Cave Canem: A Miscellany of Latin Words and Phrases

Latin is alive and well!

Latin may be called a dead language, but it is currently experiencing a renaissance. In this spirit, Oxford-trained classicist Lorna Robinson introduces readers to the wonderful, chimeric world of the Latin language―and what better forum for this than the world of ancient Rome, where Latin flowered and expanded with the Roman Empire to become Europe's dominant language. Each chapter of Cave Canem explores the richness of Latin words and concepts through a different aspect of Roman life: from the language of home and garden, family and gods, to the classical Latin of the upper classes and of business, law, medicine, and the church; from the theater, literature, and the storytelling tradition to the everyday "vulgar Latin" of the street. A final chapter presents a miscellany of Latin phrases still very much in use around the world today. Beautifully illustrated with photos of Roman mosaics, Cave Canem brings to life the history and humor behind this world-shaping language.