Cave Canem: A Miscellany of Latin Words & Phrases

Cave canem "Beware of the dog" A sign often posted in homes in ancient Rome Oxford-trained classicist Lorna Robinson introduces readers to the wonderful, chimeric world of the Latin language-and what better forum for this than life in ancient Rome, where Latin flowered and expanded with the Roman Empire to become Europe's dominant language. Each chapter of Cave Canem explores the richness of Latin words and concepts through a different aspect of Roman life: from the language of home and garden, family and household gods, to the classical Latin of the upper classes and of business, law, medicine, and the church; from the theater, literature, and storytelling tradition to the everyday "vulgar Latin" of the street. A final chapter presents a miscellany of Latin phrases still in use around the world today. Beautifully illustrated with Roman mosaics, Cave Canem brings to life the history and humor behind this world-shaping language.