Scribblers, Sculptors and Scribes

by Richard A LaFleur

  QUAESTINS: Based on the historical evidence provided in the above notes, during what years must this denarius have been minted? What several propagandistic elements are seen in the coin?

  Silver denarius, Lyons, France, late first century B.C./early first century A.D.. Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, Georgia

  Richard E. Paulson Collection of Ancient Coins, Georgia Museum of Art; drawings, Kay Stanton

  PRVERBIA ET DICTA

  Post calamittem memoria alia est calamits. (Publilius Sent.: calamits, calamittis, f., misfortune, disaster; “calamity,” “calamitous.”)

  Dcipit frns prma mults. (Phaedrus Fab. 4.2.5–6: dcipi, dcipere, dcp, dceptum, to deceive, mislead; “deception,” “deceptive.”—frns, frontis, f., forehead, brow, front; expression, outward appearance.)

  D dextram miser. (Vergil Aen. 6.370: dexter, -tra, -trum, right, right-hand; as SUBSTANTIVE, right hand; “dexterity,” “ambidextrous.”)

  Medice, cr t ipsum. (Luke 4.23: cr [1], to care for, attend to; care [about], heed; “curative,” “curator.”)

  Dvna ntra dedit agrs, ars hmna aedificvit urbs. (Varro Rust. 3.1: dvnus, -a, -um, divine, sacred.—aedific [1], to build, construct, from aeds, building, + faci “edifice.”)

  Ego sum pstor bonus; bonus pstor animam suam dat pr ovibus. (John 10.11: pstor, pstris, m., shepherd; “pasture.”—ovis, ovis, f., sheep; “ovine.”)

  Habet apud mals quoque multum auctrittis virts. (Quintilian Decl. Mai. 253: apud, prep. + acc., among, in the presence of, at the house of.—quoque, adv., also, too.—auctrits, auctrittis, f., authority; “authorize.”)

  Magna est enim vs hmnittis. (Cicero Rosc. Am. 22.63: hmnits, hmnittis, f., human nature; humane character, kindness, human feeling; “humanity.”)

  dubus tria vids. (Erasmus Ad. 3.1.6: An insult targeted at folks with bad eyesight, like old folks or drunks!)

  Nm mortlium omnibus hrs sapit. (Erasmus Ad. 2.4.29: mortlis, -e, subject to death, mortal; “mortality.”—omnis, -e, all, every; “omnipotent,” “omniscient” both adjectives are 3rd decl., whose case-endings are easily deduced from those of 3rd-decl. i-stem nouns.—sapi, sapere, sapv [cf. sapientia], to have good taste; have good sense, be wise; “sapient,” “homo sapiens.”)

  Slitdinem faciunt, pcem appellant. (Tacitus Agr. 30: slitd, slitdinis, f., loneliness, solitude; desert, waste, wasteland.)

  Quot capitum vvunt, totidem studirum mlia. (Horace Sat. 2.1.27: quot, indecl. adj., how many, as many; often + gen.; “quota.”—totidem, indecl. adj., correlative with quot, the same number, so many, [just] as many; “total.”)

  Aestte pnulam dteris. (Erasmus Ad. 1.10.100: aests, aesttis, f., summer; “estival,” “estivate.”—paenula [pnula], -ae, f., hooded cloak, generally of wool and intended esp. for rainy or wintry weather.—dter, dterere, dtrv, dtrtum, to wear down, wear out; “detritus,” “detriment.”)

  Stat magn nminis umbra. (Lucan Phars. 135: umbra, -ae, f., shade, shadow; ghost; “umbrella,” “adumbrate.”)

  LITTERTRA

  Sold to the Highest Bidder!

  Praetrs duo, quattuor tribn,

  septem causidic, decem potae

  cuiusdam modo nptis petbant

  qudam sene. Nn mortus ille:

  praecn dedit Eulog puellam.

  5 Dc, numquid fatu, Sevre, fcit?

  Martial Epig. 6.8: Arranged marriages were commonplace in Roman society; while the bride’s father would ordinarily provide a dowry, sometimes at considerable expense, he might himself benefit in many ways from gaining a rich son-in-law. Meter: hendecasyllabic.

