The Capitoline Museum

One of our stops in Rome will be the Capitoline Museum, a great museum located atop the historical Capitoline Hill. The highlight, to me, is the Conservators' Apartment, which is lined with fantastic frescoes, telling the history of Rome. One fresco is devoted to the Rape of the Sabines, which we already discussed in some detail. The first room, though, is named after one of last night's readings, the Horatii and the Curiatii. A large version of the picture is available here.

Questions for Today's Reading for 9r

1) Augustus gains power in Rome at the conclusion of the 3rd Stage of the Roman Republic, which you examined in your distillation paragraphs yesterday. How did Augustus bring stability back to Rome? Why was he able to gain power and hold it for so long? Why was he successful, when Marius, Sulla, Pompey, and Julius Caesar all failed?

2) The Rape of Lucretia is an interesting story on its own, but it is also an allegory. Read the last paragraph very carefully. What might the events described in that paragraph represent? To put it another way, what larger historical events in the Roman Republic is Livy alluding to here?

3) What values are promoted by the story of the Horatii and Curiatii and why would Augustus want to emphasize them after the last 100 years of the Roman Republic?

Please submit responses on a sheet of paper with proper MLA heading.

Distillation Paragraphs

In class, I outlined what I identified as the first two stages of the Roman Republic - Internal Stabilization/Italian Expansion (509-275) and Mediterranean Expansion (275-129). Your assigned readings over the last two days (9-16 and 33-41) deal with the final stage. In class today, and continuing tonight as homework, I would like you to distill those readings into summary paragraphs, highlighting the key elements of the 3rd stage (129-27).

To make things easier (or perhaps harder), I am going to restrict your sentences. For each section of the reading, you may only include the following amount of sentences:

Packet 9-16
From the Gracchi to Augustus - 2 sentences
Rise of Marius - 2 sentences
Marius, Saturninus, and Veterans - 1 sentence
Social War - 1 sentence
Sulla - 2 sentences
Pompey - 2 sentences
Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar - 1 sentence
Clodius and His Gangs - 1 sentence
The Civil Wars - 2 sentences

In addition, you must integrate one sentence for each of the primary sources you read into the proper part of your summary.

Here are the specific expectations:

• Do not exceed the sentence restrictions or skip any of the required sections. You should finish with exactly 21 sentences
  
• At most, you may use short quote fragments, but certainly not full sentence quotes
  
• Wording should be your own; quotes should, of course, be cited
• Choose a name for this third stage of the Roman Republic and include this as the title
• Content assessment will focus on what you include AND what you omit. In other words, you must choose carefully which details are most significant and demand inclusion in your summary. If you miss important details, that will be counted against you
• I'm looking for cohesive paragraphs, not a series of individual sentences. So, make sure the ideas flow smoothly from one sentence to the next
  
• Please turn in a hard copy, double-spaced and thoroughly proofread. Have an MLA-style header (Your name, my name, class name, date - all single-spaced)
• You may work alone or in pairs. Your choice.
• Due beginning of class tomorrow; poor use of class time today will be counted against your grade.]
  

Homework Schedule - February Part II

Homework Schedule

Week of 2/15 - 2/19: Origins of Rome

• Tuesday - Vocab Unit 8 and Elegy Rough Draft
  
• Wednesday - Read Packet 1-8
  
• Thursday - Read Packet 31-33

Week of 2/22 - 2/26: From Republic to Empire

• Monday - Packet 9-16
  
• Tuesday - Packet 33-41 (Pick 7 sources)
  
• Wednesday - Distillation Paragraphs
  
• Thursday - Packet 27-31, 17-22
  
• Friday - Vocab Test
• You will have Writing Lab time on Monday and Thursday to work on your Tour Guide notes
  

