HUM/REL 493 - Continuation of Intermediate Latin
Course Notes - Week 2
The photo on page 21 is of a life-size bronze statue dating from the time of Cicero (1st century BC), and is believed to be of the consul Aulus Metellus.
The raised right arm is a pose commonly used for Roman orators and politicians.
The palace of Domitian (page 25) is in Rome, overlooking the Circus Maximus.
Marcus Valerius Martialis, or "Martial" composed 14 books of epigrams - over 1,500 short poems, mainly during the reign of Domitian. The epigrams were mostly two-liners, often as elegiac couplets ( dactylic hexameter followed by a pentameter), or sometimes in hendecasyllable lines.
The pointed meanings of some of the epigrams depended upon knowing the people involved.
Sextus (page 28) evidently looked like a fish - enough to dampen the ardor of any beautiful girl.
Catullus probably made vain promises - Martial will only believe that Catullus has left him something in his will when he reads it - ie after Catullus is dead and the will is read.
There is some discussion as to just who is blind or short-sighted in the epigram about Thais and Quintus - on first reading it sounds as if poor Thais is one-eyed, and Quintus is blind. It probably implies that Quintus is too much in love to notice that Thais only has one eye. Martial may also imply that Thais is lucky not to notice what sort of person Quintus is.
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Source : mainly from the Cambridge Latin Course Teacher's Manual
