Certamen General Information

General Information:

Certamen is a game of fast recall of facts about classical civilizations and its peoples, languages, and cultures.  The matches are supposed to be fun, competitive, and informative.  There are two types of Certamen contests for NJCL students at Convention, Open Certamen and Competitive Certamen.  

• • Open Certamen provides an opportunity for students to engage in FRIENDLY competition.The designated purpose of Open Certamen is to allow those delegates without much previous

  • practice the chance to experience Certamen on a fun level, without the pressure of Competitive Certamen.

• Competitive Certamen is for those students who wish to play certamen at a competitive level. These students MUST be cleared to play be their state/provincial chairs.

• Additionally, the World Series of Certamen (WSOC) is available for teachers and those who have graduated. While it does tend to be competitive, it is meant for fun and entertainment.

There are three divisions of NJCL Competitive Certamen:  Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced. 

• Novice Division is for any student who is registered at the convention as a Latin 1/2 or Latin 1 student. 

• Intermediate Division is for any student who is registered at the convention as a Latin 2 student or any level lower than Latin 2. 

• Advanced Division is open to any JCLer, though it is designed for those competing as Latin 3 orhigher. 

NJCL Distribution of Questions:

Each round of Certamen contains 20 questions with two boni each.  More detailed information about the questions and their minutiae can be found on the Certamen Rules page. Questions in each round are taken from the following four categories in the following proportions: 

Novice and Intermediate Levels:

• 50% from category I (Language)

• 25% from category II (Greek and Roman Mythology)

• 25% from category III (Roman History/Life)

Advanced Level:

• 40% from category I (Language)

• 20% from category II (Greek and Roman Mythology)

• 20% from category III (Roman History/Life)

• 20% from category IV (Literature)

NJCL Certamen Question Categories:

I. Language Skills

Latin vocabulary, grammar and syntax, forms and inflections, derivatives and etymology, translation,abbreviations and phrases in current English usage, oral comprehension.

II. Mythology (all levels)

Gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, Greek pre-history (the Trojan War, city foundationlegends, etc.), Roman pre-history (Aeneas and the Aeneadae through Romulus and Remus).

III. History of the Ancient World

On all levels: Roman history, 753 BC to the reign of Constantine, with only major events/leaders up to the fall of Constantinople.

Daily life in the Roman World: All students will be expected to be acquainted with the daily life of the average Roman in Rome; as the level of competition advances, players are also expected to be familiar with ancient architecture, art and technology and with Roman governmental and military institutions.

IV. Literature (Advanced Level only)

The important Roman authors from every period and all important works of Roman literature;

rhetorical and poetic terms and devices (including the most important meters: dactylic hexameter,elegiac couplets and hendecasyllabic); recognition and analysis of passages from various authors.Students should pay particular attention to passages from the Aeneid, with identification of speakerand interlocutor.

See the Certamen sources page for a list of source books and materials.

List of Official NJCL Certamen Sources:

I have cut and pasted this section from the NJCL web site.

N.B.  A number of sources now belong to the public domain, which means that they are free. If a free source is available, it will be listed below as such.

I. Language Skills

Latin vocabulary, grammar and syntax, forms and inflections, derivatives and etymology, translation,abbreviations and phrases in current English usage, oral comprehension.

Allen and Greenough's New Latin Grammar (FREE) is the authority on most grammar and syntax questions. In the event that the Allen & Greenough is insufficient in its explanation or fails to fully account for variations in constructions and forms, both the Lewis and Short (FREE) and the Oxford Latin Dictionary will be consulted for information. 

Multiple English dictionaries (FREE) are consulted for etymology and Latin abbreviations used in English, though preference is given to Webster's Dictionary (FREE) and the Oxford English Dictionary. 

See the Certamen Preparation page for more information on the suggested materials and methods for studying this category at all three levels of Certamen.

II. Mythology

Gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, Greek prehistory (the Trojan War, city foundationlegends, etc.), Roman prehistory (Aeneas and the Aeneadae through Romulus and Remus).

There is no single source for mythology. An answer must be verifiable in one of the following

books or in an original source. Questions based on a particular author's variant version of a myth will be so stated: e.g., "according to Ovid" or "in Euripides."

• Who's Who in Classical Mythology, Michael Grant and John Hazel

• Classical Mythology (4th edition or later), Mark Morford and Robert Lenardon (used copy cheap on Amazon).

• The Meridian Handbook of Classical Mythology, Edward Tripp

• Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Pierre Grimal

NOTE: Detailed notes and study materials for Morford and Lenardon's Classical Mythology may now be accessed online at Oxford University Press. Click This Link.

See the Certamen Preparation page for more information on the suggested materials and methods for studying this category at all three levels of Certamen.

III.  History and Daily Life of the Ancient World

On all levels: Roman history, 753 BC to the reign of Constantine, with only major events/leaders up to the fall of Constantinople.

Daily life in the Roman World: All students will be expected to be acquainted with the daily life of the average Roman in Rome; as the level of competition advances, players are also expected to be familiar with ancient architecture, art and technology and with Roman governmental and military institutions.

For Roman daily life, the two main sources are the The Oxford Classical Dictionary and HaroldJohnston's Private Life of the Romans (FREE). For Roman history, there are five additional sources:

• The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 2nd and 3rd editions

• A History of Rome, M. Cary and H. H. Scullard

• History of the Roman People, Cedric Yeo & Allen Ward

See the Certamen Preparation page for more information on the suggested materials and methods for studying this category at all three levels of Certamen.

IV. Literature (Advanced Level only)

The important Roman authors from every period and all important works of Roman literature;

rhetorical and poetic terms and devices (including the most important meters: dactylic hexameter,elegiac couplets and hendecasyllabic); recognition and analysis of passages from various authors. Students should pay particular attention to passages from the Aeneid, with identification of speakerand interlocutor.

The additional sources for literature are:

• The Oxford Classical Dictionary, 2nd and 3rd editions

• The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, ISBN 0198661215

• Latin Literature: A History, Gian Biagio Conte

• History of Latin Literature, Moses Hadas

See the Certamen Preparation page for more information on the suggested materials and methods for studying this category at the Advanced level.

Attached below is a sample beginners' certamen guide/packet.