mummies

My year nine class has recenlty been exploring Alexandria, it's culture and history around the first century A.D. One of the really interesting sources to survive from Alexandria are a series of portraits attached to mummies which (supposedly) show us what the person used to look like. Some of these appear on pages 116-7 of their textbook, but they (and many others) can also be found in this on-line gallery.

I love these pictures, because they show the diversity of peoples present in Alexandria at the time- Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Africans, Jews and more. I also find them really expressive, particularly looking into their eyes- you feel they have a story to tell.

My task for my year nine class then is this: choose one of the portraits either from your textbook or from the on-line gallery, and write a short (50-100 words) biography for them in Latin. Think about what we've read about the culture and history of Alexandria, and use the expressions on the portraits to help you imagine what their lives may have been like. To start off, you might like to think about the following:

• What race is your chosen person?


• Is s/he rich or poor?


• Is s/he young or old?


• What kind of emotions can you see on her/his face?

You might also like to look at the British Museum site which has some more faces, with a bit more information as well. William Whitakers Words can help you with any Latin vocab you need.

books

Every month I get an Abbeys catalogue in the mail- I thought I’d post the reviews of some of the book which looked interesting to me from this month’s catalogue.

Imprimatur11 September 1683, Rome. The citizens of the city wait anxiously for the outcome of the battle for Vienna as Ottoman forces lay siege to the defenders of Catholic Europe. Meanwhile, a suspected outbreak of plague causes a famous Roman tavern to be placed under quarantine. A plot to assassinate the pope and plans to use the plague as a weapon of mass destruction in the battle between Islam and the West are discovered. Drawing on original papers discovered in the Vatican archives, this meticulously researched and brilliantly conceived thriller sheds new light on the power struggles of 17th century Europe, the repercussions of which are still felt today.

Cleopatra: Last Queen of EgyptShe was the last ruler of the Macedonian dynasty of Ptolemies who had ruled Egypt for three centuries. Highly educated (the only one of the Ptolemies to read and speak ancient Egyptian, as well as the court Greek) and very clever (her famous liaisons with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony were as much to do with politics as the heart), she steered her kingdom through impossibly taxing internal problems and against greedy Roman imperialism. Stripping away our preconceptions (many of which are as old as her Roman enemies) in this magnificent biography, Tyldesley uses all her skills as an Egyptologist to give us a rich picture of a country and its Egyptian queen.

A Brief History of the Private Lives of Roman EmperorsBlond’s scandalous expose on the life of the Caesar’s is a must-read for anyone interested in what really went on in ancient Rome. Julius Caesar is usually presented as a glorious general, when in fact he was an arrogant charmer and a swank. Augustus was so conscious of his height that he put lifts in his sandals. But they were nothing compared to Caligula, Claudius and Nero! This book makes fascinating reading, eye-opening in its revelations and endlessly entertaining.

Hippos

Herodotus also has something to say about hippos:

The hippopotamus is held sacred in the district of Papremis, but not elsewhere. This animal has four legs, cloven hoofs like an ox, a snub nose, a horse’s mane and tail, conspicuous tusks, a voice like a horse’s neigh, and is about the size of a very large ox. Its hide is so thick and tough, that when dried it can be made into spear shafts.

(Herodotus, Book II.71)

The notes on this passage in my penguin translation say:

The description of the hippopotamus represents the nadir of Herodotean zoology. Clearly he saw neither the real thing nor pictures of it, and his description is based purely on its Greek name, which means ‘river-horse’.

If only Herodotus had seen this mosaic he might have been able to give a better description- though I’m not sure hippos are supposed to have such evil grins.

crocodili

When I was in Rome recently I visited the museo nazionale, which has a huge collection of Roman statues, frescoes and mosaics, including this one, which you might recognise from Book II of the Cambridge Latin Course, showing pygmies hunting a crocodile and hippos on the river Nile.

The Greek historian Herodotus, describes a similar hunt for us in Book II of his Histories:

The following is an account of the crocodile. During the four winter months it takes no food. It is a four-footed, amphibious creature, lays and hatches its eggs on land, where it spends the greater part of the day, and stays all night in the river, where the water is warmer than the night-air and the dew. The difference in size between the young and the full-grown crocodile is greater than in any other known creature; for a crocodile’s egg is hardly bigger than a goose’s, and the young when hatched are small in proportion, yet they grow to a size of some twenty-three feet long or even more. It has eyes like a pig’s but great fang-like teeth in proportion to its body, and is the only animal to have no tongue and a stationary lower jaw; for when it eats it brings the upper jaw down upon the under. It has powerful claws and a scaly hide, which on its back is impenetrable. It cannot see under water, though on land its sight is remarkably sharp…

Of the numerous ways of catching crocodiles I will describe the one which seems to me the most worthy to report. They bait a hook with a big bit of pork and let it float out into midstream, and at the same time, standing on the bank, take a live pig and beat it. The crocodile, hearing its squeals, makes a rush towards it, encounters the bait, gulps it down, and is hauled out of the water. The first thing the huntsman does when he has got the beast on land is to plaster its eyes with mud: this done, it is dispatched easily enough- but without this precaution it will give you a lot of trouble.

(Herodotus, Book II.68,70)

Herodotus, by the way, never one to let facts stand in the way of an interesting story, is wrong about crocodiles. They do have tongues, they do move their lower rather than their upper jaws and their eyesight underwater is excellent.

Queen Bee or Wannabe?

Here is a guest post from my wonderful year 9 class.

Ambitious queen? Extravagant flirt? Inspirational role-model? Treacherous temptress? Tragic Hero?

Cleopatra, one of the most powerful women in Roman history, was a controversial figure in her own time, and after more than 2000 years her true character remains an enigma. Last term an elite team of historical researchers (the year nine Latin class) spent a week delving into the mysterious past of Egypt’s most famous queen to see what we could discover. As part of our research we examined:

• original Latin and Greek sources, such as Plutarch, Horace, Cassius Dio and Lucan
• coins, pictures and statues from Cleopatra’s own time
• the theories of modern day historians

After much investigation and lengthy debate, we decided that whatever else Cleopatra might have been, even after 2000 years she remains a memorable example of female leadership. She was powerful, ambitious and knew how to make the most of her abilities. She was fiercely intelligent and was able to manipulate two of the most powerful Roman men at that time – Julius Caesar and Marc Antony – to get what she wanted. She was also terribly proud, and is said to have committed suicide rather than face humiliation at the hands of the Romans.

However our class was divided as to whether Cleopatra is a good role model for the well-rounded young women of today. Some admired her drive and determination to achieve her goals. Others felt that the means she used to obtain power were dishonest, and that in manipulating those around her she sacrificed her integrity. We also found that Cleopatra shares many qualities with modern day celebrities such as Nikki Webster, Princess Mary, Paris Hilton, Angelina Jolie, Jude Law and Queen Elizabeth II.

To investigate the mystery of Cleopatra further, click here