  praetor, praetris, m., praetor, a high-ranking government official involved in legal and judicial functions; “praetorian.”—tribnus, -, m., tribune, title applied to a variety of political officials and military officers; “tribunate.”—causidicus, -, m., pleader of cases, lawyer, from causa + dcere.—cuiusdam: gen., of a certain (woman).—modo, adv., now, just now, recently.—nptiae, -rum, f. pl., marriage, wedding; “nuptials.”—pet, petere, petv, pettum, to seek, aim at; beg, beseech; “petition,” “appetite.”—qudam: abl., certain, some.—senex, senis, m., old man; “senile,” “senility.”—mortus: sc. est, = (he) hesitated or delayed; “moratorium.”—praec, praecnis, m., auctioneer; though viewed as vulgar and disreputable, the profession could nonetheless be highly lucrative.—Eulogus, -, m., Eulogus or Eulogos, a cognomen, Greek in origin and suggesting freedman status; here probably a fictitious name employed by Martial for the sake of a pun (Roman writers loved wordplay and punning names), as the word means “Good-talker” and was thus appropriate to the character’s profession.—numquid, interrog. adv., introduces questions expecting a negative answer, as in “he didn’t…, did he?”—fatu, adv., foolishly, stupidly; “fatuous.”—Sevrus, -, m., Severus, cognomen, here for the probably fictitious addressee.

  QUAESTINS: Think about Martial’s use of numerals in this poem to make his satiric point: what is the numerical order and what is its significance—i.e., why two praetors, but ten poets? And why does the auctioneer “get the girl”?

  If They’re Not All Bad…

  “Trgint tt mala sunt epigrammata libr.”

  S totidem bona sunt, Lause, bonus liber est.

  Martial Epig. 7.81: Martial occasionally finds himself defending his work to detractors like Lausus, whose complaint is paraphrased here in the opening verse of this elegiac couplet, and he routinely concedes that some of his poems are indeed not as good as others, remarking in one early epigram (1.16) that “there are some good things you’ll read here, some things that are mediocre, and even more that are bad—a poetry book isn’t created in any other way.”

  trgint, indecl. adj., thirty.—tt…libr: sc. in; prepositions usual in prose are often omitted in poetry.—epigramma, epigrammatis, n., inscription, epitaph; short poem, epigram; note that the allegedly mala epigrammata are actually “contained within” the tt.. libr, constituting what is called a WORD PICTURE, a common Latin poetic device in which words are arranged in an order meant to suggest the actual position of the objects (or persons) being described.

  GRAMMATICA

  Numer: List all the cardinal and ordinal numerals in this chapter’s readings; write next to the cardinals the corresponding Roman numerals (check yourself by looking at the Summrium Frmrum at the back of the book).

  Nmina: Find in the readings all examples of the partitive genitive (genitive of the whole), ablative of time, and ablative with cardinal numerals constructions.

  CAPVT XVI

  Mushrooming Concerns, the Joys of Madness, and the Sweetheart Monarch of Pompeii

  Among the chapter’s readings are a few more amatory graffiti, one written by a lady quite unhappy with her beau, another by a lad who called his lady “Queen” a snippet from Vergil’s Aeneid, likely scribbled by a schoolboy; an early Christian epitaph from the tomb of a child; another collection of proverbs and adages, including two on the occasional pleasures of being insane; and an epigram by Martial on the perils of sending mushrooms as a gift. With each of these selections, and as always, remember first to read aloud (as all good Romans did!) and then, before attempting a translation, to read for comprehension.

  Grammatica nova: 3rd-declension adjectives.

  NSCRPTINS

  A Lovers’ Spat?

  VIRGVLA • TERTIO • SVO INDECENS • ES Virgula Terti su: indecns es.

  CIL 4.1881: In this graffito from the basilica at Pompeii, Virgula tells her boyfriend Tertius just what she thinks of his behavior, his appearance, or maybe both!

  indecns, gen. indecentis, unfitting, inappropriate; unsightly, unattractive; “indecent.”

  A Real Princess!

  CESTILIA REGINA POMPEIANORV ANIMA DVLCIS VA Cestilia, rgna Pompeinru, anima dulcis, va(l)!

  CIL 4.2413h: Graffito from the Vico di Tesmo, Pompeii. Unlike Virgula, the lover who scribbled this farewell message thought his sweetheart Cestilia was royalty!

  Pompeinus, -a, -um, resident of Pompeii, Pompeian.—anima, -ae, f., air, breath; life; so
ul, spirit; “animate,” “animal.” The phrase anima dulcis, like Eng. “sweetheart,” was a common expression of endearment among lovers; cf. the following graffito.

  Hey, Sweetheart!

  CRESCES • HAVE • ANIMA DVLCIS • ET • SVAVIS Crscs: hav, anima dulcis et suvis!

  CIL 4.4783: Graffito from the House of the Calpurnii.

