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ECCE ROMANI III
NOTES TO THE TEACHER
Part II
Writers of the Late Republic
Chapter 60
Two Rival Centurions
Background
Gaul in Roman Times
In the opening of De bello Gallico (I.1), Caesar identifies three ethnic groups: the
Belgae in the northwest (modern Belgium), the Celtae (called Gall by the Romans) in
the central region, and the Aquitn in the southwest (the modern region of Aquitaine).
By military conquest during the 50’s B.C., Caesar extended the Roman presence in Gaul
up through the central region of the Celtae, north and west to the territory of the Belgae,
and east to the Rhine river and Germany.
This vast region was known as Gallia Comta (“long-haired Gaul”). Gallia Cisalpna
(Cisalpine Gaul, which means ”on this, i.e., the Roman, side of the Alps”), including the
territory of the Alps mountains and northern Italy, had been inhabited by Romans for a
long time but was not formally added to the territory of Italy until the time of the Second
Triumvirate. In 390 B.C., Gallic mercenaries had invaded the Italian peninsula and
sacked Rome (see the quotation at the bottom of p. 83 in the Student’s Book).
Prior to the Roman presence in Gaul over two hundred and fifty years later, the Greeks
had established commercial colonies along the coast, such as the one in Massilia. In
response to a plea from the inhabitants of that city, who were under attack by Gauls,
Rome intervened and brought the coastal region under Roman control in 121 B.C. This
area of Celtic Gaul was known to the Romans as Gallia Trnsalpna (Transalpine
Gaul), later renamed Gallia Narb
nnsis, or simply Pr
vincia (modern Provence). For
these place names, see the Wikipedia site at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Map_Gallia_Tribes_Towns.png. For other good
maps of Gaul, see also “The Geography of Roman Gaul” at
http://www.sc.edu/ltantsoc/geogmain.htm (Univ. South Carolina) and The Dalton
School Rome Project http://intranet.dalton.org/groups/rome/Gallia.html.
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ECCE ROMANI III
Caesar in the Decade of the 50’s
1. After his consulship in 60 B.C., Caesar was granted governorship of the provinces of
Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum (modern Croatia). A series of confrontations between
various Gallic tribes led to Caesar’s incursions into Gallia Comta, or that territory of
Gaul that was not under Roman control. Ostensibly, he was protecting the Roman
territory over which he was governor, but in reality he wanted to use Gallic unrest as a
pretext to involve himself in Gaul for political and financial reasons. For seven years,
Caesar established ever-greater control over areas of Gaul, making alliances with
friendly tribes and putting down periodic revolts (such as the one described in this
chapter).
The readings in this chapter from Caesar’s Commentaries are taken from the
latter sections of Book V, the action of which took place in 54 B.C. In the first part of
that year, Caesar was occupied with his second expedition to Britain (BG, Chapters 123; see Review X in Book II). At this time in Rome, Caesar’s daughter Julia, wife of
Pompey the Great, died in childbirth, which contributed to the rift between the two
generals, who had been triumvirs since 60 B.C. Pompey had been gaining influence in
the city, and just a short time before the events of this chapter, in 55 B.C., Rome’s great
theater was dedicated in his name. In 53 the triumvir Crassus died at Carrhae (modern
Turkey) in his attempt to subdue the Parthians (for which, see pp. 49 and 191). During
the next several years, bills in favor of and against the political interests of Caesar were
sponsored or vetoed by various tribunes. (For the political violence in Rome that arose in
53 and 52 B.C., see Chapters 64 and 65.)
Earlier, Pompey had arranged for a bill to be sponsored that enabled Caesar to
stand for a second consulship in absentia. Violence had led to the Senate appointing
Pompey as sole consul in 52, which caused him to overturn those measures which were
favorable to Caesar, who was now required to stand for the consulship in person. In 52,
Caesar met and defeated by siege the forces massed under the Gallic chieftain
Vercingetorix at Alesia, bringing the Gallic wars to an end. With this event, members of
the anti-Caesarian faction in the Senate, led by the consul of 51, rejected a request by
Caesar that his command should be extended through 49. A motion carried in the Senate
by a large majority required both Caesar and Pompey to disarm (Pompey had been
granted an army to meet a recurrence of the Parthian threat), but this was promptly
vetoed. The hardline senators, despite several attempts at compromise by Caesar, then
invited Pompey to “save the Republic” and gave him command of all forces in Italy in
50 B.C. Shortly thereafter, in 49, Caesar would cross the Rubicon river under arms.
2. Here is a brief outline of the historical and literary context of the readings from De
bello Gallico pro-vided in this chapter. Chapters 26-58 of the Commentaries describe the
revolt of the Belgic tribes in northwestern Gaul during the winter encampment of the
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ECCE ROMANI III
Romans. Caesar was about to leave, or had already left, Gaul for Italy.
