AP Latin Summer Reading Assignments, 2015
Texts
1. The Aeneid. Translated by Robert Fagles. Penguin Classics: Reprint Edition,
January 2006. ISBN: 978-0143105138.
The selections from Vergil’s Aeneid required by the AP syllabus are as follows. We
will be reading these selections in Latin together in class next semester:
Book I.1-209, 418-440, 494-578
Book II.40-56, 201-249, 268-297, 559-620
Book IV.160-218, 259-361, 659-705
Book VI.295-332, 384-425, 450-476, 847-899
Your task this summer is to read Vergil’s Aeneid in its entirety (almost: see the other
attachment for the lines assigned plus the questions to be answered). The questions
are due on the first day of class; please be concise in your answers.
2. Strauss, Barry. The Trojan War: A New History. Simon and Schuster: Reprint
Edition, August 2007. ISBN: 978-0743264426
This book investigates the possibility that the Trojan War, as described by Homer in
the Iliad and the Odyssey and by Vergil in the Aeneid, is not a mythological construct
but instead really did happen. By examining the archaeological record, as well as
other kinds of evidence both from Ancient Greece and from the Near East, Strauss
discusses diplomacy, warfare, culture, and politics during the age of Achilles, Hector,
Aeneas, and others. The reason we’re reading this book in preparation for AP Latin
is because Vergil, in the Aeneid, constantly references episodes from the Trojan War,
but never actually explains fully what happened: he assumes that we know all that
before we even start reading the Aeneid. This is a fascinating and fun read: when
you need a break from the poetry, turn to this, and let your imagination run wild.