swimmers treading water - all to cut out his <br />
liver and the marrow of his bones and dry them as<br />
an aphrodisiac, when once the pupils of his eyes, <br />
long fixed on food forbidden him, were wasting <br />
into nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And Folia was there
from Ariminum - her lusts <br />
were those of men - so went the idle gossip in <br />
Neapolis and all the neighboring towns. She can <br />
bewitch the moon and stars with her Thessalian <br />
chants and pluck them from the sky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Savage Canidia now,
with blackened teeth gnawing <br />
her long-nailed thumb, what did she say? What did <br />
she fail to say? 'O faithful witness of my this my life, <br />
dark Night, and you, Diana, queen of silence when <br />
the secret rituals are performed, be present now, <br />
turn now your wrath and holy power against the <br />
houses of my enemies...."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<div class="Default">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Werewolf stories,
or <i>versipellis</i> (literally "skin
changer") stories, seem to be less common. There is of course the werewolf
origin story of Lycaon, transformed into a wolf by Zeus for his impiety, which
gives us our word "lycanthropy". Arcadia, the home of Lycaon, had a
certain reputation for lycanthropy according to Pliny the Elder (<i>NH</i> 8.80-82). Pausanias (6.6.11) describes
a painting he once saw that depicted a possible werewolf, named Lycas, being
driven from Temesa in Italy. There is also a nice plate in the Villa Giulia
Museum in Rome depicting a wolf-headed man. But Petronius provides perhaps the
best werewolf story in his <i>Satyricon</i>
(62). At Trimalchio's dinner party, Niceros recounts how he once took advantage
of a business trip to visit his girlfriend Melissa and persuaded a soldier to
travel with him part way. I particularly enjoy Sarah Ruden's (Hackett Press,
2000) translation: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“…He was a soldier,
strong as hell. We get our butts moving when the cocks are starting to crow,
but the moon was shining bright as noon. We came to a graveyard, and this pal
of mine went off to the tombstones to take a piss while I say a spell or two to
keep off evil and count how many stones there are. But when I turned back to
him, he’d taken off all his clothes and put <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">‘</span>em in a pile beside the road. That sure
knocked the wind outta me. I stood there like I was dead. He pissed around his
clothes, and all of a sudden he turned into s wolf. I’m not joking. I wouldn’t lie for all the money in the world. But like I was
saying, once he was a wolf he started howling and ran off to the woods.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“First I was so
scared I didn’t even know where I was. Then I went up to get his clothes, but
they’d turned to stone. I was just about ready to fall over dead. But I drew my
sword and jumped on every little shadow, and I finally got to my girlfriend’s place. By that time I looked like a ghost myself, I was
practically takin’ my last breath, sweat runnin’ down
through my crotch, blank eyes. The people there had some hard work bringin’ me
around.<br /><o:p></o:p> “But my Melissa was
amazed that I was out so late. She said, “If you’d
come a little earlier, you could of helped us out. There was this wolf that got
into the stock<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond;">…</span>It looked like a
butcher’d been here. Well, he got away, but at least he don’t have nothin’ to laugh about. Our slave stuck his
neck through with a spear.” “When I heard that,
I wasn’t gonna sleep that night, that’s for
darn sure. But when the sun was up I ran home fast as an innkeeper runs after
the guy that’s gone without paying the bill. When I got back to the place where
the clothes turned into rocks, I didn’t find nothing but blood. Then when I
got home the soldier was lying in bed helpless like a sick ox, and a doctor was
looking at his neck. I knew then that he was a werewolf, and I wouldn’t of sat down at the table with him if you’d killed me. You
can have any opinion you want about what I’ve said. If I’m lying, your guardian spirits can get me for it.”<o:p></o:p></span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Romans had a
bunch of words for ghosts. Most of them reflect the fact that ghosts are
ephemeral images of the deceased: <i>idolon,
phantasma </i>(both of these were borrowed from the Greeks), <i>similacrum, spectrum, </i>and <i>umbra</i>. The terms <i>larva </i>and <i>lemures</i> seem to
reflect spirits intent on doing harm to the living (see my post on the <i><a href="http://nescioqvid.blogspot.com/2012/05/throwing-beans-at-lemurs.html" target="_blank">lemuria</a></i>), while the <i>manes</i> are protective spirits of the dead. In a letter (VII.27) to
his learned friend Licinius Sura, Pliny the Younger recounts a classic haunted
house ghost story:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“...In Athens there
was a large and roomy house, but it had a bad reputation and an unhealthy air.
