Aeneas and the Trojan War
Troia erat urbs magna in Asia. Troiani erant populi boni, sed dei concitaverunt vitas suas. Tres deae habuerunt certamen formae, et delegerunt Paridem, Troianum, ut iudicet inter se. Utraque dixit se datura esse* Paridi dona. Iuno dixit se datura esse pecuniam et imperium. Minerva dixit se datura esse sapientiam. Sed Venus dixit se datura esse amorem feminae pulchrae. Paris delegit Venerem, et statim omnis urbs in periculo erat.
Feminae pulchrae nomen erat Helena. Sed Helena uxor regis Spartae erat. Paris cepit Helenam et navigavit ad Troiam cum ea. Graeci iratissimi erant, itaque navigaverunt ad Troiam ut oppugnarent urbem. Decem annos, non poterant vincere Troianos. Denique, in anno decimo, Graecus Odysseus habuit sententiam. "Eos fallemus!" Fecerunt Graeci equum magnum ligneum. In eo, posuerunt milites. Ubi Troiani eum tulerant in oppidum et dormiverant, milites exiverunt et oppugnaverunt. Paene omnes Troiani interfecti sunt.
Sed unus fugit, cui nomen erat Aeneas. Aeneas et filius, Iulus, currunt ab Troia cum amicis. Navigant multos annos, per multa pericula. Pugnant monstra, hostes, et mare. Denique, pervenit Italiam. Constituit condere novam urbem, Albam Longam. Populus eius appellantur Latinos, sicut rex Latinus, qui dedit terram Aeneae.
*se datura esse = that she would give (future indirect statement)
Vocabulary:
Troia - Troy
Troiani - Trojans
concito - stir up
suas - their
certamen formae -
a beauty contest
deligo - choose
iudicet - judge
se - them
utraque - each
sapientia - wisdom
uxor - wife
sententia - idea
iratissimi - furious
itaque - and so
denique - finally
fallo - deceive, trick
ligneus - wooden
tulerunt - brought
exiverunt - emerged
paene - almost
monstrum - monster
constituo - decide
condere - to found
sicut - just like
statim - immediately
If all else fails and you are stuck,
you may use this dictionary, but
you shouldn't need it.
Grammar Aids:
Names in this Passage:
Troy - a city in Ancient Asia Minor (modern Turkey)
Paris - a prince of Troy, designated by the gods as the judge of the beauty contest
Juno - queen of the gods
Minerva - goddess of wisdom
Venus - goddess of love and beauty
Helen - most beautiful woman in the world (a Greek)
Greeks - the combined forces of the ancient city states
Odysseus - a Greek king and general in the Trojan war, known for being clever
Aeneas - one of very few Trojan survivors of the war, escaped with his father and son but lost his wife in the sack of Troy
Alba Longa - a city founded by Aeneas and named for its proximity to a long white beach on the coast of Italy
Latinus - King of Latium, a pre-Roman kingdom in central Italy inhabited by so-called "Latins"
Where does this story come from?
This story is a myth, though it has some roots in reality (there really was a Troy, it really was destroyed in a war). The first part of the story, focusing on the Greeks as the heroes, was told by the Greek author Homer in the Iliad.
The important part for Roman history was told by the great Roman author, Vergil, in his epic poem, the Aeneid, about 800 years after Homer's stories.
Here is the (very) short version of Vergil's story about Aeneas. Click the icon to the right.
Your Tasks:
First, make sure that you have read the story completely, listened to all the audio, and followed the available links to help you understand the text. Then:
1. Write an English summary of the Latin passage you read. Be sure to include all the important details of the story, but NOT anything that isn't included in the Latin text. Paste or write your summary here.
2. Take the reading quiz at this link. Don't worry, you've got this!