Lesson Twenty Two : Human Enslavement / by Anthony Gibbins

Salvēte, sodāles.

Capitulum Secundum, lines 25-34 introduces the vocabulary of human enslavement. This is not the space to discuss the complexities (or simplicities) of this cruel and unjust practice, so I’ll say only this : The Romans had a culture in which they felt comfortable forcefully enslaving other human beings and applying the violence that went along with that.

Here are the new words: servus (enslaved man), ancilla (enslaved woman), dominus (male enslaver, master) and domina (female enslaver, mistress).

As you read, you will notice two new word endings, -ōrum and -ārum. (eg: servōrum, līberõrum, ancillārum). Try to determine the meaning of these new endings for yourself. You can check your understanding below.

Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta : Capitulum Secundum : lines 25-34. To be fair to the publisher, after Capitulum Secundum extracts will not be given - you will need a copy of the textbook of your own.

  • servōrum : of the enslaved men

    ilberōrum : of the children

    ancillårum : of the enslaved women

Before you go, you may have noticed that the number two appeared in the reading as both duo and duae. Again, this is connected to our word families and their genders. The margin provides a convenient summary. You would also say duo fluviī and duae īnsulae.

from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 14.

Satis est. Hope to see you again soon.