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The Aeneid

Code: 104201
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Ancient Studies OB 2
English and Classics Studies OB 2

Contact lecturer

Name :
Gerard Gonzalez Germain
Email :
gerard.gonzalez@uab.cat

Teaching staff

Gerard Gonzalez Germain
Sebastià Giralt Soler

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

 NOTICE: This guide has been translated into English from Catalan and may contain translation mistakes. If in doubt, the original Catalan version prevails.

The linguistic knowledge learnt in the first-year subjects "Elements de Llengua Llatina" and "Textos Narratius Llatins" and in second-year subject "Historiografia i Oratòria Llatines" are taken for granted, and will not be explained again.

To attend this subject it is highly recommended to have passed "Elements de Llengua Llatina" i "Textos Narratius Llatins".

Language

Students must be willing to follow classes taught in Catalan and use written material in this language, but they can use in their work or their participation Spanish (or another close language).

Objectives

After taking the course, students will be able to:

  • Apply quick comprehension techniques of a Latin text with the help of the dictionary.     
  • Understand a Latin text without using the dictionary.     
  • Translate a text of Aeneid up to 15-18 verses in a 1.30h.
  • Resolve grammatical, metric and stylistic issues related to a fragment of the Aeneid.
  • Resolve issues about the structure and argument of the Aeneid.
  • Associate the content of Aeneid with aspects of its subsequent tradition.
 
 
 

Learning outcomes

  1. Preparing an oral and written discourse in the corresponding language in a proper and organized way.
  2. Explain the context of the literary works whose characters, topics and clichés were passed down to the following tradition.
  3. Translate fragments of the Latin works proposed.
  4. Explain the gist of a text without any need for a prior morpho-syntactic analysis or the use of a dictionary.
  5. Use rapid text-comprehension techniques based on the semantic resources provided by the knowledge of Catalan, Spanish and, where necessary, other Romance languages.
  6. Develop holistic commentaries on a particular aspect of the Roman world based on a reading of the Latin texts proposed.
  7. Recognise the themes and clichés contained in the Latin works being studied in the European literary and artistic traditions.
  8. Write a metric commentary on a Latin text in verse.
  9. Write a stylistic commentary on a Latin text.
  10. Identify in the Latin texts the characteristics of a particular literary genre.
  11. Analyze the morphosyntactic components of a Latin text identifying those are specific of a literary genre or a particular linguistic variant.
  12. Translate fragments of the proposed Latin works.
  13. Explain the context of the literary works whose characters, topics and clichés were passed down to the following tradition.
  14. Use rapid text-comprehension techniques based on the semantic resources provided by a knowledge of Catalan, Spanish and, where appropriate, other Romance languages.
  15. Recognise the themes and topics emanating from the Greek works studied in the European literary and artistic traditions.
  16. Make “holistic” comments on a certain aspect of the Roman world by reading the proposed Latin texts.

Contents

I. Introduction to Vergil and the Aeneid


  1. Latin literature in August's time. Historical, politic & social context.
  2. Virgil. The man & the poet.
  3. The Aeneid.
  4. Reception and Tradition of the Aeneid.


II. Passages to be translated and discussed


  • Aen. 1, 1-33. First invocation of the Muse.
  • Aen. 2, 1-56. Aeneas begins his account of the destruction of Troy.
  • Aen. 2, 199-245. Portent against Laocoön. The horse enters the city.
  • Aen. 2, 245-256 and 402-406. Cassandra.
  • Aen. 2, 707-720. Aeneas flees Troy.
  • Aen. 4, 1-38 and 68-89. Dido in love.
  • Aen. 4, 160-172. The encounter of Dido and Aeneas in the cave.
  • Aen. 4, 296-360. Aeneas decides to leave Carthage. Dido's wrath and helplessness.
  • Aen. 6, 268-272. Descent into the Underworld.
  • Aen. 6, 295-304. The Acheron. Charon.
  • Aen. 6, 847-853. The mission of the Romans.
  • Aen. 6, 860-886. Marcellus.
  • Aen. 8, 608-616. Venus delivers the shield to Aeneas.
  • Aen. 12, 919-952. The death of Turnus.


III. Morphosyntax.


The linguistic knowledge learnt in the first-year subjects \"Elements de Llengua Llatina\" and \"Textos Narratius Llatins\" and in second-year subject \"Historiografia i Oratòria Llatines\" are taken for granted, and will not be explained again.


