the latin students
sheets of parchment grown brittle with age
practicing verb conjugations until you know them by heart
the faint, dusty smell of an old church
reading of long-ago battles, preserved in history
tracing the outlines of the roman empire on a map
learning the story of romulus and remus
dried fruit and a goblet of wine
the cramped, elaborate letters of a medieval manuscript
the tragedy of pompeii, brought to life in museum displays and historical accounts
walking through ruins, spaces treasured over the centuries
perfecting your grammar, seeing how all the different pieces fit together
latin phrases scribbled in the margins of all your notebooks
bringing new life to a dead language
a calligraphy pen sliding gracefully across the page
reading of new archaeological discoveries
mosaics and frescoes still vibrant after hundreds of years underground
noun declensions running through your head
elegant statues, still beautiful after millenia
getting a window not only into antiquity, but into hundreds of years of european history
celebrating the ides of march with your friends
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