Through the silence of the night you could hear the sounds of metal clashing
and, if you listened more closely, you could make out the clanking of chains,
first from far off, then from close by. Soon there appeared a phantom, an old
man, emaciated and filthy, with a long beard and unkempt hair. He wore shackles
on his legs and chains on his wrists, shaking them as he walked. And so the
inhabitants of this house spent many dreadful nights lying awake in fear.
Illness and eventually death overtook them through lack of sleep and their
increasing dread. For even when the ghost was absent, the memory of that
horrible apparition preyed on their minds, and their fear itself lasted longer
than the initial cause of that fear. And so eventually the house was deserted
and condemned to solitude, left entirely to the ghost. But the house was
advertised, in case someone unaware of the evil should wish to buy or rent it. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“There came to
Athens the philosopher Athenodorus. He read the advertisement, and when he
heard the low price, he was suspicious and made some inquiries. He soon learned
the whole story and, far from being deterred, was that much more interested in
renting the place. When evening began to fall, he requested a bed for himself
to be set up in the front of the house, and he asked for some small writing
tablets, a stylus, and a lamp. He sent all his servants to the back of the
house, and concentrated his mind, eyes, and hand on his writing, lest an
unoccupied mind produce foolish fears and cause him to imagine he saw the ghost
he had already heard so much about. “At first, as
usual, there was only the night silence. Then came the sound of iron clashing,
of chains clanking; yet Athenodorus did not raise his eyes or put down his
stylus. Instead he concentrated his attention on his work. Then the din grew
even louder: and now it was heard at the threshold – now it was inside the room
with him! Athenodorus turned, saw, and recognized the ghost. It was standing
there, beckoning to him with its finger as if calling to him. Rather than
answering the summons, he motioned with his hand that the ghost should wait a
while, and he turned back to his writing. The ghost continued rattling its
chains right over the philosopher’s head. Athenodorus looked around again:
sure enough, the ghost was still there, beckoning as before. With no further
delay, the philosopher picked up his lamp and followed the phantom. The specter
walked very slowly, as if weighed down by the chains. Then it walked to the
courtyard of the house and suddenly vanished, abandoning its comrade.
Athenodorus, now alone, plucked some grass and leaves to mark the spot where
the ghost had disappeared. In the morning he went to the local magistrates and
advised that they order the spot to be excavated, which they did. Bones were
found, entwined with chains – bones that the body, rotted by time and earth,
had left bare and corroded by the chains. These bones were gathered and given a
public burial. After these rites had been performed, the house was no longer
troubled by spirits....”<br /><o:p></o:p>(translation by
Deborah Felton, University of Texas Press, 1999)</span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Body1">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you find
yourself in need of some basic Latin monster vocabulary this Halloween, <i>monstrum</i> and <i>belua</i> will suffice.</span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-51141921489037750142012-10-25T22:31:00.001-06:002012-10-25T22:34:01.195-06:00Augustus' "cupboard under the stairs"...This week my upper level Latin students are working through the beginning sections of Suetonius' <i>Divus Augustus</i>, (a.k.a. <i>The Life of Augustus</i>). Suetonius is rather more difficult for them than Augustus' own <i>Res Gestae</i>, which we read during the first half of the semester. But he provides a more compelling read, with his sometimes tabloid-esque narrative, than Augustus does in his ledger-like account of his accomplishments.<br />
<br />
As we have arrived at that time of year when the supernatural lurks about with witches, werewolves and ghosts, I thought I would share a short passage about a supernatural phenomenon from the beginning of the <i>Divus Augustus</i> that we are reading in class tomorrow. It's a nice passage that illustrates Suetonius' style and methodology well, and the power of place in the Roman (and Greek) world.<br />
<br />
