1999 Ad Fontes Certamen

Level IV - Final Round


1. Welcome to the Upper Level Finals of the Ad Fontes Certamen. Participles yet again. We all know that the dative of agent is regularly used with the gerundie or the Future Passive Periphrastic construction. But with what participle is the dative of agent commonly seen? Perfect passive participle.

Bonus: 1 Keeping that in mind, translate the following sentence, which might have come from the mouth of a tyrant or king: Mihi deliberatum et constitutum est. It has been deliberated and decided by me.

Bonus 2: In poetry, the use of the dative of agent was even more widely used, appearing commonly with what type of verb? Passive verbs.

2. When the Gauls attacked Rome in 390 B.C., who led the Roman garrison in repelling the attack on the citadel? M. Manlius Capitolinus.

Bonus: Who was appointed dictator to drive the Gauls out of Rome? Camillus.

Bonus 2:With what title was Camillus rewarded for this service to Rome? The Second Founder of Rome / second Romulus.

3.Adrastus, Polynices, Tydeus, Capaneus, Parthenopaeus, Mecisteus, and Amphiaraus are all part of what group? The Seven Against Thebes.

Bonus 1:What Greek playwright immortalized this group by a play of the same name? Aeschylus.

Bonus 2: What poet of the Silver Age of Latin recounted the same story in his epic Thebaid? Statius.

4. A comitia of course is an assembly of the Roman people, but what was the name of the place where the comitia normally met? Comitium.

Bonus1:Tell me the names of the three comitia under the Republic. Comitia curiata, centuriata, tributa.

Bonus 2: Which of these had the duty of formally conferring imperium by means of a lex de imperio on the magistrates and later on the emperors? Comitia curiata.

5. Translate this verse and tell me it's author: Exegi monumentum aere perennius. I have a built a monument more lasting than bronze. Horace.

Bonus 1:In what work did Horace say this line? The Odes.

Bonus 2:In that same poem, what does Horace consider his greatest poetic achievement to be? To have adapted Greek meter to Latin poetry.

6.The perfect tense tetuli makes its appearance in Plautus, but how would Cicero have written it? Tuli.

Bonus: 1 If tetuli had survived it would have made fero what type of verb? A reduplicative.

Bonus 2: Petronius is famous for odd verb forms. How would Cicero have written his fellitus sum? Falsus sum.

7.The games that Aeneas held in Sicily were in honor of whom? Anchises.

Bonus 1:In which book of the Aeneid does these games occur? 5.

Bonus 2:Who was the Trojan king of Eryx who entertained Aeneas and his followers during their stay in Sicily? Acestes.

8.Who was the worshiper of the deus Sol invictus, an odd emperor of Rome who did himself no good with the conservative Roman establishment by instituting orgiastic ceremonies of his Syrian cult? Elagabalus.

Bonus 1:Elagabalus was actually related to the Severan dynasty. His mother Iulia Bassiana was niece to what powerful woman, the wife of Septimius Severus and mother of Caracalla and Geta? Iulia Domna.

Bonus 2:When dynasties changed in Rome, new emperors often adopted the name of some predecessor by spurious adoption. Elagabalus was a Varius by birth, a Severan by maternal blood, but what was the gens name he adopted (as Caracalla had done before him) in his official nomenclature? Aurelius.

9.A few unfortunates in the ancient world were marked out for special punishment in the Underworld. What was the crime and punishment of Ixion? He tried to seduce Hera and was tied to a turning wheel for eternity.

Bonus: 1:How was Ixion tricked? Zeus formed a cloud in Hera's likeness.

Bonus: 2:Ixion had once been the proud king of what region of Greece? Thessaly.

10.Tombstone Latin is sometimes grim. Translate this inscription found on a Roman gravestone near a road: Viator, viator! Quod tu es, ego fui; quod nunc sum, et tu eris. Traveller, traveller! What you are, I was; what I am now, you also will be.

