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By Roman Hands: Inscriptions and Graffiti for students of latin |
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By Roman Hands Inscriptions and Graffiti for Students of Latin
2008 • 978-1-58510-294-5 • paper • 120 pages • 7 x 10 • $16.95 This book contains a carefully selected series of inscriptions and graffiti taken from the walls, tombs, and monuments of the Romans themselves. It is designed to supplement the primary textbook in elementary and intermediate Latin courses. . | About the Authors | Table of Contents | Preface | Review
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Description This book contains more than a hundred examples of Roman inscriptions; a birthday card scratched on a wooden tablet, an epitaph for a beloved child, a curse scribbled on a Pompeiian wall, the monumental record of an Emperor's achievements. These provide a vivid and compelling glimpse of Roman life and culture. This textbook is designed to supplement the primary textbook in elementary and intermediate Latin courses. It is organized by grammar point and provides a straight transcription as well as an expanded version of each inscription. Most selections are four lines or less, and can be used for reinforcement and review without any undue sacrifice to classroom time.
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Matthew J. Hartnett is the Chair of the Classics Department and Barlow Chair at St. Mark's School in Southborough, Massachusetts. He has a B.A. in Classical Studies from the College of William and Mary and a Ph.D. in Classics from Columbia University. In 2006 he received the Matthew I. Wiencke Teaching Award from the Classical Association of New England.
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Table
of Contents
Grammatical Table of Contents Thematic Table of Contents Introduction Epigraphic Conventions Abbreviations of Collections of Inscriptions Inscriptions Suggestions for Further Reading Vocabulary Index of Selected Grammar, Syntax, and Figures
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The aim of this book is to provide students and teachers with a collection of Roman inscriptions and graffiti that illustrate basic elements of Latin grammar and syntax and also illuminate interesting and important aspects of Roman history and culture. Roman Inscriptions is built on three premises: First, students do not need to wait until the third year of high school or the second year of college study to grapple with authentic Latin. If the texts are well chosen and equipped with running vocabulary and suitable notes, students are not only capable of comprehending them, but will advance more quickly to legitimate facility with the language by being exposed to real Latin early on. Second, inscriptions and graffiti provide brief, clear and self-contained examples of good Latin in actual use, and serve as vivid introductions to fascinating aspects of Roman history, life and thought. Third, a student who is given the opportunity to hone his translation skills on examples of Latin scratched, painted and incised by actual Roman hands will be excited by the directness of his engagement with the ancient world and will find his study of Latin more enjoyable and rewarding as a result. Latin teachers regularly intone that learning the language well is the key to understanding the Romans. But students at the early levels, who test their mettle against passages of artificial Latin for the most part, and who quickly come to associate forays into history and culture with taking a break from their Latin, have reason to doubt whether their labors are getting them any closer to the Romans. A student will, however, truly appreciate the value of her efforts when mastery of a grammar lesson affords her direct access to an actual moment in Roman time—when knowing the difference between the ablative of means and personal agent enables her to see what killed a gladiator from Dacia (33). When construing an ablative absolute correctly means appreciating how skillfully Octavian could turn civil war into propaganda (80). When properly identifying a condition opens a window into the mind of a frustrated traveler desperate to see his beloved (140). While the constraints of class period and semester never make it easy to incorporate more material into the curriculum, any exercise that simultaneously combines reinforcement of grammar, exposure to authentic Latin and insight into Roman culture surely merits comparison with any competing use of time. The book can be used in a number of ways: as a reservoir of examples for reinforcing grammar points as they are introduced; as a supplement to the translation exercises in the regular textbook; as a source of additional assignments for more energetic students; as a tool to aid students in preparing for periodic major exams; or as a comprehensive review of basic grammar and syntax for students who are about to embark on the translation of extended passages of Latin literature for the first time. .
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