Teaching Suggestions
1. The Gallic revolt originates with Ambiorix and Catuvolcus, chieftains of the tribe of
Eburones,who had been incited by Indutiomarus of the Treveri
2. Ambiorix parleys with the Romans in hopes of justifying his participation in the revolt
(he had been the recipient of numerous services from the Romans against his Gallic
enemies); he warns the Romans of the approach of a great company of German
mercenaries and he promises the Romans wintering in his territory safe passage to the
fort of Quintus Cicero (brother of the orator), who is encamped among the Nervii
3. The Roman legates Sabinus and Cotta argue about which course to take; there is fear
that the Gauls and Germans may unite. The view of Sabinus prevails, and the Roman
troops prepare to evacuate their position
4. Sabinus and Cotta are ambushed and a pitched battle ensues in which Cotta is
wounded. Sabinus takes his men and parleys with Ambiorix, who then ambushes the
Romans again, slaughters the cohorts, and kills both generals.
5. Ambiorix, emboldened by his successes, sends out scouts to stir up the nearby tribes
of the Aduatuci, the Nervii, and other peoples. The massed Gauls swoop down upon the
winter quarters of Quintus Cicero’s forces. Messengers to Caesar are cut off. An all-out
attack ensues, during which further preparations are made within the Roman fort.
6. A parley results in Cicero’s refusal to negotiate with an armed enemy. The Nervii
proceed to use Roman siege tactics by building a 9-foot rampart and a 15-foot trench
around the Roman fortifications.
Reading A: Siege of a Roman Camp
Vocabulary
1. Words to be deduced: vict
ria (5), virts (6). Virtus should be glossed in 60A:6
instead of 60B:5. Change EV from 63D to 60A.
2. Mastery words from Books I and II that are repeated in 60A: coorior, teg
, at, cer.
3. Military terms: castra (4), turris (5, 12, 15), testd
(5), sclae (5), vllum (5, 8,
12), tlum (7), impedmenta (7), cohors (13), centuri
(13).
4. Note the relationship between fervents (1) and fervefacta (2).
5. Do not confuse funda with fundus or pari
(4) with par
or pare
.
6. Note that some plural forms have singular meanings, e.g., castra (4) and
impedmenta (7).
7. virts (6): This word can mean many things; here, manliness (note vir-) or courage.
8. The participles adct and contingente (12) are both from compound verbs: adig
(ad + ag
) and contingo (cum + tang
).
9. ausus est (15): Remind students about semi-deponent verbs, introduced in Chapter
40. Avoid confusing aude
with audi
.
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ECCE ROMANI III
The Roman Legionary
The legionary soldier of the Republic was equipped quite differently from the soldier of
the imperial period. Compare the uniform and equipment of the statue pictured on page
80 with that of imperial soldiers depicted on Trajan’s column (see pp. 81 and 89). There
are many good picture books, especially John Warry’s Warfare in the Classical World,
and websites, particularly those depicting reenactments, that will intrigue students who
become interested in this topic. For interesting online clips showing the equipment of a
legionary soldier, see http://www.caerleon.net/history/army/page2.html.
Reading B: Rivalry between Two Roman Centurions
Vocabulary
1. Words to be deduced: contr
versia (2 and 5), contend
(3), pr
curr
(10), pr
pell
(16), nferior (17), laus (18), contenti
(19).
2. Mastery words from Books I and II that are repeated in 60B: cer, vereor, conor,
moror, ger
, paulum, concd
, incolmis.
3. Military terms: legi
(1), centuri
(1), vllum (7), plum (9), scutum (10), tlum
(10), vertum (12), gladius (12); also mnti
(4) and balteus (11).
4. qunam (2-3): Indefinite pronouns such as this one and quaeque (6) are introduced
in Chapter 65.
5. nstat (16): This word, which appears frequently in Caesar, means press on, attack,
literally stand against.
6. diectus (17): Note the number of forms of iaci
in this chapter: iacula (A:2), iacere
(A:2), coniects (A:15), tricit (10) and coniciunt (11).
7. summ cum laude (18): Be sure to bring this famous phrase to students’ attention.
8. certmine (19): Students might be reminded of the Junior Classical League’s
certamen.
