Stage 35

Culture Worksheet

Read pages 9 - 11 in Unit IV and answer the following questions.

1.  What were typical locations for Roman villas?

2. How did a country house (villa) differ from a town house (domus).

3.  Identify the colonnades and what they were used for.

4. Along with being a good place to relax and enjoy the benefits of the country life, what do you think was the primary reason for owning villas?

5. Describe three of the special features of Pliny’s villa at Laurentum.

            a. ________________________________________________________________

            b. ________________________________________________________________

            c. ________________________________________________________________

Read pp. 16 – 18 and answer these questions.

6. Explain the difference between ‘otium’ and ‘negotium’. How are these words etymologically related?

7. How did both Pliny the Elder and the Younger make the most of ‘otium’?

8. What was a crucial activity for cultivated Romans during the empire?

9. How did people ‘mail’ letters?

10. Identify these terms:

cerae

charta

volumen

amanuensis

notarius

librarius

servus ab epistulis

11. What was the typical format of a Roman letter?

12. What authors are famous for their epistulatory style?