Nominal morphosyntax


  • Morphologic archaisms
  • The greek declension in Latin
  • The so-called accusativus graecus
  • Dative of direction.
  • Demostrative adverbs
  • Uses of prepositions


Verbal morphosyntax

  • Future Imperative
  • The so-called dominant participle
  • Supin


Sentence structure


  • Conditional sentences
  • Subjunctive in independent Sentences


IV. Stylistics


  • Grammatical concordance. Hyperbaton
  • Rhetorical figures (hypallage; metonymy; synechdoche; allegory; alliteration; anaphora; chiasmus; brachylogie; ellipsis; hyperbole; hendiadys; leitotes; tmesis)


V. Latin Prosody


  • Vowel quantity and syllabic quantity.
  • Dactylic hexameter
  • Synalepha / elision, hiatus
  • Caesurae: trihemimeres, penthemimeres, trochaic, hepthemimeres, bucolic diaeresis. Use simple and combined



Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Reading comprehension 5 0.2
Reading comprehension and morphosintactical exercises 10 0.4
Translation and commentary of texts 40 1.6
Daily translation 45 1.8
Study of lexicon and grammar 15 0.6
Obligatory readings 20 0.8
Exercies of prosody and translation 10 0.4
Theoretical contents 5 0.2

Methodology


The classes will be eminently practical. The professor will dedicate time to:


  • Read, translate and comment on the proposed selection of texts.
  • Provide students with mechanisms that allow them to progressively increase the volume of translated text.
  • Read and understand texts in sight without the use of the dictionary.
  • Correct the texts translated daily by students.
  • Discuss the linguistic, literary and sociocultural content of translated texts, with a singular emphasis on aspects related to their later tradition.
  • Explain the grammatical, metrical and stylistic contents based on the text.
  • Explain de realia contents that help contextualise the text.
  • Make understand the Aeneid in its historical and littery context.

Students will have to use a bilingual university dictionary; they will not be allowed to use a school dictionary.


Note: 15 minutes of a class will be reserved, within the timetable established by the centre/title, for the complementation by the students of the assessment surveys of the teaching staff's performance and the assessment of the subject.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Translation and commentary of a passage of Aeneid previous commented in class 10% 0 0 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
Translation of a short passage not previous commented in class (up to 10 vv) 15% 0 0 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14
Work at home and during the lessons 15% 0 0 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 14
Translation of a fragment of Aeneid not previously commented in class 45% 0 0 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16
Reading Aeneid 15% 0 0 7, 10, 13, 15

I. Assessment

The final grade will be calculated as follows:

  • Personal resolution of exercises. Periodically, students must solve short exercises in writing or answer questions, in which they demonstrate the understanding and application of the contents explained in the face-to-face classes. These exercises can be done in the classroom without prior notice, at the beginning or end of the session. (15%)
  • Reading control of Virgil's Aeneid. It will be carried out through two tests in which students must demonstrate that they have carefully read the work in translation (15%).
  • Translation test of a short text of the Aeneid not previously worked on (between 7 and 10 vv.), with resolution of morphosyntactic questions (15%).
  • Synthesis test. Translation of a text of The Aeneid not previously worked on in class between (12 and 18 vv.), with resolution of morphosyntactic, stylistic and metric questions (45%).
  • Translation and grammatical commentary of a text seen in class (10%). At the end of the face-to-face teaching period, students must submit a translation and commentary of a text written in class, which will be assigned by the teacher, at least one week before submission.

II. Please note:

Students will receive a grade of "not assessable" if they have not submitted more than 30% of the assessment activities.

To obtain the status Pass as a final course grade:

  1. Students must attend a minimum of 60% of all sessions (excluding exams). Prolonged absences must be duly justified. In the exceptional (and duly justified) case of inability to attend class regularly, the student must contact the instructor at the beginning of the course.
  2. Students must have done the final translation exam of an unseen passage and have obtained ≥ 4 in it.
  3. Students must have carried out at least one of the reading tests of the Aeneid.


If the sum of the weighting of the grades is 5 or higher, but one of the two requirements mentioned above is not met, the student will be graded with a 4.5 (failed).


III. Reassessment

To be eligible for reassessment, the student must have been assessed on at least 2/3 of the total coursework.

In the reassessment, the student will complete a translation test of a short passage from the Aeneid not previously worked on in class, which will replace the mark for the two translation tests (60%).


IV. Calendar of assigments:

  • Reading test of Aeneid I-VI. 31-03-2027
  • Reading test of Aeneid VII-XII. 12-05-2027
  • Midterm exam. 19-03-2027
  • Final exam. 4-06-2027
  • Translation and commentary of a passage of the Aeneid previously commented in class. 28-05-2027

These dates will be confirmed at the beginning of the course.

V. Procedure for Reviewing Grades Awarded

On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

VI. Plagiarism and copying

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

VII: Use of AI

This subject allows the use of AI technologies exclusively for support tasks such as bibliographic or content-based searches, text correction or translations, where applicable.Other specific situations may be contemplated, as deemed appropriate by the teacher. The student must clearly (i) identify which parts have been generated using AI technology; (ii) specify the tools used; and (iii) include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and final outcome of the activity. Lack of transparency regarding the use of AI in the assessed activity will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade may be lowered, or the work may even be awarded a zero. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.