  Crscns, Crscentis, m., Crescens; the cognomen occurs in numerous graffiti at Pompeii (and elsewhere), including several written by or about a fuller named Lucius Quintilius Crescens (CIL 4.4100–4103, etc.), and others mentioning the Crescens here, who was an architect, and another who was a gladiator (specifically a retirius, a type of gladiator who fought with a net, to throw over and ensnare his opponent, and a trident; CIL 4.4356). Though the form here could be voc., it is more likely nom. and subj. of some readily understood speech verb such as dcit.—hav or av, interj., greetings, hail!—suvis, -e, sweet; pleasant, delightful; “suave,” “suavity.”

  A Silence Fell over the Guests

  CONTICVERE OMNES Conticure omns.

  CIL 4.6707: There are dozens of quotations from literary works among the graffiti at Pompeii and throughout the Roman Empire, even as far afield as Britain; some were doubtless scribbled by youngsters practicing their school exercises. Bits from Vergil were favorites of these “wall-writers,” including this one from the House of Cosmus and Popidia (and from several other locations in the city), the opening words of Vergil Aen. 2, which describe the hush that fell over the banquet guests at Dido’s palace as Aeneas began his tale of Troy’s destruction.

  conticsc, conticscere, conticu, to stop talking, become silent; “tacit,” “taciturn.” The perf. tense ending -re was a common alternate for -runt.

  Epitaph for a Child

  ATIMETVS • AVG • VERN VIXIT • ANNIS • VIII MENSIBVS • III EARINVS • ET • POTENS FILIO Atimtus, Aug(ust) vern(a), vxit anns VIII mnsibus III. Earinus et Potns fli.

  ICUR 5.12892: Epitaph dedicated by Earinus and Potens for their young son Atimetus, from a tomb in the Catacomb of St. Sebastian, on the Via Appia, Rome; 3rd cent. A.D.. The fish and anchor are common early Christian symbols.

  Augustus, -, m., Augustus, a title given by the Senate in 27 B.C. to Gaius Octavius, Rome’s first emperor, and assumed by all subsequent Roman emperors.—verna, -ae, m., homeborn slave, i.e., a slave born in his master’s household; “vernacular.” Such slaves commonly held an advantaged position in the house; here the term indicates that Atimetus’ parents served the imperial family (the familia Caesaris).—anns: the abl. was often employed in inscriptions to indicate DURATION OF TIME.—mnsis, mnsis, m., month; “mensiversary,” “menstrual.”—Earinus…fli: sc. posurunt, set up (this memorial).

  Christian epitaph on a child’s tomb, Catacomb of St. Sebastian, Rome, Italy, third century A.D..

  Scala / Art Resource

  PRVERBIA ET DICTA

  Reus innocns fortnam, nn testem timet. (Publilius Sent.: reus, -, m., accused person, defendant.—innocns, gen. innocentis, innocent.—testis, testis, m., witness; “testify,” “testimony.”)

  Aliquand et nsnre icundum est. (Seneca Tranq. 17.10, paraphrasing the Greek comic playwright Menander: aliquand, adv., sometimes, occasionally.—nsni, nsnre, nsnv, nsntum, to be out of one’s mind, be insane.)

  In venere semper dulcis est dmentia. (Publilius Sent.: venus, veneris, f., love, passion; “Venus,” “venereal.”—dmentia, -ae, f., being out of one’s mind, insanity, craziness; “demented.”)

  Perenne coniugium animus, nn corpus facit. (Publilius Sent.: perennis, -e, lasting through the years, enduring; from per + annus; “perennial.”—coniugium, -, n., marriage; “conjugal.”)

  Vdimus mrbilia hodi. (Luke 5.26: mrbilis, -e, amazing, wondrous, remarkable; “miracle,” “admirable.”)

  Crmine ab n disce omns. (Vergil Aen. 2.65–66: crmen, crminis, n., charge, accusation; crime, misdeed; “criminal,” “incriminate,” “recrimination.”)

  Nn omnia possumus omns. (Vergil Ecl. 8.63: possumus, sc. facere or agere.)

  Omnia nmrum habet qu nihil concupscit. (Valerius Maximus Fact. et Dict. 4.4 Praefatio: nmrum, adv., without doubt, of course.—concupsc, concupscere, concupv, concuptum, to desire ardently, long for, covet; from con-, intensifying prefix, + cupere, to desire; “concupiscence.”)

  Verbum dulce multiplicat amcs et mtigat inimcs. (Ecclesiasticus 6.5: multiplic [1], to increase in number, multiply; “multiplication.”—mtig [1], to soften; mollify, reconcile; “mitigate.”—inimcus, -, m., personal enemy, from in + amcus; “inimical.”)

