Learning Classics is a bit like putting on a magic pair of 3-D glasses. Once you start delving into the language and the culture, you'll start to see it all around you. This blog is a record of the club's journey through the worlds and language of ancient Rome and Greece... and through modern times, too, searching for the influence of classics all around us. You'll also be able to find vocab, home tasks, links and generally enlightening info here, too.

28 February 2015

Lesson 16 - Fighting talk

A new half-term and a new topic: the Roman army. After a video quiz, we now know about the signum, the testudo, the organisation of the legion and various battle tactics such as the triplex acies and the quincunx. Plus we found in Klaudiusz our resident military historian. We also got to watch a clip from one of the best films ever:


In this clip, we spotted the testudo formation, ballistae, a surprise rearguard attack, a signum and a battle cry. The two imposter objects we categorically didn't see on the battlefield were the sistrum (rattle) and the xylospongium* (and a surprising number of the class already knew the, erm, personal hygiene purposes of this gadget). Mind you, as Klaudiusz pointed out, you probably would want to run away from anyone wielding a xylospongium in a menacing way!

"ubi sunt arma mea?!"
In language work, we learned about prepositions, and then helped a hapless centurion find all his missing weapons by answering his question, "ubi sunt arma mea?"

"canis ad villam currit" - Andrew

"pilum super villa est" - Klaudiusz

"sagitta circum villam volat" - Tanvir



Next week, we'll be looking a famous soldier from Latin comedy: Miles Gloriosus, the Bragging Soldier.

* delicate definition of xylospongium, courtesy of Kacper: "Well, when you've done a number two, it's for, well, you know..."