<i>Div. Aug.</i> 6: "A room, very small and like a storage closet in appearance, where [Augustus] was raised in his grandfather's villa near Velitrae is still displayed, and it is believed locally that he was born there. To enter this place, except as required and then in a pious manner, is a religious offense, according to a long-held belief a certain dreadful terror is inflicted upon those coming to the room by chance, and this has now been confirmed. For when the new owner of the villa, whether by chance or to test the rumors, proceeded to bed down in that room, it happened that a few hours into the night he was discovered, and with his covers as well, almost half-dead in front of the doors, having been thrown from the room by a sudden invisible force." (My translation based on the text from <a href="http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/suetonius/suet.aug.html" target="_blank">The Latin Library</a>)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-65117585227124733252012-10-12T23:06:00.000-06:002014-10-24T16:37:44.794-06:00Res Gestae 22: Augustus' Gladiatorial Shows<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My upper level Latin students have been working through Augustus' <em>Res Gestae (RG)</em> and Suetonius<em> Divus Augustus</em> this fall. We've finished with the <em>RG</em> and started in on Suetonius with a quick read through his <em>Divus Iulius</em> in English translation. The development of gladiatorial spectacles from Julius Caesar to Augustus is quite important in the transformation of such spectacles from funerary displays to public entertainments. In 65 B.C.E. Caesar staged extravagant gladiatorial combats in honor of his father, who had died in 85 B.C.E.. Suetonius (<em>Div. Iul.</em> 10) reports that Caesar had brought so many gladiators to Rome causing his enemies to fear for their safety that a limit was imposed on the number of gladiators that could be used in a spectacle. Augustus himself imposed further limitations on the number of gladiators, but we see that he must have made exceptions to these limits when staging spectacles himself or on behalf of his heirs. Although limitations were being placed on the number of gladiators, the first permanent amphitheater was constructed in 29 B.C.E. by Statilius Taurus, one of Augustus' most successful generals.</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In <em>RG</em> 22 Augustus recounts the entertainments he sponsored for the people of Rome, including gladiatorial combats (munus, sing./munera pl.), Greek style athletics, chariot races, and animal hunts. Approximately 10,000 gladiators fought in eight different show, an extremely high number per show no matter how the math is worked out in light of the restrictions that had been placed on the number of gladiators. Presumably Augustus staged at least some of his spectacles in the amphitheater of Statilius Taurus, but this passage suggests that there were other, temporary amphitheaters available as well. A.Cooley (<em>Res Gestae Divi Augusti</em> (2009) 203) identifies four of the five gladiatorial spectacles as follows:</span></div><ul><li><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">16 B.C.E. as part of the rededication of the Temple of Quirinus.</span></div></li><li><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">12 B.C.E. as part of the Quinquatria, a festival in honor of the goddess Minerva, in the name of his grandsons Gaius and Lucius.</span></div></li><li><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">7 B.C.E. in memory of Agrippa, possibly in the name of Gaius and Lucius.</span></div></li><li><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">6 C.E. in memory of Drusus the Elder in the name of his grandsons Germanicus and Claudius.</span></div></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVH9UxNcZUgglUX1_8fU787SGvEUEvgFw0xeYTiiF4rMa2NmQGUtD_HHsBpEjOW3zIdQYzALG90d5SVD5B0pnW2dFeExiKpt_P3EJIJqEQArJTh0lVF87A9JBJ8zRry8IU48xNgTUpFhM/s1600/Res+Gestae+22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVH9UxNcZUgglUX1_8fU787SGvEUEvgFw0xeYTiiF4rMa2NmQGUtD_HHsBpEjOW3zIdQYzALG90d5SVD5B0pnW2dFeExiKpt_P3EJIJqEQArJTh0lVF87A9JBJ8zRry8IU48xNgTUpFhM/s320/Res+Gestae+22.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here's what Augustus has to say in <em>Res Gestae</em> 22:</span><br /><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Three times I gave gladiatorial shows in my own name and five times in the name of my sons or grandsons; approximately 10,000 men fought in these shows. Twice I offered the people spectacles of athletes invited from every part of the empire in my own name and for a third time in the name of my grandson. Four times I celebrated games in my own name, twenty-three times more on behalf of other magistrates. As head of the college, together with M. Agrippa, I celebrated the secular games for the College of Fifteen in the consulship of C. Furnius and C. Silanus (17 B.C.E.). In my thirteenth consulship (2 B.C.E.), I first celebrated the games of Mars, which afterward in following years the consuls held successively by senatorial decree and by law. In my own name or in the name of my sons or grandsons, I sponsored hunts of animals from Africa twenty-six times for the people in the circus, in the forum or in amphitheaters, in which approximately 3,500 animals were killed." (My translation.)