  Omnis ars ntrae imitti est. (Seneca Ep. 65.3: imitti, imittinis, f., imitating; imitation, copy.)

  Nulls amor est snbilis herbs. (Ovid Met. 1.523: snbilis, -e, capable of being healed, curable; “sanity,” “sanatorium.”—herba, -ae, f., small plant, herb, often for food, medicine, or magic.)

  LITTERTRA

  Xenia: Blt

  Argentum atque aurum facile est laenamque togamque

  mittere; blts mittere difficile est.

  Martial Epig. 13.48: One of Martial’s earliest poetry books, published between A.D.. 83 and 85 and ultimately included in manuscripts of his collected works as Liber XIII of the Epigrammata, was a volume of 127 couplets titled Xenia, “Host-gifts” like the Apophoreta (see above Capvt VII), these little poems, nearly all in the elegiac meter, were meant to accompany gifts presented during the December festival of the Saturnalia.

  bltus, -, m., mushroom; “bolete” certain varieties were highly prized by gourmets, then as now.—argentum, -, n., silver; “Argentina,” “Ag.” (abbreviation for the chemical element silver).—atque, conj., and, and also, and even.—aurum, -, n., gold; “aureole,” “Au.” (abbreviation for the element gold).—laena, -ae, f., cloak, mantle, typically woolen.—toga, -ae, f., toga, the woolen formal outer garment worn by free-born Roman men; those worn by high-ranking officials had purple borders and could be very expensive.—difficile est: some suppose the difficulty derives from the gift-giver’s reluctance to part with so rich a delicacy; but it was well known that some types of mushrooms were poisonous, even deadly, and that it was not always easy to recognize a bad one—Martial joked elsewhere (Epig. 1.20.4) about the proverbial bltus that the emperor Claudius’ murderous wife Agrippina served him, “after which,” the Roman satirist Juvenal quipped (Sat. 5.147), “he ate nothing more” (post quem nl amplius edit).

  Detail of a floor mosaic, with boar and mushrooms, from Toragnola on the Via Praenestina, fourth century A.D.. Sala degli Animali, Museo Pio Clementino, Vatican Museums, Vatican State

  Vanni / Art Resource

  GRAMMATICA

  Adiectva: List all the 3rd-declension adjectives in this chapter’s reading; then, for practice with the forms, change all the singulars to plural and all plurals to singular (if you need to review first, see the Summrium Frmrum appendix). Next indicate the usage of each adjective, i.e., whether attributive (a simple modifier), or substantive, or predicate nominative.

  CAPVT XVII

  A Lost Meal, a Lost Love, and a Lost Revolution

  In this chapter you will read the scribblings of a hungry client and a disappointed lover, the epitaph of a legionnaire, a dozen or so proverbs with more Roman views on living well—including the most excellent advice to be a friend to yourself—and the testimony of the historian Sallust on the character of one of Rome’s most notorious revolutionaries, Lucius Sergius Catilina, the “Catiline” made infamous by Cicero’s four excoriating “Catilinarian orations.”

  Grammatica nova: The relative pronoun.

  NSCRPTINS

  No Dinner?—How Rude!

  L • ISTACIDI • AT QVEM • NON CENO • BARBARVS • ILLE • MIHI • EST

  L(c) Istacid:

  at quem nn cn, barbarus ille mihi est!

  CIL 4.1880: Graffito from the basilica at Pompeii; the gns (clan, family) Istacidia is frequently attested at Pompeii—one member was a duumvir (for the office, see “Balbus for Mayor,” Capvt V), so the family was of
some social prominence. The text is set here in two lines, as the second line is an elegiac pentameter verse.

  at: an alternative form of ad, here with the common meaning of at the house of.—barbarus, -a, -um, of a foreign country, foreign; uncivilized, uncouth; cruel, savage; “barbaric,” “barbarian.”

  QUAESTINS: What case is Lc Istacid? What would the nominative form be—i.e., what is the man’s actual name? (Remember always to translate proper nouns into the nominative form.) What do you think the writer’s purpose is in addressing him as he does?

  Graffito from the basilica, Pompeii, Italy (CIL 4.1880)

  Mathew Olkovikas (from CIL)

  No Love?—How Cruel!

  CRVDELIS • LALAGE • QVAE NON AM[…Crdlis Lalag, quae nn am[s m].

  CIL 4.3042: Graffito from the Vico degli Scienziati, Pompeii; the cognomen “Lalage,” Greek for “chatterer” or “babbler,” is known from several literary and epigraphic sources, including another Pompeian graffito (CIL 4.1507) that identifies a woman of the name who was a spinner in a textile weaving factory.