Additional Notes: Reading B
1. A great many Romans are wounded and the Roman resistance begins to fail.
Messengers to Caesar are captured and tortured within sight of the Roman troops. A
Nervian collaborator with the Romans, with a dispatch tied to a javelin, makes it through
the lines to Caesar, who, through messengers of his own, rallies the support of several
legions in the area. He sends an additional message, written in Greek, to encourage the
besieged Cicero.
2. The Gallic force of 60,000 men turn from the siege to meet the advancing legions.
Caesar stops and entrenches his force of 7,000 before crossing a valley to meet Cicero.
3. Various cavalry engagements tempt the Gauls to take the offensive on unfavorable
terrain. Caesar puts them to flight and then proceeds to rescue Cicero at the fort, where
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ECCE ROMANI III
barely one-tenth of the men were alive.
Illustration
The Dying Gaul
This statue is a Roman marble copy of a Greek original which may have originally been
crafted in bronze. It was commissioned about 230 B.C. by King Attalos I of Pergamon
(Pergamum), in Greek Asia Minor, to commemorate his victory over the Galatians.
Galatia was a territory in central Asia Minor which had been inhabited by Gauls (hence
Galatia) from Thrace in the 3rd century B.C. There is some physical
evidence that the statue was painted. (See the Web site at
http://mandarb.net/virtual_gallery/sculptures/ gaul. shtml).
Ask students to comment on how the sculptor transmits his message of abject defeat:
the prostrate pose, the humiliation of nakedness, the realistic agony of the facial
expression. Note, however, that some ancient sources, including Caesar himself, report
that the Gauls fought naked, except for their weapons. (These accounts, as well as this
sculpture, could also be examples of the idealization of what has been called “the noble
savage.”)
At the same time, there is honor for the vanquished, as the Gaul is portrayed as fighting
to the death, a mortal wound in his side, with his sword and swordbelt (see B:12) at
hand. The figure was once mistakenly thought to depict a wounded gladiator. This statue
has been copied endlessly since its discovery and was one of the stops on the so-called
Grand Tour, undertaken by young European men of the 17th and 18th centuries. The
history of this work is fascinating and worth exploring. The Dying Gaul now resides in
the Capitoline Museum complex in Rome.
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ECCE ROMANI III
Chapter 61
Customs of the Gauls
READINGS
Background
Some Gruesome Gallic Rituals
In Book VI of De bello Gallico, Caesar interrupts his narrative of military events with a
lengthy digression on the customs of the Gauls (BG VI.13-20) and the Germans (BG
VI.21-28). This interlude surely had the purpose of feeding the curiosity of the Romans
back home, who must have been eager to know about the mysterious barbarians to the
north. The sections of the Commentaries preceding those presented in this chapter (BG
13-16) describe the division of the Gallic people into two ranks, that of the priest class of
the Druids and that of the “knights,” whom Caesar calls equits.
In Reading A, Caesar states that the whole nation of the Gauls was devoted to rituals,
both public and private, which were characterized by sacrifices supervised by the Druids
(for which, see below). The description of the Gauls here as bloodthirsty barbarians who
claimed an eye for an eye and who executed criminals (and “even the innocent,” line 11)
by incineration must have done much not only to satisfy the curiosity of Caesar’s
readers, but to make them feel more secure that he was protecting them from such
barbarity. Some modern historians feel that Caesar was exaggerating in his account for
the purpose of being deliberately provocative.
The Druids
The Druids (A:4 and C:20) provide another fascinating opportunity for further study.
Druids were the priestly class in the polytheistic religion of the Celts. The name
probably derives from the Greek word for oak tree. What little we know about the
Druids (which comes predominantly from Caesar) is that they were deeply traditional
and served as repositories of their antecedent culture and lore, which was transmitted
orally. Caesar tells us that they used Greek letters in their public and private accounts
(BG VI.14). Druids combined the roles of priest, judge, healer, scholar, and magistrate.
In religion, Druids revered elements of nature; the four seasonal festivals seem to have
been governed by phases of the moon. They believed that the soul did not die, but that
after death it moved from one body to another. Punished people were excluded from
society by excommunication, i.e. were prevented from attending religious festivals.
Druidism was ultimately suppressed by the Romans for political reasons and by the
Christians for religious reasons. There are glimpses of the post-Roman survival of the
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ECCE ROMANI III
Druids in the British Isles, but there is no evidence for the association of the Druids with
the megalithic monument Stonehenge, which is prehistoric (3200 B.C.) For more on the
Druids, see Lugodoc’s Guide to Druids
http://www.lugodoc.demon.co.uk/Druids/DRUIDS.htm and the resources cited
above. For a learning unit, see “Druids of Gaul,” Hildebarde Wulfing Roberts, Classical
Rome Comes Alive, Teacher Ideas Press, 1992, pages 61-73.