</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span> </div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And the Latin: </span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Ter munus gladiatorium dedi meo nomine et quinquiens filiorum meorum aut nepotum nomine, quibus muneribus depugnaverunt hominum circiter decem millia. Bis athletarum undique accitorum spectaculum populo praebui meo nomine et tertium nepotis mei nomine. Ludos feci meo nomine quater, aliorum autem magistratuum vicem ter et viciens. Pro conlegio XV virorum magister conlegii collega M. Agrippa ludos saeclares C. Furnio C. Silano cos. feci. Consul XIII ludos Martiales primus feci quos post id tempus deinceps insequentibus annis s.c. et lege fecerunt consules. Venationes bestiarum Africanarum meo nomine aut filiorum meorum et nepotum in circo aut in foro aut in amphitheatris populo dedi sexiens et viciens, quibus confecta sunt bestiarum circiter tria millia et quingentae." </span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">(From <em><a href="http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/resgestae.html#22" target="_blank">The Latin Library</a>.</em>)</span></div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">More to come on Augustus' gladiatorial shows as my Latin students make their way through Suetonius...</span></div></span>A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-71085304849735640282012-09-22T19:29:00.005-06:002012-09-24T08:52:58.842-06:00CL CV 4580-002 :: ANCIENT CULTURES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfq3TciIqjX-shlEZj2qiMw80LgAuM03ryRRCgZTafmU-HfwIXeezrGr7qXwvWbXZkCHPuhBzRa-tWJliUmfz0a7o82eM51G7pSleGzg0yzYiA8HMkr_HAyoHv6D5U_l6SddqSq_qnm9k/s1600/Trojan+Wars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfq3TciIqjX-shlEZj2qiMw80LgAuM03ryRRCgZTafmU-HfwIXeezrGr7qXwvWbXZkCHPuhBzRa-tWJliUmfz0a7o82eM51G7pSleGzg0yzYiA8HMkr_HAyoHv6D5U_l6SddqSq_qnm9k/s640/Trojan+Wars.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Offered Spring 2013</span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Contact Prof. Christensen at alexis.christensen@utah.edu if you have any questions.</span> </span></h2>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-71390997091119855872012-09-22T19:04:00.002-06:002012-09-22T19:04:56.186-06:00Spring 2013It's hard to believe that we are already looking ahead to the 2013 spring semester; it seems like we just got started on the fall semester! But the registrar has published the course offerings and next month students will start registering for classes and faculty will start ordering textbooks. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWe-sHmvwZ1eZpGyHX22zfPd_vG1omxddQyGSTFprXABNszafvZZP2KOUNgAM8a_Szn052qQOF4i0Vakh9UtpFgp-DJbRXOTXmUoWYi-bidY2PEOH-Qr7kPU238AuNUlRDvaamJsD3Pk/s1600/Trojan+Wars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWe-sHmvwZ1eZpGyHX22zfPd_vG1omxddQyGSTFprXABNszafvZZP2KOUNgAM8a_Szn052qQOF4i0Vakh9UtpFgp-DJbRXOTXmUoWYi-bidY2PEOH-Qr7kPU238AuNUlRDvaamJsD3Pk/s320/Trojan+Wars.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I had a relatively late change to my teaching schedule for spring 2013, but it's one I am very psyched about. I'll be teaching an upper level course on the Trojan War. This sort of course is not uncommon in classics programs and it's one I have wanted to teach for a while. I get the chance to do bits and pieces of Trojan War related myth in lit and myth courses and I always drag the excavations at Hissarlik and Mycenae out in my Greek civ courses, but now I get to spend an entire semester exploring the meanings and motifs of the Trojan War!! The trouble will be deciding exactly what I can reasonably fit in and what I will have to let go.<br />
<br />
I'll also be teaching Roman civ and second semester classical Greek. I'm looking forward to both classes just as much as the Trojan Wars classes; it just has that "new toy" thrill at the moment!!A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-55060920889892132662012-09-20T12:10:00.000-06:002012-09-22T18:50:37.731-06:00On Using Twitter As a Course Supplement...I'm relatively new to Twitter. I signed up for an account about a year ago in conjunction with my other blog on amphitheatrical and gladiatorial stuff, <a href="http://amphitheatruminfinitum.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Amphitheatrum ad Infinitum</a>. At the time I was rather short sighted and chose @amphinitum as my Twitter handle. I found that there are a bunch of great classics folks out there in the Twittersphere and I've learned a lot from them. (Liz Gloyn has compiled a list of "Classicist Women on Twitter" over on her blog <a href="http://lizgloyn.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/classicist-women-on-twitter/" target="_blank">Classically Inclined</a>; anyone know of any other compilations out there?) I largely use Twitter to keep up with research and academic stuff, but I do have a few friends and family members who use Twitter and it's a nice way to keep up with them too.<br />
<br />
<div>
I found that the was a lot of "news" worthy stuff on Twitter related to topics that I teach and decided that incorporating Twitter into my classes might be a nice way to introduce students to wider classics networks, public reception of classics stuff, and promote continued dialogue on course related material outside of class. I've also found that using Twitter has made me more conscious of my writing. Cramming what you want to say into 140 characters and maintaining coherency and some semblance of nuance requires some real thought sometimes! </div>
<br />
<center>