Italian words so far

Buongiorno - Hello
Ciao - Goodbye / Hello
Grazie - Thanks
Per favore - Please
Si/Non - Yes/No
Mi piacere - I would like...
Mi dispiace - I'm sorry
Scusi - Excuse me
Non capisco - I don't understand
Dov'e il bagno - Where is the bathroom?
Mi chiamo - My name is...
C'e - There is / Is there...?
Destra - Right
Sinistra - Left
Quanto costa - How much does it cost
Aperto/Chiuso - Open/Closed

1 - Uno / 2 - Due / 3 - Tre / 4 - Quattro / 5 - Cinque
6 - Sei / 7 - Sette / 8 - Otto / 9 - Nove / 10 - Dieci

Rome Maps

Linked below are maps that I used, will use, or probably should have used in class related to our discussions of the growth of Rome:

• Ancient Etruria - The Etruscan kingdom in the 6th century BC
• Ancient Italy - Situates the Etruscans, Latins, Greeks, and very early Romans
  
• Hannibal's invasion of Rome - Follows his route from Spain through Italy
• Early growth of the Roman Republic - Through 285 BC
  
• Expansion of the Roman Republic - From 200-100 BC
  

If you thought it was bad that the school could see your Skype transcripts...

...it could be much, much worse!

Also - big congratulations to the boys basketball team for making it to the playoffs in their first season. Ultimate starts on Monday!!

And finally - JK Rowling has been accused of plagiarism!!!

Blog Feedback

Over the weekend, I reviewed your three blogposts from the last week - Hercules/Cacus, Seven Hills of Rome, and Ovid/Tibullus. You'll receive individualized feedback from me, but here are some general comments:

1) Even in a blog post, you should be sure to include all necessary information, starting from a position of specificity. So, for example, your Ovid paragraph would have been well served to start with something like: "In Ovid's "Elegy for Tibullus," the Roman poet follows the third type of elegy, moving from grief to profound unhappiness." By starting off with a sentence like that, I immediately a) identify the author, b) identify the work, and c) identify my interpretation. Similarly, your hill paragraph should have begun with something like: "At the height of Rome, the Palatine Hill served as a base of power for several major emperors and also functioned as an important religious site." Again, this sentence fulfills several objectives: 1) it identifies the hill, 2) it identifies the era you're concerned with, and c) it highlights the two critical aspects of the hill during that period.

2) Please get the spelling of authors, characters, and historical figures right. I saw many different spellings of Tibullus and there's no excuse - you have it on the sheet right in front of you.

3) If you quote a work, the quote needs to be exact. People were sloppy in this regard. Also, if you are only citing one work of poetry within an essay, the only thing you need to include in parentheses at the quote's end is the line number. For example - Ovid offers some hope in his final stanza, when he notes that "Elysium's vale will be Tibullus's home" (60). Take note - only the number is included in parentheses, the end quote precedes the parentheses, and the punctuation comes after.

4) Also on the subject of quotes - if you use a quote, you MUST discuss the quote. You can't simply drop in a series of quotes and consider your job to be done. Keep these ground rules in mind - Never open a paragraph with a quote, never end a paragraph with a quote, and never have consecutive quotes.

5) On the Hercules/Cacus paragraph, check out Sarah's post for an excellent example of what I was looking for. Many people neglected the instructions, specifically - "I just want you to list unique details here." Sarah does that quite successfully. As for the second part of the prompt, Makhayla does a nice job of honing in on potential implications of Livy and Ovid's different stories.

6) I'm surprised that many of the Hill paragraphs still do not have a) citations (which were required in the assignment) or b) a sharper focus on their assigned era. Many people go well outside of their time period. Arron's is one of the stronger posts (I won't mention the one sentence where he goes outside of his assigned era).

7) People interpreted Ovid's elegy in a variety of ways; arguments for all three structures of elegy were expressed. The main problem I encountered here, though, was one that I warned specifically against - over and over again, people fail to refer to the last stanza. The exception to that, however, is the people arguing that this is an example of grief => consolation, for which that last stanza seems to be a strong example, as exemplified by Victoria.

