2013 UVA Classics Day Syllabus
Level I
Mythology:
History:
Culture:
Language:
Creation stories, myths of 14 major gods and goddesses, mythological couples (e.g.,
Pyramus & Thisbe, Baucis & Philemon, Deucalion & Pyrrha, etc.)
753 B.C. – 201 B.C. with emphasis on Founding of Rome, Monarchy, Early Republic
and 1st and 2nd Punic Wars; see list of Basic People and Places in Roman History
AMSCO I Lessons 73-76
Level I vocabulary list; AMSCO I Lessons 79, 80, & 84 for mottoes, phrases,
abbreviations, and Latin in the classroom; Level I grammar syllabus
Level IA
Mythology:
History:
Culture:
Language:
Creation stories, myths of 14 major gods and goddesses, mythological couples (e.g.,
Pyramus & Thisbe, Baucis & Philemon, Deucalion & Pyrrha, etc.)
753 B.C. – 201 B.C. with emphasis on Founding of Rome, Monarchy, Early Republic
and 1st and 2nd Punic Wars; see list of Basic People and Places in Roman History
AMSCO I Lessons 73-76
NJCL Core Novice Vocabulary (primary lists only for nouns, verbs, and adjectives);
AMSCO I Lessons 79-84 for mottoes, phrases, abbreviations, and Latin in the classroom;
Level IA grammar syllabus
Level II
Mythology:
History:
Culture:
Language:
Classical Mythology by Morford & Lenardon – “Part One: The Myths of Creation: The
Gods” (excluding the chapter on Orpheus) and “Part Three: The Nature of Roman
Mythology”; some questions in final round may also be drawn from Ovid’s
Metamorphoses
753 B.C. – 201 B.C.; more in-depth than Level I with emphasis on Founding of Rome,
Monarchy, Early Republic, Samnite and Pyrrhic Wars, 1st and 2nd Punic Wars
AMSCO II Lesson 87, 89, & 90
NJCL Core Novice Vocabulary, in totō; AMSCO I Lessons 79-84 for mottoes, etc.; Level
II grammar syllabus
Level III
Mythology:
History:
Culture:
Literature:
Language:
Ovid’s Metamorphoses
753 B.C. – 201 B.C.; much more in-depth than lower levels
AMSCO III/IV Lessons 35, 36, 38, & 39 + other sources on Roman government,
religion, festivals, amusements, calendar, geography & roads
Life and major extant works of: Plautus, Terence, Caesar, Cicero, Livy, and Pliny the
Younger; AMSCO III/IV Lessons 33, 34 & 39 for information on Cicero and rhetorical
devices; NO meter or scansion questions
All concepts covered in the first two years of most Latin textbooks with emphasis on the
Latin of Caesar, Cicero, Livy and Pliny the Younger; NO poetry or archaic forms
Level IV+
Mythology:
History:
Culture:
Literature:
Language:
Vergil’s Aeneid, Homer’s Iliad & Odyssey
753 B.C. – 14 A.D., with focus on Late Republic and reign of Augustus
All topics
Life and works of Vergil, Catullus, Horace, and Ovid; poetic devices, meter, and scansion
(see especially AMSCO III/IV Lessons 46 & 47)
The entire corpus of Latin grammar with emphasis on the Latin of Vergil’s Aeneid,
Catullus, Horace, and Ovid; famous quotations from these authors (see AMSCO III/IV
Lesson 48 for a list from the Aeneid)
2013 UVA Classics Day Syllabus
Latin I Grammar Syllabus
VERBS
 Present tense of 1st & 2nd conjugation
 Present tense of sum, esse
 identification and translation in isolation of infinitives
 interrogative sentences with –ne, quis, quid, cur, ubi, & quot -Latin to English only
NOUNS
 Nominative Case
o 1st, 2nd, & 3rd declensions, singular & plural
o subject
o predicate
 Genitive Case
o 1st & 2nd declensions, singular & plural
o possessive: definition and identification of English word(s) requiring a genitive
in Latin –no translation
 Dative Case
o 1st & 2nd declensions, singular & plural
o indirect object: definition and identification of English word(s) requiring a dative
in Latin –no translation
 Accusative
o 1st, 2nd, & 3rd declensions, singular & plural
o direct object
o prepositional phrases with ad, in, & prope –Latin to English only
 Ablative
o 1st & 2nd declensions, singular & plural
o prepositional phrases with cum –Latin to English only
 Vocative
o definition and identification of English word(s) requiring a vocative in Latin –no
translation
ADJECTIVES
 1st and 2nd declension adjectives of the –us, -a, -um pattern
 noun-adjective agreement
 Latin-to English translation only
PRONOUNS
 ego, tū, nōs, vōs –nominative only
ADDITIONAL TERMINOLOGY
 infinitive, case, diphthong, macron, Romance language, etymology
Notā Bene
In general, English to Latin translations should only require manipulation of nominative
and accusative endings of the first three declensions; Latin to English translations may include
prepositional phrases with 1st and 2nd declension nouns in the accusative or ablative. All other
questions involving case should require only a basic understanding of the primary case usage(s)
and the inflections themselves for the 1st and 2nd declensions.