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/114654495474311489163/OurBlogPhotosRome02#5790327235796782562"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7bgK1-zvTWQ/UFtf8UbvzeI/AAAAAAAAATg/OB3c1Gpk4YA/s288/30.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" width="281" /></a></center>
<br />
So I signed up for another Twitter account as @ProfChristensen, generated some hash tags for my spring 2012 courses, and away I went! Except my students didn't really follow. I had a small number of students who actively used Twitter already and they came along, I had a few more who had Twitter accounts, but hadn't used them in months, and they signed on too. But by and large my first experiment with Twitter was a not a resounding success. I have no doubt that it failed because I did not require all of my students to engage. I didn't and still don't want to incorporate Twitter into my graded assignment structure, so I don't really feel the need to make Twitter a course requirement at this point. This is not to say that Twitter can't work wonderfully inside and outside of the classroom and I've seen a number of examples of this (check out Prof Hacker for some examples like this <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/shakespeare-using-twitter-for-student-questions/35968" target="_blank">one</a> in a Shakespeare course).<br />
<br />
I have not however given up on Twitter and the classroom. Instead this fall I am continuing to tweet class related tidbits and I have picked up a few followers. But I have also started collecting my tweets with Storify and have posted the links to these collections on my course web pages, so non-Tweeps can access them as well. So we'll see how it goes this semester!<br />
<br />
If you want to see what I'm tweeting about feel free to check out my course hash tags on Twitter or the collected versions at Storify.com.<br />
<br />
My <a href="http://storify.com/amchristensen/clcv2780" target="_blank">ancient sports course tweets</a> can be found with #CLCV2780<br />
<br />
My <a href="http://storify.com/amchristensen/1550" target="_blank">classical myth tweets</a> via #CLCV1550<br />
<br />
My<a href="http://storify.com/amchristensen/latin4610" target="_blank"> upper level Latin courses</a>, in which we are reading Augustus' <i>Res Gestae</i> and Suetonius' <i>Divus Augustus</i>, get their tweets via #LATIN4610<br />
<br />A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-67601730888683440672012-06-05T18:49:00.001-06:002012-06-05T18:49:26.308-06:00Migrating from tumblr...I've decided to move Nescio Quid from tumblr to blogger. The main reason for the switch is that I find I have more to say and greater formatting needs than tumblr provides. Luckily for me, I haven't posted that many things on tumblr so I will migrate all my posts over here in the near future.A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-315292291856092645.post-8892844445155473052012-06-03T16:00:00.000-06:002012-06-05T19:29:45.508-06:00PDFs of the Loeb Classical Library...for FREE!<br />
<div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The hot news this weekend among classicists in the Twittersphere and on Facebook is that all out of copyright editions of the Loeb Classical Library texts are available for free at <a data-mce-href="http://ryanfb.github.com/loebolus/" href="http://ryanfb.github.com/loebolus/" style="color: #007bff;" target="_blank">Loebolus</a>. You can download individual texts or a zip file of them all.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For those who don't know, the Loeb Classical Library is a series of translations of ancient Greek and Latin texts. Harvard University Press (HUP) has been publishing Loebs since 1911 and they have a nice account of their history <a data-mce-href="http://www.hup.harvard.edu/collection.php?cpk=1031" href="http://www.hup.harvard.edu/collection.php?cpk=1031" style="color: #007bff;" target="_blank">here</a>. The series includes texts ranging in date from Homer's <em>Iliad and Odyssey</em> in the 8th century B.C. to the Venerable Bede's <em>Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation</em> in the 8th century A.D. Each volume includes an authoritative edition of the original text on the left page and an English translation on the facing page. They are easily recognizable by their green and red covers.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1998/3/19/loeb-renovates-classical-literature-series-pthe/" href="http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1998/3/19/loeb-renovates-classical-literature-series-pthe/" style="color: #007bff;" target="_blank">Since 1990, HUP has been updating their translations</a>. The older translations, which are available at Loebolus, often seem rather out of date and some of the texts were bowdlerized to remove potentially offensive material. This is especially obvious in authors like Aristophanes and Catullus who often used sexually explicit language.<br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Still the older versions of Loebs are a great resource for anyone wanting to read an ancient Greek or Latin text in translation or the original.</span></div>A.M. Christensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12771043282120453564noreply@blogger.com0