Salvete omnes!

As promised, today was the day of Bellum Mercium, a six hour Tour de Force that took everyone through the trials and tribulations of being in control of ancient provinces. There was much trading, warfare, political dealing, and some backstabbing. In the end of it all, Ephesus cam out on top with Athens trailing by only a single point. However, many other factors made this as exciting a day as it was, ranging from barbarian tribes becoming some of the most advanced groups in the world to people singing in Latin to gain the favor of the emperor. ​

While we had tons of fun vying for supremacy of the Mediterranean, we also learned a fair bit. We experienced the unfair power of provincial identity in the ancient world, the target owning a monopoly paints on your back, how trading and politics inextricably intertwine, and  many other small lessons best learned first-hand. 

As seems to be the custom whenever we have a big, special event that comes with many picture, Google Drive is acting up and we cannot download our pictures to share with you. So as with last night's Artes: Gemmae, we will be sure to make it up to you as soon as Drive will permit us. 

Valete,
HANNAH and hannah

Salvete omnes,

It has been a very creative day here at Randolph-Macon. After our normal classes and reinforcement activities, we got to participate in play practice and memoranda. Then to the really exciting part... precious gems! Just after dinner, we dived into the ancient world to create items for our market next week. 

In classes today, we have eagerly been preparing for Bellum Mercium, taking place tomorrow. It is a very long activity, but should bring even longer lasting memories. We will be exercising not only our Latin, but our diplomatic, bartering, and tactical skills. Tomorrow we will bring you many pictures from the event, but for now...

Valete,
Hannah and HaNnAh 

Salvete omnes,

Today was a relatively quiet start to our second week. We had the pleasure of welcoming back Dr. John Miller for yet another year! We got to pour over popular verses (or insults) of some great emperors and Nero. 

After some Greek practice and dinner we had the pleasure of watching (drum roll please)... A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. It's a modern take on  several different Plautus plays. So look out for some very comedic aspects in our production in two weeks inspired by this movie.

All in all, a nice start to what will surely be an even busier week than the last.

Valete,
Hannah^2

P.S. 
Our pictures aren't cooperating today​, we'll be sure to add some tomorrow. 

Salvete omnes!

Today we started the morning off with some relaxing free time. We took advantage of this by sleeping in, grabbing a bite to eat at our leisure, reading, playing games, and starting some games of Dungeons and Dragons. 

After lunch we got our 30 minutes of internet access to email people, catch up on the news, and otherwise connect with the outside world. After dinner, we then started our second Artes session. This built on the first session we had by painting our sculptures and creating panels of our own. As Cavellus would say, the painting makes the sculpture true art. 

Finally, we ended our day with fun games and a sacred ritual of scrying held sacred by a select few. 

All in all, today was a relaxed day that marks our first week in Latin Academy. We're looking forward to our next two and all the fun they have in store. 

Valete, 
​Hannah et Hannah

Salvete omnes,

A lot has happened since we last checked in, but every moment has been packed full of fun. Yesterday we were off having a blast watching Shakespeare's The Tempest and exploring the grounds of the outdoor theater. Of course we were catching all the allusions to Greek and Roman culture. Our people involved in the play were busy absorbing techniques from the wonderful actors.

Today, however, we had a very enriching visit from some Roman soldiers and citizens. Legio XX had much for us to try on and to teach us! We marched with a centurion, threw replica pillas, weaved wool, and tried  on armor and weapons. 

We also had the pleasure of cooking our own authentic Roman cuisine. But all the cooks could not fit in the kitchen! So we enjoyed creating our own stories in Latin, talking about the play last night, and playing some Latin scrabble. Sadly we don't have the images right now, so please enjoy this photo of all of us in our Roman garb!

Alright omnes that is all for now. Hope all is well in the techno-world.

See you next time,
Hannah & Hannah :)

Salve! 

Today we took a field trip to Richmond so we could observe the ancient influences on our modern architecture. Unsurprisingly, there was a lot, like the overall appearance of the capitol building mirroring that of a Roman temple. There were even subtle differences in the wooden molding between the modern House and Senate chambers. We then went to Maymont park for a picnic, with a healthy side of outdoor adventure. 