2013 UVA Classics Day Syllabus
Latin IA Grammar Syllabus
VERBS (Active Voice only)
 Present Tense
o all conjugations + sum, esse
 Imperfect Tense
o all conjugations + sum, esse
 Future Tense
o 1st & 2nd conjugations + sum, esse
 Perfect Tense
o all conjugations + sum, esse
 Imperative Mood
o all conjugations in singular & plural, including abrupt imperatives
o negative imperatives
 Identification and translation of all principal parts
 Interrogative sentences with –ne, nōnne, num, quis, quid, cur, ubi, quot, quandō, &
quōmodō
NOUNS
 Nominative Case
o 1st, 2nd, & 3rd declensions, singular & plural
o subject
o predicate
 Genitive Case
o 1st, 2nd, & 3rd declensions, singular & plural
o possessive
 Dative Case
o 1st, 2nd, & 3rd declensions, singular & plural
o indirect object
 Accusative
o 1st, 2nd, & 3rd declensions, singular & plural
o direct object
o place to which
o prepositional phrases
 Ablative
o 1st, 2nd & 3rd declensions, singular & plural
o place from which and place where
o accompaniment, means, & manner
o prepositional phrases
 Vocative
o 1st, 2nd, & 3rd declensions, singular & plural
ADJECTIVES & ADVERBS
 1st & 2nd declension adjectives
 Adverbs from 1st & 2nd declension adjectives
PRONOUNS
 ego, tū, nōs, vōs –all cases EXCEPT genitive
2013 UVA Classics Day Syllabus
Latin II Grammar Syllabus
VERBS
 All tenses, active and passive indicative
o all conjugations + irregular verbs and their compounds (sum, eō, ferō, volō)
 Imperative Mood
o all conjugations in singular & plural, including abrupt imperatives
o negative imperatives
 Participles and infinitives in final round only
 NO SUBJUNCTIVE, DEPONENTS, SUPINES, or GERUND(IVE)S
NOUNS
 1st – 3rd declensions (4th & 5th in final round only)
 Genitive Case
o partitive
 Dative Case
o with special verbs and adjectives
o possession
 Accusative
o duration of time and extent of space
 Ablative
o time expressions
o agent
o comparison
 Vocative
o 1st, 2nd, & 3rd declensions, singular & plural
ADJECTIVES & ADVERBS
 All declensions
 Formation of adverbs from adjectives
 Comparative and superlative (including use of quam with each)
PRONOUNS
 complete paradigms and usage of
o personal pronouns
o demonstrative pronouns hic, ille, & is
o relative pronoun
2013 UVA Classics Day Syllabus
Basic People and Places in Roman History: 753 B.C. – 201 B.C.
The following list is provided as a starting point for the study of Roman History and is in no way inclusive.
Students on Levels I and IA can expect to do well if they learn the stories associated with the items on this
list. Students on Level II and above should ensure that they are well acquainted with the items on this list,
but are strongly encouraged to fill in the gaps as thoroughly as possible using the sources provided in the
syllabus.
