I found a link to an online Latin immersion course, Latinum. The course provides sample tracks along with some text for studying. Sounds interesting.
I started studying Latin last fall, but ended up setting it aside due to lack of time and server issues with the course. I learned a lot while I was in it. (Learning Latin using a French text was *hard*. Here’s to having friends who have taught Latin or studied it extensively!)
Why study Latin? Because it provides an insight into the cultures that spoke it. When I learned French in college and high school, the language provided better phrases (maybe more elegant phrases?) for expressing ideas and dreams than English did. English is great for technical discussions because of its precision. My French isn’t near what it was in college, but I still appreciate the phrases and just the way it sounds. Learning Latin could provide a similar insight into the intricacies of the culture. (Besides, it would be cool to go into a museum and be able to read the inscriptions on the artifacts not to mention reading the CIL.)
A while back, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History had an exhibit about Stabiae, called In Stabiano. (Stabiae was a small resort town near Pompeii and Herculaneum when Vesuvius erupted in 79 C.E.) The exhibit was widely advertised on television and online. I managed to be in Washington, DC, on a business trip shortly after the exhibit opened in 2005.
The Smithsonian is supposed to be one of the best museums in the U.S. The Natural History Museum was my favorite place when I was little.
I was very disappointed. The artifacts were shown in a sterile environment. The exhibit’s focus was centered around showing the architecture and the amazing quality of the finds. I only remember one plaque that mentioned the name of the person who owned the villa and it briefly mentioned the person’s name, status, family members, and a little about where he was stationed. If that information is known then why wasn’t it used to create a connection for the viewing audience?
How can people relate to artifacts without knowing how the artifacts were used and *who* used them? The exhibit did not tell a story; it was a sterile display of items to be admired like artwork devoid of cultural context.
The exhibit book, on the other hand, is fantastic and makes up for the disappointment from the exhibit itself. My advice? Skip the exhibit and get the book.
Recent comments