Greece and Our Trip - Updated 3/25

In case you have not been monitoring Athens, no worries - checking for news from Greece has been a part of my daily schedule for the last two months. The economic downturn has hit Greece harder than most other Western countries. Over the last month in particular, the EU's response to Greece has been a subject of high drama. The EU has made it clear that any assistance to Greece will be dependent upon the country's ability to impose harsh austerity measures. Those include significant cuts in pay to civil servants, the loss of jobs for others, and a
significant reduction in social services. Many Greeks have not responded to these moves with docility and restraint. Instead, there have been riots in Athens and, to a much lesser degree, Thessaloniki. In limited cases, these have resulted in violence.

From a distance, this news can be unnerving to follow, especially when keeping the safety of your children in mind. And, of course, safety is the over-riding concern for us in planning this trip. Know that we will not stick to our current itinerary if we feel it exposed your child to any danger.

After discussing the issue with Mr. LaBonte for the moment, we have decided to take a wait-and-see approach. With historically rare exceptions, these sorts of riots burn hot but expire quickly and It would be unusual for them to still be percolating a month from now. Additionally, it is important to note where the riots are taking place. We will stay in Monastiraki neighborhood in Athens, near the Acropolis. The riots, however, almost exclusively occur around government buildings and, to a lesser extent, universities.

The primary reason for a wait-and-see approach is that our plans are flexible. In other words, should circumstances demand it, we could modify our itinerary relatively late in the game to ensure the safety of your kids. We will continue to monitor developments in Athens on a daily basis as we move through March and early April.

Given that all of my experience leading student trips - and with travel in general - has accrued over the last decade, that experience has inevitably included learning how to deal with the potential hazards of traveling in uncertain times. This said you have my assurance that we will not expose your child to any undue risk and that you will have the opportunity to fully review and comment on the planned itinerary prior to our flight.

I inquired with our hostel in Athens about the current conditions and received the following response:

"The area around the hostel is very safe and is not near any of the protests which you may have seen on the news. I personally have not seen or heard anything here at the hostel and I too have seen the news reports and I am quite surprised when I watch it that it actually happened here because I never see or hear anything.

"So I can assure you that you will be very safe at the hostel and the sites surrounding the hostel, the protests you have viewed are situated in one small area not near any sites and we will mark this area on a map for you in the case of another protest so you can avoid this area."

While the hostel clearly is operating from a position of self-interest, these comments have been reinforced to me by others in Athens.

Hopefully this note eases any concerns that you may have and I encourage
you to contact me if you have any questions about our plans.

Freshman Trip Money and Valuables

Establishing a recommended budget for food and incidentals in Europe is actually one of the more complicated components of the trip. There is a great deal of variation between people. Some eat a lot, some very little. Some are happy with simple food, spot bargains, and enjoy cooking; others grab the first thing that looks good, oblivious of the price, and place importance on dining in quality restaurants. As a result, the total expenses for two students may end up being very different. To be safe, we are setting a budget on the upper end of the spectrum. But, we will also outline the process by which we arrived at the figure here, so that you can modify the numbers as you see fit.

First, here is an overview of meals already included in the trip cost:

Greece: April 3-6 - Breakfast included
Naples: April 7-10 - All meals included (including breakfast on the 11th)
Rome: April 11-14 - Breakfast included

Or, to put it another way, students will need money to buy the following things in the following places:

Greece: 3 lunches, 4 dinners, snacks (4 days)
Naples: Snacks (4 days)
Rome: 4 lunches, 4 dinners, snacks (4 days)

So, all told, students are responsible for 7 lunches, 8 dinners, and 12 days of snacks, excluding flight days. We are budgeting 7.50 euros/day for snacks. That is generous, of course. For some perspective, a bottle of Coke will run anywhere from 1 to 3 or 4 euros (supermarket vs. at the Colosseum). A gelato will run from 2 to 5 euros (though it's pretty easy to get a satisfying 2-3 euro gelato). A cappuccino costs 1-1.5 euros at the bar, more for a patio seat.

