IS: Overview

Image: a painting of a Saturnalia celebration

Overview: Caedes Foedissima - pars VII

Se iudice nemo nocens absolvitur, nec de se suam potest vitare sententiam.
With oneself as judge, no guilty person is acquitted, nor can anyone escape their own sentence.
Macrobius, Commentarii in Somnium Scipionis, I. 10, 12

Image Notes

The image at the start of this page depicts a group of slaves celebrating Saturnalia. One of the main events of this holiday was a temporary swapping of roles: masters took on the role of slaves, while slaves pretended to be masters. Note the man in the background holding the vase - this was the master, watching his slaves celebrate while he works. This image has been slightly modified. Original painting from Wiki Commons: The Roman Saturnalia by John Weinhard Weguelin.

Introduction

Investigating, investigated, about to investigate: what do these three uses of the verb investigate have in common? They're all participles! As we continue our story, we'll be investigating how Latin uses participles and how much we can use participles to expand the flexibility of the Latin language.

Handouts: Study Guide and Reading Help 

As you progress through the module, please download and use the Study Guide Links to an external site. to assist you in your note taking. The study guide can help guide your understanding of the module and provides important practice for the concepts covered on each page. At the end of the module, you can then use the study guide as a tool to help prepare you for the module exam.

For Latin II, there will be a story told in parts, with each module telling a part of the story by presenting Latin reading passages. To successfully complete the reading for each module, please download the Reading Help Links to an external site. handout now and use it while completing the story lessons.

Essential Questions

  1. What is a participle?
  2. What are the three types of participles?
  3. How are participles used?
  4. How are participles translated?
  5. What is the ablative absolute construction?
  6. How is the ablative absolute translated?
  7. What was Saturnalia?
  8. What was the role of the King of Saturnalia?
  9. What were the other major religious festivals and holidays in ancient Rome?
  10. What were the names of months and days on the Roman calendar?
  11. What were the three major dates in a single Roman month?

Key Terms

  1. Participle - a verbal adjective
  2. Passive Voice - a construction in which the subject/antecedent is not the agent
  3. Agent - the actor or performer of an action.  The doer.
  4. Ablative Absolute - a construction which is grammatically independent from the content of the main clause.  A special type of subordinate clause.
  5. Principal Parts - The essential forms of a Latin verb which provide verb stems.
  6. Verb Stem - The basic form of a verb on which endings will be added.  There are three main stems, present, perfect, and perfect participle. Stems are obtained from the principal parts.
  7. Saturnalia - Roman winter festival, in honor of the god Saturn.  Held from December 17-23, it was a time of games, gift giving, role reversals and general celebration.
  8. Io, Saturnalia! - this phrase was used as a greeting during Saturnalia.
  9. Saturnalicius Princeps - The King of Saturnalia.  Named after the title given to emperors, this person was elected and within a household his command was obeyed, no matter how silly.
  10. Sigillaria - 19th of December, it was the day of gift giving during Saturnalia.
  11. Feriae - the Latin word for holy days or holiday.
  12. Dies Nefasti - the Latin term for a day on which no official business could be conducted.  The days of official business were called dies fasti.
  13. Lupercalia - February festival of cleansing and purification.
  14. Liberalia - March festival marking the maturation of boys to manhood.
  15. Vulcanalia - August festival to appease the god of fire to save crops from burning.
  16. Calends/Kalends - the first day of the Roman month.
  17. Nones - nine days before the Ides.  For most months, this was the 5th, but for March, May, July and October, the nones fell on the 7th.
  18. Ides - for most months, the Ides fell on the 13th of the month, but for March, May, July and October, the nones fell on the 15th.  Caesar was famously warned to beware the ides of March.  March 15th was the day he was assassinated in 44 BCE.

ALL RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.