This class will complement our Beginner and Intermediate Latin classes. Because in our Latin study, we start with Minimus and Secundus, which are based in Roman-occupied Britain, we will begin this study by reading or listening to a work of historical fiction, Beric the Briton, which is set exactly there, starting in 62 A.D.
Beric the Briton "Beric, a dashing, young British chieftain, must fight for liberty from the forests of his homeland, where he defies legendary Roman legions, to the Roman Colosseum, where he must employ gladiatorial skills to defend a persecuted Christian girl. G.A. Henty provides fascinating details of life in a Roman villa, in the imperial palace, and in the villages of the tribal Britons; and accurately shows the strengths that allowed the Romans to conquer their empire and the weaknesses that would end it."  The great thing about this book is it gives you characters to relate to, ordinary people, not just the great figures of history. It is much more gritty and realistic than the world you see described in Minimus, so it gives you a fuller picture of what life was like in Roman-occupied Britain. We'll all read or listen to this book on our own, and then have activities in our class related to it. You should also read the "Dead Famous" book, Boudica and her Barmy Army. Boudica, a warrior queen of the same tribe as Beric, appears in Beric the Briton as "Boadicea," which was the old spelling of her name. For more about her, see her Wikipedia entry. *Addition: We're now also passing around copies of two Horrible Histories books: The Ruthless Romans and The Groovy Greeks and The Rotten Romans (at least read the part about the rotten Romans).  This PBS documentary is set during the same time frame -- before and after the Roman invasion of Britain. It includes many of the same elements as in Beric the Briton, but more from the Roman point of view, and much more. This is a 4-part series (1 hour each) that takes us from the final years of Julius Caesar, through the next hundred years of Roman imperialism (the age of emperors and conquering other countries). We meet unforgettable historical figures such as Augustus Caesar, poets including Ovid and Pliny, crazy dictators like Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, and the writer Seneca. Throughout the series we learn about epic battles and conquests, but also betrayal and intrigue, and daily life in the palaces as well as the more humble quarters of Rome. This DVD is available through the San Francisco Public Library, the Peninsula Library System, or you can get it through Netflix. Please watch the video series on your own (after you've read Beric the Briton), and then we'll have lots of activities based on it. See the companion Web site for a Timeline, the Augustan Family Tree, The Emperor of Rome Game, and more. All of this will make more sense and be more fun to explore once you have seen the series. And we'll loosely follow this series of lesson plans for activities that we'll do together in our class. Roman Banquet To finish up this fall class, we'll plan, create, and share a Roman banquet. Entertainment will be provided by your skit, in which you'll want to wear togas and other aspects of Roman dress. Oh, yes, and you'll need to create the skit and rehearse it! Hopefully you can include some fun Latin phrases. You can email me any time with questions about or suggestions for this class: Jennifer Dees, jdees@peregrine.net |