The Religion of the Gauls
Many Gallo-Roman images survive of the Celtic god called Mercurius in Latin.
According to Caesar, the Celtic deity was god of commerce, but had additional spheres
of influence as well as a higher status than the Roman god. (See the picture on p. 101 of
the Student’s Book.) Mercury was associated with a number of local gods, including
Lugus, a Celtic god of commerce who was sometimes depicted with three heads.
According to Tacitus, he was also strongly associated with the chief Germanic god Odin
or Wotan. Many British curse tablets are addressed to Mercury: see the picture on page
119, Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World by John Gager, Oxford
University Press, 1992, and the article “A Corpus of Writing Tablets from Roman
Britain” at the Website http://www.csad.ox.ac.uk/RIB/RIBIV/jp4.htm (The British
Academy).
Additional Teaching Suggestion
Students may become fascinated with the Gauls, or at least the gory parts of Caesar’s
narrative. The teacher might exploit this interest by reading aloud additional selections
from Caesar’s description of the Gauls (BG V.13-15 and 20) or by having students
compare the culture of the Germans with that of the Gauls, just as Caesar does (BG
VI.21-28). Students should also be asked to think about answers to the questions Why
did the Romans fear the barbarians from the north? (See the quote on p. 83 of the
Student’s Book.) What part did the peoples of the north later play in the fall of the
Roman Empire and the rise of the so-called Dark Ages?
Reading A: Some Gruesome Gallic Rituals
Vocabulary
1. Words to be deduced: religi
(1), Gall (1), sacrificium (6).
2. Mastery words from Books I and II that are repeated in 61A: grtus, col
, uterque,
propinquus, cor, dlig
, n.
3. Nti
(1): The word nti
, deriving from nascor, to be born, is commonly used in the
context of describing people that seemed uncivilized to the Romans.
4. Distinguish morbus (2) from mors and nmen (5) from n
men.
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ECCE ROMANI III
Illustrations
The Gallic Torque (p. 100)
The objects pictured in this chapter suggest that many items of Gallic and Gallo-Roman
material culture have survived from antiquity. For additional pictures of Gallic torques,
see the Web sites listed under “Online Resources for Roman Gaul” above, and see the
one worn by “The Dying Gaul” on page 93 of the Student’s Book. Students might enjoy
either searching online for ads for modern jewelry fashioned in this style or making their
own.
When Caesar undertook his governorship of Gaul in 58 B.C., he was severely in debt. In
addition, he needed to pay his troops, which depended upon their commander, rather
than the state, for either pay or war booty. (For coins used to pay Roman soldiers, see
The Roman Military Museum at http://www.romancoins.info/VIC-Legions.html.)
When Caesar had completed his time in Gaul, he was a man made wealthy by Gallic war
plunder, which enabled him to finance his ensuing march on Rome in 49 B.C. and his
ultimate quest for dictatorship.
Effigies of Gallo-Roman Deities (p. 101)
Caesar said in A:1 that the Gauls were a people completely devoted to religion. He also
said of the god Mercury in particular, huius sunt plrima simulcra (B:12). Note that
the pictures on page 101 illustrate the text of Reading B on page 103. Using what they
already know and what Caesar says in Reading B, ask students to compare the Roman
deities Mercury and Minerva with their Gallic equivalents. What similarities are there?
What differences? What accounts for the similarities and differences? What do the
similarities tell us about the spread of Greek and Roman influence in Europe? Can they
think of other examples of ways in which one culture blends with another, in the ancient
or modern world? Students might be reminded that the culture of the Romans
themselves was syncretic, i.e., it was a blend of Greek, Etruscan, and other cultures. And
Roman statues of the gods owe much to the anthropomorphic Greek tradition. Consider
in this context Horace’s famous saying, Graecia capta ferum vict
rem cpit et arts
intulit agrest Lati
, Epistulae II.1.156.
Reading B: The Religion of the Gauls
Vocabulary
1. Words to be deduced: inventor (13), reg
(17), animal (19)
2. Mastery words from Books I and II that are repeated in 61B: col
3. quaests (13): Related to the familiar verb quaer
.
4. inventorem (13): Mention that the noun suffix –or in Latin often indicates the doer
of an action (here, inveni
), e.g., ctor, dicttor, rtor.
