I searched the archives and already found some good discussion on the use of Eutropius. Next year I have a 4th year class (out of 5 years) ready to read selections from Cicero, Ovid, and for the second half of the year either Caesar or Vergil as I prepare that class for the following year’s AP course. Every student in this class is a top performer, a couple of them not quite as top performing as the others. I was thinking of using Eutropius for in class rapid sight reading drills, as much to build confidence as for actual Latin practice, since I find Eutropius not far removed in difficulty from Ritchie’s Fabulae Faciles. Good idea? Other authors who could fit this (and I do plan on doing sight readings from more difficult authors)?
Eutropius was the traditional ‘first classical author’ - but suffers from being rather dry.
John Stirling has a Latin paraphrase of Eutropius which can be a useful tool to use alongside the text, for classroom teaching.
Other accessible authors used as introductory authors were Curtius and Cornelius Nepos.
Thanks for the response. I envision “sight reading drills” taking about 5 minutes, similar to a quiz and using a short selection from an author. I agree that Eutropius is a bit dry, but in small amounts should be fine. Nepos is another author I was thinking of using as well. Hadn’t thought of Curtius, I’ll have a look.
Short excerpts, chosen for ease, from Seneca’s Epistulae Morales?
I agree that Eutropius is a good easy author.
By the way, a medieval writer named Paul the Deacon wrote a work called Historia Romana which is basically an expanded version of Eutropius. The 10 books of Eutropius are fleshed out with slightly more detail, and 5 extra books are added to the end. Especially the parts about the emperors (book 7 and on) are pretty interesting, and Paul the Deacon incorporates a few funny anecdotes from Suetonius.
The Historia Augusta is probably suitable as an introductory text as well.
Maybe select passages from Suetonius, too.
Maybe this edition with Greek parallel text could be useful to introduce the students to that language.
Eutropi Breviarium ab urbe condita cum versionibus graecis et …,
Now, that’s a hoot. Thanks – I wasn’t even aware of the existence of the Greek version. Several of my students in that class have more than once expressed a desire for Greek, but time, alas, is limited, and I’ll only be making limited use of Eutropius anyway.
The first sentence there has a typo (vetustiora for vetustior)! Either way, I haven’t read the Historia Augusta but from what I’ve read about it it’s a lot like Suetonius (except not really as good in some aspects of style). It seems simple enough, though not nearly as easy as Eutropius.