7 Hills of Rome
Aegates Islands
Aequi
Alba Longa
Amulius
Ancus Marcius
Appius Claudius Caecus/Censor
Appius Claudius Decemvir
Ausculum
Beneventum
Brennus
C. Duilius
C. Flaminius
Camillus
Cannae
Caudine Forks
Cincinnatus
Cloelia
Collatinus
Coriolanus
Corsica
Decius Mus
Drepanum
Ebro River
Etruria/Etruscans
Fabricius
Faustulus
Gauls/Senones
Hamilcar Barca
Hannibal
Hasdrubal
Heraclea
Horatii & Curiatii
Horatius Cocles
L. Junius Brutus
Lake Regillus
Lake Trasimene
Lars Porsenna
Lutatius Catulus
M. Claudius Marcellus
M. Manlius
Mamertines
Messana/Straits of Messana
Metaurus River
Mt. Algidus
Mucius Scaevola
Mylae
Numa Pompilius
Numitor
P. Claudius Pulcher
P. Cornelius Scipio Africanus
Pyrrhus
Q. Fabius Maximus Cunctator
Regulus
Remus
Rhea Silvia
Romulus
Saguntum
Samnites
Sardinia
Sentinum
Servius Tullius
Syracuse
Tanaquil
Tarentum
Tarpeia
Tarquinius Priscus
Tarquinius Superbus
Titus Tatius
Tullia
Tullus Hostilius
Verginia
Verginius
Volsci
Xanthippus
Zama
2011 VSCL Kick-Off Certamen Syllabus
MAJOR SOURCES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STUDY
N.B.
This is only a list of recommended sources and is not in any way meant to be
comprehensive. The sources listed for Level II and up are, however, those specifically
provided by the NJCL for academic contests and certamen, and the OCD is considered
the summa auctoritās for history, culture, and literature.
Mythology
Level I & IA:
Level II and up:
Any good introductory mythology text such as Edith Hamilton’s
Mythology; Classical Mythology and More by Colakis and Masello;
Robert Graves’ Greek Myths; Bullfinches Mythology, etc.
Classical Mythology by Morford and Lenardon (7th ed. or later); Ovid’s
Metamorphoses, Vergil’s Aeneid, Homer’s Iliad & Odyssey
Students on all levels may also wish to use any good dictionary of
mythology, such as those by Edward Tripp, Pierre Grimal, Grant &
Hazel, et al.
History
Level I & IA:
A list of basic people and places in Roman History has been provided
as a starting point; sources include AMSCO* Review Text in Latin
First Year; Chronicles of the Roman Republic; Classical Mythology
and More and Grant & Hazel for information on Roman kings; any first
year Latin textbook
Level II and up:
Students should begin by becoming thoroughly familiar with the list of
basic people and places; sources for further study include AMSCO*
Review Text in Latin Two Years and Three and Four Years; A History
of Rome by Cary & Scullard; The Romans: From Village to Empire by
Boatwright, Gargola, & Talbert; A History of the Roman People by
Ward, Heichelheim, & Yeo; Oxford Classical Dictionary 3rd or 4th ed.;
primary sources include Livy Ab Urbe Condita Bk I for levels III and
up, and Caesar’s Commentarii De Bello Gallico level IV+
Level I & IA:
AMSCO first year; any first year Latin textbook
Level II and up:
AMSCO second and third year; The Private Life of the Romans by
Harold Johnston; Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome by Atkins &
Atkins; Oxford Classical Dictionary 3rd or 4th ed.
Culture
Literature
Level III and up:
Language
Level I & IA:
Level II & up:
AMSCO; A History of Latin Literature by Moses Hadas: Latin
Literature: A History by Gian Biagio Conte; Oxford Companion to
Classical Literature; Oxford Classical Dictionary 3rd or 4th ed.
Any first year Latin textbook; AMSCO; Level I Vocab List and NJCL
Core Novice Vocabulary List
Any Latin textbook series; AMSCO; Allen & Greenough’s New Latin
Grammar; any good Latin-English dictionary; any good English
dictionary (for derivatives)
*Referred to in the syllabus as AMSCO I, AMSCO II, and AMSCO III/IV