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ECCE ROMANI III
5. Students may need to be reminded about the meaning of dmic
(18), to fight,
struggle. Dmic
(dis + mic
) literally means to brandish a weapon.
6. Students met the verb immol
(19) in A:3.
Illustrations
Roman Coins Depicting Gauls (p. 103)
The obverse of Roman coins of the period of the Republic usually contained images of
deities, personified Roman virtues, busts of Roma, and the like. Celtic coins could
contain actual portraits, such as that of Vercintegorix, the great Gallic leader whom
Caesar defeated at Alesia in 52 B.C. (For an example of this coin, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vercingetorix).
By 48 B.C., the time of the minting of the coins pictured, Gauls had already begun to be
integrated into Roman society. In fact, Caesar had alienated the Roman senatorial
aristocracy by adding provincial Gauls to the Senate in order to give additional support
to his measures. Several political jokes about the latter survive in Suetonius’ biography
of Caesar, for which see Language Activity Book III.
Reading C: Some Strange Customs
Vocabulary
1. Words to be deduced: Gall (20), puerlis (25), c
nspectus (25).
2. Mastery words from Books I and II that are repeated in 61C: None.
Reading D: Marriages and Funerals
Vocabulary
1. Words to be deduced: illstris (30), suspici
(31), servlis (31), quaesti
(32)
tormentum (32), magnificus (33), animal (34).
2. Mastery words from Books I and II that are repeated in 61D: uterque, propinquus,
cor, dlig
, n.
3. d
tis (26, 27): Students may remember this word from Cornelia’s engagement in
Chapter 50.
4. coninctim (27): Words ending in –im are usually adverbs; cf. statim. This adverb
derives from the verb coning
, to join together, as in conjugal, conjugation, and
conjunction.
5. frcts (28, 29): This noun comes from the deponent verb fruor, for which, see page
100.
6. clients (35): Caesar’s word for the dependents or vassals of the Gallic nobility.
7. c
nstbant (35): Break down this word, first met in Chapter 47, into cum + st
, to
stand together, to agree.
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ECCE ROMANI III
A Casualty of War
Additional Teaching Suggestions
For some examples of these Roman military objects, see the Website at
http://www.ancient-times.com/articles/varus/excavation/ excavation1.html. The arch
of Tiberius, which students met in Chapter 24, commemorated the recovery of the eagle
standards of Varus by Germanicus, the brother of Tiberius. This historical context
should be discussed with students before reading the epitaph. It is interesting that
Eutropius (57B:1-5), perhaps out of a desire to portray Augustus in a purely positive
way, makes no mention of this famous disaster.
There have been several excellent recent books on both the archaeology and the
history of the subject, including Tony Clunn, The Quest for the Lost Roman Legions:
Discovering the Varus Battlefield, Savas Beatie, 2005, Adrian Murdoch, Rome’s
Greatest Defeat: Massacre in the Teutoburg Forest, Sutton Publishing, 2006, and Peter
S. Wells, The Battle That Stopped Rome: Emperor Augustus, Arminius, and the
Slaughter of the Legions in the Teutoburg Forest, W.W. Norton & Co., 2003. See also,
Fergus M. Bordewich, "The Ambush That Changed History" Smithsonian Magazine,
September 2005.
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ECCE ROMANI III
Chapter 62
Catullus
Resources in Print
Quinn, Kenneth. Catullus: The Poems.
Three are three readers specifically designed for the AP Catullus syllabus:
Ancona, Ronnie. Writing Passion.
Bender, Henry.
Lawall, Gilbert. Love and Betrayal.
Reading A: Many Kisses
Vocabulary
1. Words to be deduced: none.
2. Mastery words from Books I and II repeated in 62A: none.
3. occidere (4): students learned in Chapter 29 that a short a or short e in the stem of a
verb changes to short i when it is compounded; this would be a good time to review that
rule, since students already know the verb cadere, of which occidere is a compound.
Also point out that occdere is a compound of caedere; the rule that ae becomes in
compounds was not presented in earlier chapters.
5. usque (9): students met the phrase usque ad, up to, as far as in 55A. Here the adverb
appears alone with its basic meaning, continually.
6. mlia (10): the plural form of mille was presented in Chapter 48 but may need review
here.
7. conturbbimus (11): see if students can connect with the word turba (Chapters 28
and 48).
8. invidre (12): many Romans were superstitious and believed in magic. This
compound of vidre reflects the belief in the “evil eye,” a notion that survives to this
day in Italy (and elsewhere). The Romans belief in magic is also shown by the curse
tablet presented in Exercise 62a.
