Notice of competition with prizes “Certamen Commentariorum”

For the Christmas holidays, the IICS has decided to launch a competition with prizes, called Certamen Commentariorum.

The competition requires the commentary written in Latin or Ancient Greek of a text of classical literature.

Prize: an Amazon voucher of € 30 to buy a book! (Read under the rules of the competition.)

For this edition of the contest, a unique comment is required that takes into account both the following passages of Ovid, related to the episode of the rape of the Sabine women:

 

Ovidius, Ars amatoria I, 109-132

Respiciunt, oculisque notant sibi quisque puellam
Quam velit, et tacito pectore multa movent.
Dumque, rudem praebente modum tibicine Tusco,
Ludius aequatam ter pede pulsat humum,
In medio plausu (plausus tunc arte carebant)
Rex populo praedae signa petita dedit.
Protinus exiliunt, animum clamore fatentes,

Virginibus cupidas iniciuntque manus.
Ut fugiunt aquilas, timidissima turba, columbae,
Ut fugit invisos agna novella lupos:
Sic illae timuere viros sine more ruentes;
Constitit in nulla qui fuit ante color.
Nam timor unus erat, facies non una timoris:
Pars laniat crines, pars sine mente sedet;
Altera maesta silet, frustra vocat altera matrem:
Haec queritur, stupet haec; haec manet, illa fugit;
Ducuntur raptae, genialis praeda, puellae,
Et potuit multas ipse decere timor.
Siqua repugnarat nimium comitemque negabat,
Sublatam cupido vir tulit ipse sinu,
Atque ita ‘quid teneros lacrimis corrumpis ocellos?
Quod matri pater est, hoc tibi’ dixit ‘ero.’
Romule, militibus scisti dare commoda solus:
Haec mihi si dederis commoda, miles ero.

 

Ovidiis, Fasti III, 215-228

iam steterant acies ferro mortique paratae,
iam lituus pugnae signa daturus erat,
cum raptae veniunt inter patresque virosque,
inque sinu natos, pignora cara, tenent.
ut medium campi scissis tetigere capillis,
in terram posito procubuere genu;
et, quasi sentirent, blando clamore nepotes
tendebant ad avos bracchia parva suos.
qui poterat, clamabat avum tum denique visum,
et, qui vix poterat, posse coactus erat.
tela viris animique cadunt, gladiisque remotis
dant soceri generis accipiuntque manus,
laudatasque tenent natas, scutoque nepotem
fert avus: hic scuti dulcior usus erat.

 

Rules of the competition:

• We require a comment to the proposed passage: the comment can be literary, philological, historical or philosophical
• The text must be written in Latin or ancient Greek and must not exceed 400 words
• The text must be sent in Word and PDF format at info@iisc-edu.com before 11.00 pm (Italian time) on 12/31/2018
• The texts received will be evaluated by a commission formed by three professors of the Italian Institute for Classical Studies
• The winner will be rewarded with a € 30 voucher to spend on Amazon to buy a book of his/her choice.