Latin Ph.D. Reading List (with recommended commentaries)
Revised 2024
Items in blue are also on the M.A. list
- Apuleius
- Metamorphoses Book 1
- Augustus
- Res Gestae 1-5, 13-16, 19-22, 34-35
- Caesar
- De Bello Gallico Book 1
- Cato
- De Agricultura, praef. – 2, 5, 139-43
- Catullus
- Carmina 1-60 (1-8, 10-11, 14, 42, 50-51), 64, 70, 72, 76, 79, 85, 101
- Cicero
- In Catilinam 1-2
- De Imperio Gn. Pompei
- De Oratore Book 3, 1-24, 56-68, 74-81, 91-95, 199-230
- De Re Publica 2.1-34, 2.56-63, 6.9-29
- Epistulae ad Att. 1.2, 3.3, 9.19, 12.15, 13.52; ad Fam. 7.5, 7.18, 14.3
- Ennius
- Annales, Book 1, fr. 47; Book 6, fr. 9; Book 8, fr. 1 (Skutsch)
- Horace
- Sermones 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 1.9
- Odes 1.1-18, 1.37, 2.1, 2.10, 2.20, 3.30
- Ars Poetica
- Juvenal
- Satires 1, 3
- Livy
- Books 1, 22
- Lucan
- Book 1
- Lucretius
- Book 1
- Martial
- Selected Epigrams (Watson), 6, 8, 9a, 15, 19, 20, 27, 30, 32, 44, 52, 56, 64, 68, 69, 83, 85
- Nepos
- Hannibal
- Ovid
- Metamorphoses 1, 3, 15 (15.832-79)
- Amores 1
- Ars Amatoria 1
- Petronius
- Satyrica 26-78
- Plautus
- Menaechmi
- Pliny
- Epistulae 1.6, 2.1, 2.6, 2.17, 7.5, 7.24, 9.6, 10.33-34, 10.38-40
- Propertius
- Elegiae 1.1-6, 1.11-12, 1.22, 2.1, 2.3, 2.12, 3.1, 4.1 (4.1.1-70)
- Quintilian
- Institutio Oratoris 2.14-21
- Sallust
- Bellum Catilinae
- Seneca
- Epistulae 1, 7, 33, 47, 64, 86, 114
- Thyestes
- Statius
- Silvae 2.2, 2.4, 2.7
- Thebaid 2.1-305
- Suetonius
- Divus Augustus 9-60, 97-101
- Tacitus
- Annales 4
- Terence
- Hecyra
- Tibullus
- