Cultural Concepts - Continued

Roman concepts of the masculine and feminine are very different from the legacy of our own traditions, influenced by Celto-Germanic ideals, filtered through the Medieval and Victorian ages.

Masculine

• control of external forces
• seen/manifest

Feminine

• control of internal forces
• unseen/hidden

Remember, the point of the exercise is to examine the text of Aeneid as commentary about the Roman Republic and how they saw themselves, apart from just understanding the story.

Roman Cultural Concepts

Here is the a complete list of the vocabulary, as well as mythological references, that will help deepen your understanding of Virgil's Aeneid, while you continue to read.

Vocabulary - Latin

• anima - breath, life, the soul (what makes you human)
• audax - daring, bold, confident (bravery)
• contagio - pollution passed through touch, contagion (something within boundaries)
• facies - the visage, countenance, face (composure, self-discipline, and "appearance" of control appearance, look)
• numen - power, will (spiritual energy attained through conflicts, regardless of outcome
• pietas - piety, affection (devotion, dutiful conduct; respect for duty or fulfillment of responsibilities)
• religio - scruple, fear in a religious sense, caused by the obligation of duty, exactness, delicacy, sincerity, faith; to hind or keep back (draw a line around, differentiate)
• sacer- sacredness (charged with strong numen)
• sanctum - made sacred by decree or law (to set apart)
• veritas - truth (that which is real, not necessarily apparent; undeniable; requires empathy)

Gods & Goddesses

• Ceres (Demeter) - goddess of agriculture, grain, and the love a mother bears for her child
• Juno (Hera) - queen of the gods, protector and special counselor of the Roman state, stability
• Jupiter (Zeus) - supreme god of the Roman pantheon, all powerful and best, the special protector of Roman state and laws
• Pallas Minerva ( Pallas Athena) - goddess of wisdom, medicine, the arts, science and trade, and war
• Terminus - god of of protective boundaries
• Venus (Aphrodite) - goddess of love, fertility (sex), and beauty

Unit 1: Ab Urbe Condita - The Culture of Rome through Foundation History/Myths

Now that the course has begun, here is a brief outline of the essential aspects of our first unit.

• Essential Question: To what degree are history and mythology distinct?
• Essential Understanding: The cultural values of a society can be understood by the myths it creates concerning its origins.
• Essential Question: How does story reflect values of its time?
• Essential Understanding: Stories often tell us more about the context in which they are written than their subject(s).

Text to be used: Virgil's Aeneid

Focus on History:

• Foundation Myths
• Religion
• Vocabulary
• Roman Kingdom

Focus on Composition:

• Personal Myths (earliest memory)
• Multi-event, multi-character,
  three act structure

Focus on Skills:

• Reading - Identify evidence in accounts
• Writing - Apply evidence in composition
• Thinking - Evaluate evidence identified