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Paper 1 - LanguagePaper 1 consists of translating a passage of Ovid's Metamorphoses.
The Metamorphoses are all our favourite tales of Greek mythology, Daphne and Apollo (above), the many lovers of Zeus, Midas and his foolish wish... Ovid even retells episodes from Troy Story. (Achilles, Hector, Buzz, Priam, Bo Peep... Everybody's heard of Troy Story...) The more familiar you are with the Greek myths, the more confident you'll feel in the exam.
Here are some great English versions worth getting: Mythos by Stephen Fry Heroes by Stephen Fry - Both of these books follow Greek mythology, on which Ovid based his Metamorphoses, which we translate in class. Metamorphoses by Ovid - What better way to prepare for the unseen exam than by familiarising yourself with it in English? Tales from Ovid by Ted Hughes - The best bits of Ovid's Metamorphoses retold in English poetry. |
Paper 2 - LiteraturePaper 2 involves studying Latin Literature in class.
We study a wide range of Classical Latin authors, looking at what literary techniques and skills they used to make their work last for over 2000 years, as well as learning about the Romans as people. From the epic highs of visceral battle scenes of Virgil's Aeneid to the dejected lows of poor Propertius, dumped by his girlfriend again, from Livy's tales of the scandal and horror of Rome's early history to the flute-tooting rustic songs of Virgil's Eclogues in Augustus' brand new, peaceful Rome, there's a wealth of genres and styles to explore. Any English edition of Virgil, Horace, Livy, Tacitus, Catullus or Propertius is worth a read. |
DossierThe dossier is a piece of coursework on any topic in the Ancient World. The only limit is your imagination. (And the word limit...)
We've had dossiers on a whole range of fascinating stuff: law, architecture, tragedy, the role of women, gladiators, pets... This is excellent practice for university, and makes your stand out as a well rounded student with interests beyond the syllabus. Take a look at the Home Page of this site for some links that might pique your interest. It's also possible to do an Extended Essay in this subject. Again, this can be on any topic that interests you. Check the home page for some ideas. (The essay needs to be written in English, not Latin...) |