by "Ed Cryer" <ed@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Feb 22, 2008 at 06:57 PM
<jsquarek@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:d057bcba-53fc-4607-8367-92d5d31ec9d6@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Book V of Caesar's Gallic Wars begins
>
> "L. Domitio Ap.Claudio consulibus, ....."
>
> This is translated in the Loeb Classical Library as
>
> "Lucius Domitio and Appius Claudius were still consuls....
> when Caesar, on the eve of his departure....."
>
> I am wondering how does one best classify this
> particular ablative? e.g.
>
> "consulibus is an ablative of description"
>
> would seem to work. So would several others.
The Romans marked the years with the two consuls; just as the Athenians
of old Greece had marked them with the "archons".
In the archon****p of ...
In the consul****p of .....
T. Veturio Caluino Sp. Postumio consulibus.....
P. Sulpicio Sauerrione P. Sempronio Sopho consulibus.....
(Livy; both from Book IX)
I particularly like Publius Sempronius Sophus (the Wise). Apart from the
fact that he was consul in 268 BC, he was famous for having divorced his
wife for attending the Roman games without his knowledge.
Oh, the good old days! When a "decree nisi" was interpreted as "dum modo
maritus sic velit".
Ed
