Roman Scientific & Technical Literature: Key Works & Authors
Roman Technical Prose and Scientific Writings
Roman antiquity has bequeathed more than just poems and speeches. Latin texts surviving today are classified as essays, handbooks, or treatises on numerous subjects, forming an essential starting point for many scientific and technical disciplines.
For the Romans, the connection between science and philosophy was evident; scientific knowledge was considered an extension of philosophical understanding.
The Romans were innovators in science, emphasizing the
Read MoreThe Life and Trials of Lazarus: A Journey Through Adversity
The First Treaty
Lazarus begins with telling the story of his childhood. His nickname comes from his birthplace, the River Tormes. At age eight, his father, Gonzalez, was charged with robbery and forced to serve as a knight against the Moors. During this expedition, he lost his life.
Lazarus and his mother, Antona Perez, went to live in the city, where she cooked for students and washed clothes for the grooms of the commander of the Madeleine. She started having a relationship with a boy called
Ancient Greek & Roman Literary and Philosophical Legacies
Greek Epic: Homer and Hesiod
Greek epic is a narrative genre that recounts the heroic deeds and cultural traditions of a people. Representatives:
- Homer: Although we have no information about his person, he is considered the most important author of two epics: The Iliad and The Odyssey. These two poems extol the glory of ancient heroes. The religious presence is constant, featuring divine interventions and prayers. The Homeric poems are considered two fundamental pillars of universal literature.
- Hesiod:
Roman Epic Poetry: Key Works and Historical Evolution
Epic Poetry: Origins and Early Forms
The primary subject of epic poetry is to narrate the deeds of kings, warlords, and disastrous wars. The Romans produced their first epic poems in the late third century BC.
Commendationes
Commendationes are funerary inscriptions in verse, composed in praise of a deceased person. They recount the valor and glorious deeds of the departed.
Convivialia Carmina
Convivialia Carmina (banquet songs) are considered the clearest early record of epic poetry. In the early centuries
Read MoreChansons de Geste: Medieval Epic Poems
The term refers to the so-called chansons de geste (songs of deeds). A chanson de geste is a type of narrative poem in a Romance language, focusing on historical events with a great profusion of legendary elements.
These songs were performed by traveling minstrels who recited or sang to all types of audiences, from the elevated courts and castles to heterogeneous crowds at fairs and pilgrimages.
The main examples include: La Chanson de Roland, El Cantar de Mio Cid, and the Nibelungenlied.
Chansons
Read MoreMedieval Spanish Poetry: Key Works and Authors
Medieval Spanish Learned Poetry (Mester de Clerecía)
Medieval Spanish literature of the Middle Ages was not limited to local and religious topics, but also addressed major themes of European literature of its time. The length of these texts, often exceeding ten thousand verses, the relevance of their sources and the matters discussed, the vast erudition displayed, and the international nature of the subject make these books perhaps the most interesting of their time.