Unit 3 Overview: Vergil, Aeneid, Book 2

Overview of Unit 3

Salvete Omnes 🏛️! (Translation: "Hello everyone!"). We welcome you back to (or just to--thanks for studying with us either way) studying AP Latin with us. Unit 3 of the course covers Latin selections from Book 2 of Vergil's Aeneid along with the remaining sections of the book in English.

Image Courtesy of Giphy

In order to prepare for the exam, you’ll be reading selections Book 2 in Latin 🤩, and you'll also read the remaining selections in English. (That part is slightly easier, unless you Latin is better than you English.) Additionally, reading over the CED will help you in making sure you understand the correct skill categories each section of lines tackles, but don't worry, we'll break these down for you nicely as you continue studying with us.

We appreciate your support so far this year, and we hope that you continue using us as a resource for all of your AP® and college-level studies. Let’s get right into, shall we?

Unit Guide at a Glance

As you hopefully already know, in AP Latin and other AP language subjects, there are no key concepts like there are in other AP subjects. Instead, we will practice skill categories in the form of different style questions to help you prepare for the exam. Then, we will break down the lines within that particular section of the Book.

Also, while there are not key concepts as mentioned above, there are different themes in the Course Content that students should be able to understand. For Unit 3, there are three themes: War and Empire (WAE), History and Memory (HIS), and Human Beings and the Gods (HBG). Students should be aware of these themes throughout the unit as they read both in Latin and English. Take a look at the explanations of each theme below so you can have an eye out for what to look for.

Themes of Unit 3

1. What questions do the works raise about diplomacy, negotiation, and peacemaking?

2. What are the perspectives of Vergil and Caesar concerning Roman imperialism?

3. What are the perceived purposes, benefits, and costs of the empire?

4. What are the effects of war on women and non-combatants?

5. How do the texts portray enemy groups? | | History and Memory (HIS) | 1) How do these works reflect the conflicts of the era in which they were written, both explicitly and implicitly?

6. In what ways do the works reflect the impact of an individual on historical events?

7. Within these works, how does shared experience build and sustain communities?

8. How do the authors use historical exempla (heroic ancestors, critical events), and for what purposes?

9. How do individuals in these works use their understanding of the past to create their present and future?

10. How do the authors see the importance of historical events for the Roman people? | | Human Beings and the Gods (HBG) | 1) What roles do the gods play and how are they perceived? To what extent do the gods of other peoples resemble those of the Romans?

11. How do the authors portray fate? How does fate affect human beings?

12. How and why do human beings and gods communicate with one another? |

As always, when there is a gap between sections of lines, we would suggest reading the lines in English or sight-reading them for extra comprehension and practice! These are great skills to practice in order to prepare for your exam in May and to improve your overall understanding of the Latin language! (Sounds like a win-win to us!)

Review of Book 1

We covered the first book of the Aeneid in Unit 1 of the AP Latin course. So, it’s been quite some time since we discussed that unit, so if you need a refresher (it’s perfectly ok if you do 😁), take a look at our Unit 1 Guide to re-situate yourself.

Ok… where were we again? Oh yeah, we’re reviewing unit three! Let’s jump into this content!