Moderator: Aldus Marius
I heard a strange thing the other day, someone told me there isn't a Latin word for "Volcano". This struck me as being rather odd seeing as two of their cities got destroyed by one.
However, my knowledge of the Latin language is basic at best and I'd like to know if this is true. If so, what word would you suggest to describe a volcano with?
Nubes - incertum procul intuentibus ex quo monte (Vesuvium fuisse postea cognitum est) - oriebatur.
This might be only a novel but I guess that Robert Harris thought there must've been a reason why so many people died in Aug. 79 simply because they weren't aware of the danger. If they'd known mons Vesuvius is a volcano they could've interpreted the quakes before as an upcoming eruption and would've taken precautions. If I'm not mistaken the last eruption before that was so long ago that nobody could remember it, that maybe that aerea wasn't as highly populated than it was in Roman times.
I doubt they knew them very well, why else would Pliny the Elder go to the mountain to investigate (being a naturalist and all).
Egrediebatur domo; accipit codicillos Rectinae Tasci imminenti periculo exterritae (nam villa eius subiacebat, nec ulla nisi navibus fuga): ut se tanto discrimini eriperet orabat. Vertit ille consilium et quod studioso animo incohaverat obit maximo.
As he was leaving home, he received a message from Rectina, Tascius' wife, who was terrified by the danger, because her villa lay at the foot of the mountain and could only be reached by boat. She begged him to rescue her from her fate. He changed his plan and what he began in the spirit of a scholar he performed with that of a hero
P. Scribonius Martialis wrote:And I'm aware that doesn't meet your high standards for literal translation Mr W but it will do for the time being
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