In Latin, word order within a sentence does not entirely matter. For example, you may notice that the verb often comes at the end of a sentence, but it does not have to be that way; you can put the nouns and verbs anywhere you choose within a sentence and the meaning remains the same.

Operatives may wish to view this video briefing courtesy of latintutorial.com about the basics of word order.

In the case of prepositions, however, word order matters. The preposition must come immediately before the noun it modifies (“goes with”). You could rearrange the sentence Sextus in viā est to read Sextus est in viā without changing the meaning, but in must come before viā, because the preposition + noun function as a unit. Think of this prepositional phrase as two LEGOs® that are permanently stuck together.

Just as in English, adjectives describe nouns, while adverbs describe verbs. In Latin, we speak of adjectives “modifying” nouns, and adverbs “modifying” verbs.

With adjectives, often (but not always–do not get sloppy, Operatives!) the ending of the adjective will be the same as that of the noun it’s modifying; that way you know they go together, even if the two words do not occur together in a sentence. Adverbs usually occur next to the verb they modify, and often end in -e.

Latin has three types of adjectives: positive, comparative, and superlative.

Positive adjectives describe a noun without comparing it to another noun, as in the sentence: Dinner was good.

Comparative adjectives compare two nouns, as in the sentence Today’s dinner was better than yesterday’s.

Superlative adjectives also compare two nouns, but can also be used to say that the noun being modified is “the most [adjective] possible,” as in the sentence "This dinner is the best!"

In the VERBA above, you see an example of a positive adjective (parāta) and a superlative adjective (optimam).

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Operative, you are asked by Sextus to find the House of Caecilius. You start from Sextus’ house, which is known today as the House of Menander. Once you have reached the House of Caecilius, you should attempt to win his favor. To that end, consider using your knowledge of Pompeian geography to engage him in small-talk. Furthermore, you could talk about his son, Tiberius, in light of this great TED video:

For information about the remains of this house, follow this link.

The Demiurge advises that all operatives obtain extra LP by using the cultural knowledge and skills they discover to contribute both as lead operatives and as team-members.

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For the second half of this episode, operatives are instructed to learn what they can about Roman eating by research in the following directions:

On Roman cuisine, see this link. Food and dining changed slightly during the Roman Empire.

For images and other information about the Roman triclinium see this link. There is also some great summarized information about the Roman Cena here.

Lastly, feel free to watch this informative video about the whole cēna, start to finish:

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Greetings operatives! Lusy here; I decided to swoop in and give you a bit of assistance for when it comes time to construct your response. Feel free to use any of the words (or phrases) here when telling the story of your Recentius or Recentia dining like a Roman in the villa of Caecilius! Remember, you've also read many stories from which you are able to draw inspiration and remix the language to become your own.

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1.3.a

Directions: The Roman cēna was an important meal and often included a variety of foods and beverages. Using the CULTURALIA section of your CODEX as a guide, research at least five different foods or beverages that may be present at a typical cēna. Then using a dictionary or an online tool such as Whitaker's Words or Nūmen, look up the Latin word for the items you discovered.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

1.3.b

Directions: Copy and paste each sentence into your attunement form, completing it with the correct prepositional phrase in parentheses. Then translate the sentence into English.

1. Caecilius (in ātriō, in culīnā) tuam persōnam salūtat.

2. coquus cēnam optimam (in cubiculō, in culīnā) parat.

3. canis (in viā, in mensā) dormit.

4. servus (in lātrīnā, in hortō, in tabernā) labōrat.

5. Tiberius (in saxō, in terrā, in lectō) recumbit.

6. ancilla vīnum (in triclīniō, in peristȳlium, in ātrium) portat.

1.3.c
Directions: Answer the questions in English, based on the Latin vocabulary word.  Be sure to include the Latin vocabulary word in your answer!  

1.  Is Ītalia procul  from your house?

2.  Would you show your enemy clēmentiam?

3.  Do you think Tiberius agit grātiās when Sextus dat him auxilium?

4.  Do you think the cēna that the coquus parat will be optima or mala?

5.  Should the coquus labōrat lentē?

1.3 CULTURALIA Comprehension Questions
Directions: Using the CULTURALIA section of your CODEX as a guide, answer the following questions:

1. Where did Caecilius live? Approximately when was he alive?

2. What was Caecilius' job? What did that entail?

3. What information was found on the wax tablets in Caecilius' house? Why is this information important?

4. How is his house described? Do you think this was typical for most Romans?

5. What graffiti message was found on the inside? What do you think it signifies?

1.3 KEY-TEXT Comprehension Questions
Directions: Answer the following comprehension questions based on the KEY-TEXT in complete Latin sentences.

1) quis parat cēnam?
2) ubi parat cēnam?
3) quōs cibōs parat?
4) quis fundit vīnum?
5) ubi ancilla vīnum emit?
6) ubi Caecilius sedet?
7) cūr Caecilius laudat coquum? ancillam?
8) quōmodo sunt coquus et ancilla post cēnam?
9) quem fābulam Caecilius nārrat?