Welcome to the website for LATIN 215:
The Crisis of the Roman Republic!

In this intermediate-level Latin reading course, we will consider what social, political, and military factors led to the crisis of the Roman Republic; how Romans - statesmen and poets alike - reacted to the crisis; how Rome emerged from that crisis; and what significance this period of Roman history had for later cultures. Among the larger questions we will explore are the relationship between empire and political freedom and the interaction of personal desire and professional duty. In the process of learning about key figures, themes, and events in the crisis of the Roman Republic, this course will seek to help you improve your comprehension and appreciation of Latin literature.

Our readings will focus on literary documents that reflect the experience of civil war and were written – for the most part - by participants in the events themselves, in particular the Catilinarian Conspiracy (63 BCE) and the war waged by Caesar and Pompey (49-48 BCE). We will read one of Cicero’s speeches against Catiline, selections of Sallust’s Bellum Catiliniae (in English) and Caesar’s Commentarii de bello civili, and poems and letters by leading figures of this period.

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Plants in Virgil's Eclogue: 8 9 10

Evaluation Rubrics: Papers, Presentations, Participation

Syllabus for LATIN 381: Intensive Reading: Sallust and Vergil