Reading B: Lesbia’s Special Qualities
B. Lesbia’s Special Qualities
Vocabulary
1. Words to be deduced: none.
2. Mastery words from Books I and II repeated in 62B: candidus.
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ECCE ROMANI III
3. cum . . . tum: this is the first instance where students have seen these words as
correlatives, with a rather different meaning than the words have on their own.
C. Catullus’ Hope for the Future
Vocabulary
1. Words to be deduced: aeternum, sincrus.
2. Mastery words from Books I and II repeated in 62C: icundus.
3. fore: this alternate form of futrum esse was introduced in the section on infinitive
forms (p. 32 in the Student’s Book); this is its first appearance in a reading passage.
4. ex anim
(4): students know the word animus = mind, as in the expressions animum
recuperre (Chapter 21) and in anim
habre (Chapter 16). Explain that ex anim
is
an idiom that is closer to the English expression “from the heart,” i.e., sincerely,
genuinely.
5. foedus: this noun is not the same as the adjective foedus, -a, -um, filthy, disgusting
that was introduced in Chapter exercise 34h; students may not remember this adjective
since it is not frequent in the latter chapters of Book II. This would be a good time to
teach or review the rule that the diphthongs ae and oe become a plain e in English
derivatives; foedus, foederis is the source of the English words “federate,” “federation,”
“federal,” and “confederate.” This also applies to aeternum (6) with its derivatives
“eternal” and “eternity.”
Reading D: No Greater Love
Vocabulary
2. Mastery word from Books I and II repeated in 62D: fids.
Reading E: A Woman’s Words
Vocabulary
1. Words to be deduced: rapid (4).
2. Mastery words from Books I and II repeated in 62E: nbere.
Reading F: Catullus’ Love for Lesbia
Vocabulary
1. Words to be deduced: amcam (3).
2. Mastery words from Books I and II repeated in 62F: c
gere.
3. gntos (4): this is the original spelling of this word; the later form ntus was
presented in Chapter 54. Gntus is from the root gen- that also appears in words such
as genu (perfect of gign
), genitor, and genus, generis. cogn
v (5): note that
cogn
scere is a compound of n
scere (n
v, 1).
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ECCE ROMANI III
4. Qu (7): this older form of the ablative qu
will appear again in Chapter 63.
Reading G: Conflicted Feelings
Vocabulary
2. Mastery words from Books I and II repeated: none.
Reading H: Letting Go
Vocabulary
2. Mastery words from Books I and II repeated: dsin
(1), scelestus (15).
3. candid (3, 8): here this word mean bright, rather than attractive as it did in B:1.
4. ventitbs (4): a frequentative verb.
Reading I: Dealing with a Thief
Vocabulary
2. Mastery words from Books I and II repeated:
Illustration
Painting (p. 121)
In this Pompeian wall painting of a Roman dinner party, note the slave at the lower left
who is removing the sandals of one of the guests. This custom was mentioned in 32:26.
In Chapter 32 students also learned about the Roman practice of decorating rooms with
wall paintings. Most of what we know about such paintings comes from examples
found in Pompeii. A portion of another wall painting is shown on page 138 in the
Student’s Book. Students might be interested in learning more about wall paintings and
creating some of their own (a good project for the Latin club).
Reading J: A Friend Returns Home
Vocabulary
2. Mastery word from Books I and II repeated: -ve.
3. mlibus (2): if needed, review mlia as the plural of mlle (these forms occurred in
Reading A of this chapter); the singular mlle does not decline, but the plural forms do,
so we have mlibus in the dative here. Make sure that students distinguish mlibus from
mlitibus.
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ECCE ROMANI III
4. vsam (3): the verb vsere often means to go to see, visit. In this poem the simple
meaning to see is the most appropriate, so that meaning is giving in the facing vocab.
Reading K: Betrayed by a Friend
Vocabulary
2. Mastery words from Books I and II repeated: pretium (2), crdlis (5).
Reading L: The Best and the Worst
Vocabulary
2. Mastery words from Books I and II repeated: grtis agere, patr
nus.
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ECCE ROMANI III
Chapter 63
The Value of Friendship
READINGS
Background
Cicero and the De amicitia
In the months following the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C., Cicero’s beloved
daughter Tullia died, a fact that many think led him to turn his thoughts to philosophy.
His idea of friendship, which was similar to that of Aristotle (see page 125 of the
Student’s Book), reflects the Stoic view of the world, a view that was especially Roman.
