Spring 2006

LAT 323 • Sallust

Course Description

This course will focus on improving facility and precision in reading classical Latin prose. The specific target will be Sallust's monograph on the war against Jurgurtha, written in the second half of the first century BC (that is, about 75 years after the fact). In addition to being an acute observer of politics and clever writer, Sallust is also good preparation for reading any other classical prose writers. As this is a junior level course, we will also make some time for discussion of the cultural context (e.g. the political collapses of the late Republic, the military, the genres of "historical" writing) in which this work was composed. Plus we'll learn everything you ever wanted to know about bribery and political corruption. Hawthorn, ed., Sallust: Rome and Jugurtha

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