We then cooled down with some authentic Italian gelato and a nice break before dinner. 

After dinner, we watched the Greek movie adaptation of the myth Iphigenia, an interesting look into the cinematography of the late 70's and the interplay between ancient myths and modern geo-politics. Tomorrow we will be returning to classes as normal in the morning, and seeing a performance of Shakespeare's The Tempest in the evening. 

As promised, here's a picture of Dr. Cohen, our consul, and her authentic Greek theater mask. 

​Vale!
​Hannah and Hannah

Savete!

Today we had cookies with the president of Randolph-Macon College. He gave a heartfelt speech about the importance of the classics and the opportunities a liberal arts college affords students. Afterwards students received free shirts before we proceeded to compete in a riveting round of trivia. Classes continue like normal, providing a rigorous yet fun environment for developing Latin. Tomorrow, however, we will be taking a break from classes to go into Richmond to study ancient influences on modern architecture.

Speaking of architecture...

We took some time today to create sculptures and other works of art inspired by our respective provinces. Laughter, stories, and friendships were also being sculpted. 

We also took the time to sit down and listen to a guest speaker, Dr. Amy Cohen, who talked about Greek dramas and the masks worn by ancient performers. She even brought in her own masks made for the performances her own classes put on. We have pictures but they're not yet ready, so tune in tomorrow to see them and read about our exploits in Richmond. One more big thanks to the President Robert Lindgren and Dr. Amy Cohen. 
​
Tune in for field trips photos tomorrow, but for now, VALETE!!!

<3 Hannah and Hannah <3

Salvete omnes!

The first few days here have been a whirlwind of ​activities and fun. One of the first things we did was separate into the electoral bases of the Optimares and the Populares  to create authentic propaganda for our officer elections. We have the pleasure of announcing the following people as having been elected by a completely fair and wholly unbiased democratic system:

Praetors: Adil and Campbell
Consuls: Kyla and Shriya
Censors Janika and Nachi
Quastors: Jessica and Joseph L.
Tribunes: Nalin and Sophie

And, of course, your aediles, aka the people writing this blog, Hannah H. and Hannah J.

We'll update you tomorrow on how classes are going and keep you updated about any other activities we participate in.

Vale, 
Hannah and Hannah 

Today was the first day of Latin classes! In "Compositio" with Cavellus, we began reading Libelli Cavelli and practiced writing question and answers. In "Latina Loquenda" with Magister Gallagher, we practiced conversations and commands. And in "Occidat dum Imperet" with Magistra Carroll, we learned a bit about Agrippina and started reading some ancient sources about her.

This afternoon, we met with the Japanese Academy and practice speaking with them in Japanese. We even sang FELICEM NATALEM to Magister Gallagher! Then we had a visit from Campus Safety, in which we learned about the measures Randolph-Macon is taking to keep us safe - including some interesting side stories about former campus wildlife!

We learned about the Memoranda DVD and the play. Many of us plan to try out tomorrow afternoon!

We also had a scavenger hunt around campus, and are getting more confident about how to navigate all of our buildings. Then tonight Princeps / Magistra Wilkins delivered a lecture about our theme, "Gutta Cavat Lapidem." We talked about Ovid's original context for the quotation, as well as the way that the phrase has been used in other contexts. Our night ended with a fun trivia game - where the questions were entirely in Latin!

Yesterday, 45 Latin students descended upon Randolph-Macon College to move into their home for the next three weeks. We quickly met our roommates and found our way around the dormitory.

We received our own Latin Academy t-shirts and met with our provinces for the first time. Each province competed in the first PROVINCE CUP challenge - a trivia game! We then toured the campus, began learning our classmates' names.

Latin Academy officer elections will happen on Tuesday - and so yesterday the political factions of the Optimates and the Populares nominated their candidates for all of the offices. We crafted campaign strategies, began drafting speeches, and wrote election graffiti to advertise for our candidates. We are excited to coat the dorm with all of our posters!

​-- Mr. Jefferson