Cicero’s philosophical treatise De amicitia (the formal title of which is Laelius de
amicitia), was one of 26 philosophical works that he wrote in his lifetime.
For the sentiments expressed in this treatise, Cicero owed no small debt to his instructor
in Roman law, Quintus Mucius Scaevola, who had repeated to Cicero the discourse on
friendship that he had heard from Gaius Laelius Sapiens “The Wise” (b.c.186 B.C)
Laelius himself had heard this discourse from his close friend Scipio Africanus Minor,
who is the post mortem subject of Cicero’s dialogue. The dialogue is staged as having
taken place in 129 B.C., a few days after Scipio Minor’s mysterious death. The
interlocutors in the dialogue, including Scaevola, were members of what was known as
the Scipionic Circle, which consisted of some of the artistic, literary, and social avantgarde of the Roman nobility. Other members included the comic playwright Terence,
the Greek historian Polybius, Panaetius, the Stoic philosopher from Rhodes, and
Lucilius, the earliest Roman satirist.
Aristotle and Cicero on Friendship
The quote from Aristotle on page 125 of the Student’s Book comes from his
Nicomachean Ethics, itself greatly influenced by Plato’s Socratic dialogue Lysis, which
was the earliest known treatise in Greek on the subject of friendship. The Nicomachean
Ethics was a philosophical treatise on the subjects of virtue and moral character
dedicated to Aristotle’s son Nicomachus. Books VIII and IX, in particular, are devoted
to the subject of friendship. The selections of the De amicitia presented in this chapter
are among those required as preparation for the AP Latin Exam on Latin Literature:
Catullus/Cicero. The teacher is advised to consult the latest AP Latin syllabus for further
inform-ation.
The following summaries may be useful to the teacher both before and after reading the
Latin of this chapter with students. See also the Questions for Thought and Discussion
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ECCE ROMANI III
on page 133 of the Student’s Book before beginning the reading, in order to create a
frame of reference for future discussion.
Aristotle’s idea of true friendship, as presented in the quote from the Nicomachean
Ethics on page 125 includes the following:
•
friendship is a noble virtue and worth pursuing as an end in itself
•
friendship is a necessity of life
•
friendship is indispensable to both parties, no matter what the circumstances of
the friends
Cicero’s idea of true friendship, as presented in Readings A and B of this chapter,
includes the following:
•
friendship (amcitia) consists of harmony (c
nsnsi
) in all things, together with
mutual goodwill (benevolentia) and affection (crits) (A:1-2)
•
friendship is second only to wisdom amongs the gifts given to mankind by the
gods (A:2-3)
•
friendship makes life worth living by making it possible to share the enjoyment
of prosperity and the hardships of adversity (B:3-5 and 11-12)
For Cicero, true friendship exists only between good men who are virtuous. While
friendship offers material advantages, it does not seek them out. Friendship can exist in
distant relationships, but the closer the relationship, the stronger the friendship. The
existence of friendship as an ideal state of nature creates the concept that all men are
combined, along with the gods, in a community based on shared reason. Friendship is
often difficult to achieve in the real world, however, because of the pressures of politics
and the stresses brought by ill fortune.
Teaching Suggestions
1. For more information on Greek and Roman philosophy, consult Mark Morford,
Roman Philosophers, Routledge, 2002, C.D.C. Reeve and Patrick Lee Miller,
Introductory Readings in Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy, Hackett Publishing
Co., 2007, and St. George Stock, A Little Book of Stoicism, 2004.
The following Web sites are also excellent resources: for Cicero and his philosophical
writings: The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy at
http://www.iep.utm.edu/c/cicero.htm; for Stoicism, see The Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy at http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/stoicism/; “The Rebirth of Stoicism?”
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ECCE ROMANI III
at http://puffin.creighton.edu/phil/Stephens/rebirth_of_stoicism.htm (William O.
Stephens, Creighton Univ.), and The Stoic Place at
http://www.wku.edu/~jan.garrett/stoa/ (Jan Garrett, Western Kentucky Univ.).
There are downloadable audio files of good radio talk programs on topics relevant to this
chapter at: BBC Radio 4’s “In Our Time” program on friendship at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/inourtime/inourtime_20060302.shtml; BBC
Radio 4's “In Our Time” program on Stoicism at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/inourtime/inourtime_20050303.shtml; and
Philosophy Talk
at http://www.philosophytalk.org/pastShows/Stoicism.html
2. If you or your students should become interested in the Scipio family, there are two
good activities, “Scipio and the Virgin,” pages 39ff., and an exercise on the family tree
of the early Scipios and their relatives, Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, pages 71-72, both
found in Classical Rome Comes Alive, by Hildegarde Wulfing Roberts (Teacher Ideas
Press, 1992).