We are budgeting 10 euros/lunch. A burger/fries/coke generally falls in the 7-8 euro range. Pizzas start around 5-6 euros for a Margarita and increase in price as the toppings are added.

Finally, we are budgeting 15 euros/dinner. This meal has, perhaps, the greatest potential range. If a group decides to hit the supermarket and then cook dinner, a really satisfying meal can end up costing 3 euros. Some restaurants have a set menu (antipasto, pasta, contorno, beverage) in the 10-12 euro range. Others require you to order by the dish and this can become expensive quickly. A 15 euro average allows for some nicer meals mixed in with some cheaper ones.

Add it all up and you have a ballpark budget of around 300 euros for food. Are there any additional costs? Not necessarily. To call home, if your student doesn't have an international cell phone (which is certainly not required), the purchase of a phone card would be necessary (5-10 euros). We will have internet access in our accommodations, but if a student wanted more time online, a visit to an internet cafe would probably cost around 5 euros. And then, of course, there are souvenirs. We leave that to your discretion.

With the amount settled, the next issue to discuss is accessing it. We recommend two possible options. One approach is to provide your student with a debit card. Most major banks issue cards that work internationally (look for the Plus or Cirrus logo on the back). Make sure that your pin is only four digits. Finally, a week before departure, call the bank to inform them that the card will be used abroad; otherwise, their fraud prevention department will likely freeze the account. In addition to the card, it is advisable to provide your student with some cash, in case s/he has some problems with it early in the trip. $100 US could be easily exchanged at the airport en route to Italy, allowing for a smooth transition.

The other option is simply to bring all of the cash you will need for the trip. It would be quite unfortunate, of course, to lose 300 euros. However, given that the banks often zap each ATM withdrawal with a 2-5 euro service charge, it doesn't make sense to withdraw small amounts. So, regardless, you would probably be carrying 100-150 euros around at some point. Given the small gap between those figures, is the ATM card worth the hassle if your student doesn't have one already? Seems unlikely, but it's your call, of course. In either case, the student should have a money belt to allow for the secure stowage of that cash.

Finally, a word on valuables. We are not going to restrict students from bringing personal electronics, like iPods and handheld videogames. However, I strongly discourage it. Every trip I lead, one or two students leave their iPods behind as unintentional gifts to the locals; in Italy, prolific pickpockets add an extra layer of risk, beyond normal human forgetfulness. Beyond that, though, consider the extent to which those electronics will even be necessary. The students will always be around their friends, always have new things to talk about, and will have little time to just sit around and use the electronics. They'll have personal entertainment stations on the planes and bus rides are great opportunities for conversations. It's too easy to drop off into your own little world when you have those distractions available.

Seven Hills of Rome - Let's Try This Again

The story of Hercules and Cacus is said to have occurred on the Palatine Hill, one of the famed Seven Hills of Rome. During this class period, please examine one of those seven hills, focusing on three different periods:

1) The hill during the founding of Rome
2) The hill during the height of the Roman Empire
3) The hill today

In each case, look for important events that took place on or around the hill, as well as important buildings or other structures located on the hill. Using reliable sources (and please cite them, MLA style) type a description of the hill's history over the course of those three periods. The first class today will work alone or in pairs; all work completed should be posted to the blogs by the end of the period. The second class will continue and - hopefully - finish the work. Hill assignments are:

Palatine Hill: Makhayla, Wasnaa / Arron
Capitoline Hill: Emilie / Sarah
Aventine Hill: Nat / Sam
Caellan Hill: Taylor, Hunter / Michelle
Esquiline Hill: Jordan, Alessio / David
Viminal Hill: Nathan
Quirinal Hill: Victoria, Jacob / Robert