VIII. Exchange students

Erasmus and exchange students who request to advance an exam must present a document from their home university justifying their request.

This subject does not incorporate single assessment.

Bibliography

1. Aeneidos editiones.

  • Gian Biaggio Conte (ed.). Ed. Teubner, Berloni et Novi Eboraci 2009.
  • Jacques Perret (ed.), 3 vols. Ed. Les belles lettres, Paris 1981-1987.
  • Roger Aubrey B. Mynors (ed.). Ed. Oxford Classical Texts, Oxford 1969
  • Miquel Dolç (ed.). Ed. Fundació Bernat Metge, Barcelona 1972 - 1975 .
  • Henri Goelzer (ed.), 2 vols. Ed. Les belles lettres, Paris 1925 (196411).
  • Luis Rivero García; Miryam Librán Moreno et al. (eds.), 4 vols. CSIC, Madrid 2009-2011.

2. Editions with commentary

  • Aeneid: Books 1–6, ed. Randall Ganiban; Hackett Publishing Company, Indianapolis, 2012.
  • Vergil's Aeneid: Expanded Collection, ed. Barbara Weiden Boyd, Bolchazy Carducci Publishers, Mundelein, Illinois.

3. Manuals of Latin Grammar

  • Panhuis, Dirk, Latin Grammar. Ed. University of Michigan Press; Ann Arbor-Michigan, 2009.
  • Segura Munguía, Sebastián, Gramática Latina: Nueva trilogía sobre la lengua latina, Deusto 2012.
  • Valentí, Eduard, Sintaxi llatina, Curial, Barcelona, 1979 [revisada per P. L. Cano]

4. Manuals of Latin Literature

  • Albrecht, Michael von, \"Virgilio\", en Id., Historia de la literatura romana: desde Andronico hasta Boecio, 2 vols.Ed. Herder, Barcelona, 1997-1999, vol. I (1997), pp. 622 - 661.
  • Bieler, Ludwig, \"La época de Augusto\" i \"Virgilio\", en Id., Historiade la literatura romana, Gredos, Madrid,1972, pp. 175 - 185; 185- 212.
  • Conte, Gian Biagio, Letteratura latina, 2 vols, Firenze 2019.
  • Fernández Corte, José C., \"La Eneida\", en Codoñer, Carmen (ed.), Historia de la literatura latina, Cátedra, Madrid, 1997, pp. 177-190.

5. Manuals of Latin Prosody.

  • Ceccarelli, Lucio, Prosodia y métrica del latín clásico, (trad. de Rocío Carande). Ed. Universidad de Sevilla,Sevilla 1999.

6. Dictionaries

  • Seva, Antoni (dir.), Diccionari llatí-català.Ed. EnciclopèdiaCatalana.
  • Gaffiot, Felix, Dictionnaire illustré latin-français. Ed. Hachette.
  • Glare, P. G. W., Oxford Latin Dictionary. Clarendon Press.
  • Blánquez, A., Diccionario latino-español. Gredos

7. Dictionries on line.

  • Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary (Perseus) < http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3atext%3a1999.04.0059>.
  • Félix Gaffiot, F., Dictionnaire latin-français < http://gerardgreco.free.fr/spip.php?article43&lang=fr > i <http://www.tabularium.be/gaffiot >.
  • Logeion < https://logeion.uchicago.edu/lexidium >.

8. Virgil

  • Farrell, Joseph - Putnam, Michael C. J. A Companion to Vergil’s Aeneid and Its Tradition. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2010. Accessible des de la UAB: < https://bibcercador.uab.cat/permalink/34CSUC_UAB/1c3utr0/cdi_proquest_miscellaneous_2131863346 >.

9. Aeneid's Translations.

In Catalan:

  • Transl. by Joan Bellés . Ed. Empúries. Barcelona 2002.
  • Poetical trans. by Miquel Dolç. Ed. Alpha. Barcelona 1958.
  • Transl. by Miquel Dolç, 4 vols. Ed. Fundació Bernat Metge. Barcelona, 1972-78.
  • Transl. by Miquel Dolç, 2 vols. Bernat Metge Essencial. Barcelona, 2019.

In Spanish:

  • Traducción, estudio preliminar, bibliografía y notas de Dulce Estefanía Álvarez, Ed. PPU. Barcelona, 1988.
  • Traducción de José Carlos Fernández Corte, Cátedra, Madrid, 2008.
  • Traducción de Javier de Echave-Sustaeta, Gredos, Madrid, 2019.

Software

Students do not need specific software

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 2 Catalan second semester morning-mixed