The Liber Memorialis or "Memory Book" is a short text in Latin, written by an author named Lucius Ampelius for a specific recipient - Macrinus, who many think was a young man, perhaps ten to fourteen years old.  It purports to present everything that he would want to know about the world.  It includes summaries of both universal and Roman history, lists of influential Roman men, information about the gods, information about geography and the cosmos - and, intriguingly, short discussions of the miracula mundi ("miracles of the world") including famous monuments and artworks.

The Liber Memorialis Project is a student-faculty research program with the following aims:

• to produce an open-access English language translation of the work 

• to produce a commentary about information in the text

• to explore the text as it relates to Roman education 

Curious about what we're up to?  Check here for updates!

Note: the Project is no longer accepting students at this time. 

The project will run in Spring 2025 and 2026 under the direction of Professor Swetnam-Burland.  Participation involves:

• 2-3 hours per week

• participation in a 1 credit course (Fridays 9 am)

• Experience: intermediate Latin and/or strong research and writing skills Some experience with Roman culture (CLCV 208, 218, 228) helpful

• For more information about it, watch this short video