Bonus 1: This fellow must have a delightful soul with a keen sense of humor. Translate his tomb inscripton: Vixi quem ad modum volui; quare mortuus sum, nescio. I lived how I wanted; why I'm dead I don't know.

Bonus: 2This inscription, a common one, may have a Christian meaning: Ego cum eo eo eo. I am going there with him.

11. Who am I? I was a disciple of Plato and brought my master to Syracuse in 367. I was banished later by the tyrant of Syracuse, but then returned in 357, captured Syracuse and ruled there off and on until my assassination in 357. You all know so much about me because Plutarch wrote my biography. Dion.

Bonus 1: Which Dionysius was this, the First or Second? First.

Bonus 2:In his parallel lives, Plutarch matched Dion with this historical figure, a man who also fought against tranny and created chaos in his homeland. Brutus.

12. What author established hexameter as the meter for Roman poetry? Lucilius.

Bonus 1: Well, we don't have much poetry of Lucilius, but we have a number of Satires of Juvenal? In fact, how many have come down to us? 16.

Bonus 2: One of these Satires is a famous tirade against women. Which one was it? Satire VI.

13.If you saw a bottle that said q.i.d., you might be able to give me the Latin of abbreviation and tell me what it means. Quater in die / 4 times a day.

Bonus1: What kind of number is quater? Numerical adverb.

Bonus 2: Now give me the distributive of this number. Quaterni.

14.The earliest assembly at Rome was called the comitia curiata, instituted under the kings. It eventually lost its legislative and electoral functions to the comitia centuriata, but apart from passing the lex de imperio what function did it retain until late in the Empire? The validation of wills / confirmation of priests / confirmation of adoptions.

Bonus 1: What official probably presided over the meetings of the comitia curiata in the late Republic? The Pontifex Maximus.

Bonus 2: What momentous change was made concerning electoral assemblies during the reign of Tiberius? The election of magistrates was transferred to the Senate.

15.Who was the king of Thebes, talented at the lyre? Amphion.

Bonus1: Who gave Amphion his lyre? Hermes.

Bonus 2: What task did Amphion accomplish with the lyre? He put the stones of the city walls in place.

16.Being completely alliterative say in Latin "I will dedicate the teeth of the dragons, gifts to the gods". (De)dicabo dentes draconum dona deis.

Bonus 1: Say alliteratively: "Decius slept sweetly at home". Decius dulciter (dulce) dormit domi.

Bonus 2: That was easy. But now say alliteratively: "Rabarius again looks back at the royal pyre". Rabirius rursus respexit rogum regium.

17.What are the modern names of these ancient cities? Watch out - it starts easy, but gets harder! Londinium, Lugdunum, Augusta Treverorum. London, Lyons, Trier.

Bonus 2: How 'bout these? Antium and Masillia. Anzio and Marseille.

Bonus 2: Now what were they modern cities called by the Romans: Rhodes and Perugia? Rhodos (or Rhodus) and Perusia.

18.What general lost his command by the lex Manilia? (L. Licinius) Lucullus.

Bonus: Lucullus had invaded Armenia in pursuit of Mithridates and his army revolted and refused to march further. Who was the ringleader of this revolt? P. Clodius Pulcher.

Bonus: At what new capital of Armenia being founded by Tigranes did this revolt occur? Tigranocerta.

19.What is a noun called, such as domus, which varies between declensions? Heteroclite.

Bonus 1: How 'bout a noun that varies in gender, like dies? Heterogeneous.

Bonus 2: Some nouns are found in only one case. What are these nouns called? Monoptotes.

20.When recognized, perform the following command: Sta et primam partem fabulae trium ursorum anglice narra mihi.

Bonus 1: Now perform this command: State uno pede et cantate modo gallinae.

Bonus 2: Now this one: In libro sexto celeberrimi poematis populi Romani quid dixit femina dolorosa heroi Troiano cum in Tartaro eum iterum spectaret? Nihil.