UPDATE: Things did not go particularly well yesterday. The second class was disheartened to find that much of the information left for them was either a - to put it kindly - minimal restating of the wikipedia intro paragraph or focused on the wrong time periods. I'm disappointed by the failure to follow instructions. Today, we'll shift to individual responsibility. Each person is now assigned one hill at one specific time period (with two exceptions - Emilie/Sarah will retain full responsibility for the Capitoline Hill and Nathan will retain responsibility for the Viminal Hall):

AT THE FOUNDING OF ROME:
Palatine Hill: Arron
Aventine Hill: Sam
Caellan Hill: Taylor
Esquiline Hill: Jordan
Quirinal Hill: Victoria

AT THE HEIGHT OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC/EMPIRE
Palatine Hill: Makhayla
Aventine Hill: Nat
Caellan Hill: Hunter
Esquiline Hill: Alessio
Quirinal Hill: Jacob

TODAY:
Palatine Hill: Wasnaa
Aventine Hill: Nat or Sam if they have time
Caellan Hill: Michelle
Esquiline Hill: David
Quirinal Hill: Robert

This is due - posted to your blog and proofread - by the end of class on Friday.

Hercules and Cacus

For today, you read three different accounts of Hercules and Cacus. In Humanities class later today, we'll discuss the greater significance of this story to the history of Rome. For now, I would like you to examine it from a strictly literary angle. Please write a response to the following two questions/prompts on your group blog.

1) What are the differences between the three accounts (Livy, Vergil, and Ovid)? Be very specific - every minor detail could be important. To be clear, I just want you to list unique details here.

2) Discussing each of the three accounts separately, what is the impact of the details told that are unique to that story? In other words, consider which details only Livy uses and the effect that those have on your understanding of Hercules and Cacus (and then repeat the same process for Vergil and Ovid). Also, consider the flip side - are there details omitted from that story that are used in the other two accounts? How is the larger message influenced by the inclusion or omission of those details?

Remember - there are no accidents. The authors chose which events to include and which to cut. Your job as an analyst is to consider the reasons behind and the impact of their decisions.

Artistic Portrayals of the Sabine Women

The Rape of the Sabine women is a pivotal moment in the mythical founding of Rome and the story has been retold over time in many different eras. In particular, it has been a popular subject for artists.

Look closely through the following works. Take time to contemplate each piece, looking first at the whole, then at specific details, and then returning to the whole. What is emphasized in each piece? What emotions are expressed? Which details are unique to each piece? How well does the work capture the story as told by Plutarch? Which is your favorite? Which is your least favorite?

Why do you think that this story has held such lasting value? What makes it a popular subject for so many artists? Think specifically of the broader allegorical value of the story - in other words, what larger ideas or themes could this represent in other eras and places?

1593 - Giovanni Bologna's sculpture - Angle 1 / Angle 2 / Angle 3

1637 - Nicolas Poussin - Full Painting / Close-Up

1640 - Giuseppe Cesari - Full Fresco (Sorry, poor quality; we'll see this one up close in the Capitoline Museum in Rome, though)

1640 - Peter Paul Rubens - Full Painting / Close-Up 1 / Close-Up 2

1799 - Jacques-Louis David - Full Painting / Close-Up / Detail

1963 - Pablo Picasso - Full Painting

Blog / Trip Assignments

Update #1: I've shuffled the deck with regards to the blog groups. The new assignments are:

Group 1: Arron, Michelle, Wasnaa, Jacob
Group 2: Sam, Mikizzle, Emilie, Nat, Taylor
Group 3: Robert, Sarah, Hunter, Jordan
Group 4: David, Victoria, Alessio, Nathan

Update #2: Tour guide assignments for Italy/Greece have been set. Student pairings are set in stone; you may trade the assigned site with another group, but that has to take place by the end of this week.

Arron/Nathan - Forum
Jake/Taylor - Acropolis
Hunter/Alessio - Colosseum
Sarah/Emilie - Pompeii
Victoria/Wasnaa - Capri
Makhayla/Michelle-Hadrian's Villa
David/Jordan/Nat - Herculaneum
Robert/Sam - Mycenae