Beyond Translation: The Benefits and Drawbacks of English-to-Latin Composition

Beyond Translation: The Benefits and Drawbacks of English-to-Latin Composition
By Lily Nesvold

In an advanced Latin course my senior year of high school, my teacher gave the class an assignment that was deceptively simple: to compose four “correct” lines of dactylic hexameter, a quest which would result in an automatic “A” for the trimester. Naturally, we were all very excited about the grading scale for the task. What we failed to recognize was how difficult it would be…

Wolf Humanities Center Visiting Fellow Profile: Dr. Christopher Parmenter

Wolf Humanities Center Visiting Fellow Profile: Dr. Christopher Parmenter
By Luke Snyder

Based in Williams Hall, Penn’s Wolf Humanities Center selects a small group of fellows each year to participate in annual research projects. Bringing together a group of scholars from diverse backgrounds, the Wolf Humanities Center seeks to encourage interdisciplinary studies centered around a different theme each year. This year’s theme focuses on migration, an especially interesting topic for Dr. Christopher Parmenter, one of this year’s visiting fellows. 

The Roman Sweet Tooth

The Roman Sweet Tooth
By Angela Nguyen

The concept of dessert emerged after the end of the Roman Republic and overall, Ancient Roman desserts were simple and had multiple varieties such as fruit mixtures and baked goods. Many types of fruits were available, but sugar and honey were not always accessible. Popular fruits included…