Listen to the audio feed from TSTT Mission Control as you read, operatives.
epistula
"Gāius Maecēnās Gāiō Iūliō Caesarī Octaviānō suō:
salvē mī amīce, egō tuam epistulam dē vīctōriā tuā in Aegyptō accēpī et epistulam in Senātū hodiē lēgī. omnēs senātōrēs laetissimī erant quod tū glōriam honōremque Rōmae refers. senātōrēs volunt Aegyptum adfigere sed alium cōnsilium habeō. necesse est nōbīs Aegyptum custōdīre ob illud cōnsilium. tū dēbēs Senātum circumvenīre atque Aegyptum ad prōvinciās tuās prīvātās adfigere. ego possum tibi ōrdināre ac possum multōs tīrōnēs ad tē mittere. illī tīrōnēs praetōrium in harēnā prope illum locum aedificābunt. bonam fortūnam habēs, mī amīce.
valē.
post scrīptum: quōmodo sentīs dē cōgnōmine 'Augustus'?"
As we mentioned in the previous GRAMMATICA entry, the Latin language also has a 5th (and final) declension. Like the 4th declension, this group is used with less frequency than the 1st - 3rd declensions.
Consider the following 5th declension noun:
rēs, reī - f - thing
| singular | plural | |
| nominative (subject) | rēs | rēs |
| genitive (possessive) | reī | rērum |
| dative (to/for) | reī | rēbus |
| accusative (direct object) | rem | rēs |
| ablative (with, by, in, etc) | rē | rēbus |
Again, like the 4th declension, you will find that many of the 5th declension endings share similarities with the other declensions.
Nouns of the 5th declension also have a distinguishable dictionary entry:
rēs, reī - f - thing
The nominative form of all 5th declension nouns always end in "ēs", while the genitive ends in "eī".
For more information about the fifth declension, feel free to view this video briefing from latintutorial.com:
| annus, -ī; m | year | noun |
| audāx, audācis | daring, bold, reckless | adjective |
| cōnstituō, cōnstituere, cōnstituī | to decide, set up, form, establish | verb |
| dēscendō, dēscendere, dēscendī | to go down | verb |
| fortis, forte | strong, powerful, mighty | adjective |
| harēna, -ae; f | sand, desert | noun |
| ibi | there, in that place | adverb |
| lūx, lūcis; f | light, brightness, day | noun |
| sagitta, -ae; f | arrow | noun |
| verberō, verberāre, verberāvī | to beat, strike, knock | verb |
Operatives, coming out of the historical simulation, it appears that the TSTT has immersed you fairly close to the Pyramids at Giza. While it seems far-fetched, based on the evidence that you’ve gathered, it is likely that Hannibal crossed through Egypt on his way to Syria after his exile from Carthage. It is possible that he still had the Lapis with him and secured it somewhere in Egypt.
The Societās Pontentium might have learned this information as well which is why they’ve set up a headquarters nearby. It would be advisable for all Operatives to gain as much knowledge about the Pyramids and their significance to Egypt.
Directions: Refer back to the key-text in 12.3 to complete the following:
a. 4 verbs in the second person. What tenses are they?
b. 6 prepositional phrases (remember to get all adjectives associated with the noun!)
c. 3 verbs in the first person. What tenses are they?
d. 4 nouns and 1 prounoun in the dative.
e. 5 infinitives
f. 7 noun/adjective pairs
Directions: Copy and paste each sentence into your attunement form, completing it with the correct word in parentheses. Then translate the sentence into English.
1. necesse est (nos, nobis) (navigat, navigavimus, navigare) ad provinicias (privatos, privata, privatas).
2. (meus, me, mi) amice, (bonum, bonam) fortunam (habet, habeo, habes)
3. prope (illum, illud, illam) locum est multa haerena.
4. Maecenas (accepit, acceperunt, accepi) epistulam (tuum, tuam) et (legi, legit, legerunt).
5. (omnes, omnia) Senatores (laetissimae, laetissimi) erant quod tu (gloria, gloriam) (honoremque, honorique) Romae (refert, refers).
6. unus ex (Recentios, Recentiorum, Recentiis) ianuam dura (manus, manu) verberabat.
7. (ambulavistisne, ambulavistine, ambulavimusne) vōs ad ianuam?
8. vōs (perfecisti, perfēcistis, perfecimus) maiora quam (intellegitis, intellegis, intellegimus).
KEY-TEXT Comprehension Questions
Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences based on the key text for 12.3
1. cuī Maecēnās scrīpsit?
2. quid Maecēnās accēpit?
3. ubi Maecēnās epistulam lēgit?
4. quid cōnsilium Senatūs erat?
5. quid Octāviānus agere debet?
6. quis Maecēnās ad Octāviānum mittere potest?
7. quid tīrōnēs in harēnā aedificābunt?
8. dē quō cōgnōmine Maecēnās rogāvit?
CULTURALIA Comprehension Questions
Directions: Answer the following questions based on the Culturalia readings.
1. List 5 pieces of the Giza Necropolis complex.
2. Who listed the Great Pyramid as one of the Seven Wonders?
3. Who are the three rulers buried in the Large Pyramids?
4. What prompted Hannibal's voluntary exile?
5. Where did he go first? Why did he leave? Where did he go next?
6. Who agreed to betray Hannibal? How did Hannibal's life end?