2001 Ad Fontes Certamen
Level IV - Round Three


1. What is the name for the dynasty of emperors that ruled following Nero's death? Flavian.

Bonus: Galba was the first emperor in the so-called "Year of Four Emperors." Who was the last? Vespasian.

2. Which of the following does not belong and why: vulpes, boves, leones, venatores, oves. Venatores, 'cause they're not animals.

Bonus: What does venatores mean? Hunters.

3. Hades was King of the Dead, but who was the god of death. Thanatos.

Bonus: Thanatos' father was the god of sleep. What was his name? Hypnos.

4. What year is this? Augustus was born, Cicero was consul, Catiline's conspiracy was unmasked, Caesar became pontifex maximus. 63 B.C.

Bonus: Catiline was a pretty bad character, if we care to believe Cicero. How many speeches by Cicero against him have come down to us? 4.

5. Translate this sentence: Vidimus feminas e villa currentes. We saw (or see) the women running from the villa (house, farmhouse).

Bonus: If we wanted to say "We saw the animals which had been killed" and only wanted to use one word for "which had been killed", give me a word that would do the job. necata, occisa, caesa, interfecta, etc.

6. Which god gave Odysseus an herb to protect him from Circe's magic? Hermes / Mercury.

Bonus: Put the following adventure of Odysseus in proper order: the Sirens, Cyclopes, Circe. Cyclopes, Circe, Sirens.

7. What figure of the Late Republic was tutor to Claudius, an avowed supporter of Pompey, and the longest, if perhaps not the greates, of Roman historians. Livy.

Bonus: How many books were in Livy's history? 142. 8. What emperor of the Late Empire managed to reconquer a large portion of the Western Empire, including Italy, north Africa, and the coast of Spain? Justinian.

Bonus: What barbaric tribe had established itself in north Africa after the Germanic invasions, where it's kingdom remained for a 100 years before being destroyed by Justinian's armies? The Vandals.

9. Translate the verb in the indirect speech clause of this sentence: I know that they hear me. Audire.

Bonus: Now in this one: I know the men will hear me. Auditoros (esse).

10. What do these adjectives have in common: solus, totus, neuter. They have -ius in the genitive singular and -i in the dative singular.

Bonus: What other part of speech in Latin often shows this peculiar declension pattern? Pronouns.

11. Who was Hercules' first wife? Megara.

Bonus: Who sent Hercules on his labors as penance for killing her? Eurystheus.

12. Hannibal defeated the Romans many times during the Second Punic War, but he himself was finally defeated in Africa at this famous battle. Zama.

Bonus: Carthage survived the 2nd Punic War, but couldn't in the end survive the hatred of this famous Roman of the mid-2nd century B.C., who used to end each speech in the Senate with the advice "Ceterum censeo Carthaginem delendam esee". Cato (the Elder).

13. Rhetorical devices are very useful. What device is seen in this famous quote of Caesar: Veni, vidi, vici. Alliteration.

Bonus: What rhetorical device is seen here: festina lente. Oxymoron.

14. What poet of the Silver Age was renowned for his Epigrams? Martial.

Bonus: What near contemporary of Martial wrote Satires? Juvenal.

15. The law still has many old rules, stated in elegant Latin. What is the basic principle that says de minimis lex non curat. The law does not care for small things (are something close).

Bonus: The phrase corpus delicti does not mean the body of a murdered person, as is commonly thought. What is its true meaning? The body of the crime (i.e., the element necessary to prove the offense).

16. Distinguish in meaning between virgo and virga. Maiden / twig, rod

Bonus. Now distinguish between audio and audeo. Hear / dare.

17. Give me the grammatical name of an active form of a deponent verb. Present participle, future participle, future active infinitive.

Bonus: Give me another.

18. Sometimes you just have to face it‹one woman in the ancient world was just stone cold ugly. You wouldn't want to face her, the reflection in your shield would be safer. Who was she? Medusa.

Bonus: Medusa gave birth to the winged horse Pegasus. What god was his father? Poseidon / Neptune.

19. The motto of the U.S. is, of course, e plurbis unum. But there is another motto on the Great Seal of the United States, and also on our dollar bills: annuit coeptis. What does it mean? He has approved our undertakings.

Bonus: Dartmouth College has an interesting motto for an educational institution: Vox clamantis in deserto. What does it mean? The voice of one shouting in the desert.

20. Who composed the original Philippics, known as the greatest of Greek orators? Demosthenes.

Bonus: Against whom where these speeches directed? Philip II / Philip the father of Alexander.