Reading A: What is Friendship?
Vocabulary
1. Words to be deduced: dvnus (1), potentia (4), incertus (5).
2. Mastery words from Books I and II that are repeated in 63A: an, dvitiae, volupts.
3. critte (2): This noun, related to the adjective carus, -a, -um, gives the English
word charity.
The pop-folk singer Cat Stevens has written and sung in Latin a song titled “O
Caritas,” the lyrics of which are available online.
4. sapienti (2): Ask students to derive the meaning of the human species homo
sapiens; cf. hmnus (1), from hom
. The literal meaning of sapi
is to taste,
transferring to being sensible or wise. As a substantive, sapins means philosopher.
5. temeritte (6): Help students with this word by referring to temerrius (Chapter 5).
Illustration
Sarcophagus of Scipio Barbatus (p. 127)
The sarcophagus of L. Cornelius Scipio Barbatus (died c. 280 B.C.) that is depicted on
page 127 contains an epitaph for the deceased that was written in Saturnians, an early
Latin meter. Scipio Barbatus had been a consul and censor of Rome and was the greatgrandfather of Scipio Africanus and the great-great-great grandfather of the Scipio about
whom Cicero wrote in the De amicitia. The gens Cornlia was one of the most
important and influential families in Roman history (and the family of the Cornelii of
ECCE ROMANI!)
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ECCE ROMANI III
The sarcophagus, which came from the family tomb of the Scipios that can still be
visited along the Appian Way, is now preserved in the Vatican Museum. Note the early
Latin forms found in the inscription below.
CORNELIVS·LVCIVS·SCIPIO·BARBATVS·GNAIVOD·PATRE
PROGNATVS·FORTIS·VIR·SAPIENSQVE—
QVOIVS·FORMA·VIRTVTEI·PARISVMA
FVIT—CONSOL CENSOR·AIDILIS·QVEI·FVIT·APVD·VOS—
TAVRASIA·CISAVNA
SAMNIO·CEPIT—SVBIGIT·OMNE·LOVCANA·OPSIDESQVE·ABDOVCIT
Cornelius Lcius Scpi
Barbtus, Gnae
patre
progntus fortis vir sapinsque,
cuius forma virtt parissima
fuit – c
nsul, cnsor, aedlis qu fuit apud v
s. – Taurasiam, Cisaunam,
Samnium cpit. – subgit omne Lcnam obsidsque abduxit.
Cornelius Lucius Scipio Barbatus, born from Gnaeus his father,
a man strong and wise,
whose appearance was most appropriate to his virtue,
who was consul, censor, and aedile among you - He captured Taurasia, Cisauna,
Samnium - he subdued all Lucania and led off hostages.
Reading B: The Value of Friendship
Vocabulary
1. Words to be deduced: excld
(9).
2. Mastery words from Books I and II that are repeated in 63B: ai
, care
.
Illustration
French Manuscript Illumination (p. 129)
The picture appearing on page 129 illustrates a manuscript illumination of the end of the
15th century from the Formulae vitae honestae by Martin de Braga, an Hispanic bishop
and theologian who had become a saint after his death in A.D. 579. (For this Latin text,
see the Web site http://www.thelatinlibrary.com.) The text of the manuscript is a
translation of three philosophical treatises from Latin to French, including the De
amicitia.
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ECCE ROMANI III
The manuscript is now held in the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg. The
central figure in the picture, Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder, known as “The Censor”
(234-149 B.C.), is perhaps best known for his frequent plea Carthg
dlenda est! in
the Senate House. As mentioned in the caption, Cato was the main speaker in Cato
Maior de senectute (On Old Age), which Cicero wrote at approximately the same time as
the De amicitia. In his discourse, Cato speaks with Scipio Africanus and with Gaelius
Laelius, the interlocutor of the De amicitia.
Reading C: Laelius’ Friendship with Scipio
Vocabulary
1. Words to be deduced: fragilis (1), prvtus (7), requis (7), offend (8)
2. Mastery words from Books I and II that are repeated in 63C: n . . . quidem.
3. c
nsensus (6): cf. c
nsnsi
(A:2)
4. requis (7): Deduce from quis (Chapter 23). This word appears as a verb in the
phrase R.I.P., Requiscat in Pce, May s/he rest in peace.
5. oblectti
nis (7): Related to the verb dlect
.
6. rsticati
nis (10): Related to rsticus (vlla rstica) and to rs, rris.
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