Last benefit of a classical education......?

if you had a classical education, you will be able to answer the following questions:-

Which animal fed the twins Romulus and Remus?
What name did Octavian take when he became emperor?
Who could attend and vote in the forum?
How many tribunes were there at any one time?
Would a victorious Roman general expect to march his troops through the city in triumph?
Who is supposed to have said "Veni, vidi, vici" and in what circumstances?
What was different about the toga worn by underage Roman boys?
Which goddess was particularly venerated by the citizens of Athens?
What happened at Marathon?
How did Socrates die?
How was Archimedes said to have died?
Where was Helen the Queen of, before she was taken to Troy by Paris?

Well, some of them, anyway. That education was asway back in the mists of time.

Away, not asway.

Failed O level Latin 3 times. Nearest to a pass the second time!
Latin to English translation is, it seems, not the place for creative guessing!

eirel I always did better at Latin to English than at English to Latin - if some of the Latin words made sense I could have a go at fill in the gaps, but when translating into Latin all the declensions and grammar had to be correct plus there was all the vocabulary.

At the risk of upsetting anybody who might think we are having a "secret" conversation, jalima ja mogu govoriti samo češki

I know the answer to the first one, Elegran!

Go to the top of the class, Ana! Any advance on one out of 12?

I think I could manage 3 and guess at a couple of others (and I never did any Latin)

When DH applied to Manchester University in the early 60s one of the requirements was a foreign language. He'd failed French 3 times with a worse mark each time but he'd passed Latin - and they accepted that as his qualification!

I think I can safely say that I didn't have a classical education, if ever there was any doubt!

I dropped Latin 'o' level twice ( after changing schools) but was forced to take it in 6th form as you had to have 'The Latin' to study English at university at that time. I only passed because I learnt by heart the English translation of Ceasar's 'Gallic Wars V'.

I can answer 6 (I think ) and I also know Archimedes was born in Syracuse!

I can tell you all about Archimedes screws and his principal.

I dropped both Latin and french, amo amas amat is about all I remember

"Amo, amas, I love a lass . . ."

I got about ten Elegran. I have a memory for useless information but can't remember what I went into the kitchen for. I am very fond of Lyndsey Davis's books featuring the Roman detective Falco. Funny and informative too.

And you chose annodomini as a username.

I often think that today's teenagers would enjoy Latin more than we did if instead of the Gallic Wars they were given the poems of Catullus and Ovid's Metamorphoses, Ars Amoris and Ars Amatoria. "Please sir, what does 'fututiones' mean?..... Ooh sir!"

My own A level Latin was useful when tackling Old French (compulsory) at university, and I have fun nowadays tackling the Latin Crossword in Saturday's Times.

As for practical use, back in the fifties a group from my school was on a cycling tour of Germany with two masters in charge, a native Austrian and an English classicist. One of the boys had a minor injury and stayed behind with the Austrian to be patched up. The rest carried on to the next youth hostel, where the German manager and the English classicist found they could converse perfectly in Latin.

I think you have definitely replaced Ana as dux ludorum, anno

Thank goodness - I could never live up to it!

Well I managed 7 out of the 12 I think. I always felt very sorry for poor Archimedes being butchered by the soldiers as he drew his diagrams.

DD did Latin at her comprehensive (I told her future employers would be more impressed by a Latin GCSE than one for PE) She has found it very useful when correcting her students' thesis because their grasp of grammar tends to be nil.

We did do the poems of Catullus, grumpa and they were much more interesting than Caesar banging on about Gaul being divided into three parts. I can remember nothing of the war, but I can still recite part of his ode to his girl-friend's pet sparrow
(Lugete, O Veneres Cupidinesque
Et quant' est hominum venustiorum
Passer mortuus est meae puellae
Passer deliciae meae pullae
Quem plus uculis eius amabat. . .)

and his farewell to his brother who had died and was buried far from home
(Multas per gentes et multae per aquea
Venio, frater, has miseras te ferre . . .)

Oculis, not uculis.

Think I managed 7 or 8 Elegran.....memories of "could do better if she tries"!! Did any of you have to stand when Latin master swooped in in his gown land greet him with "salve magister"?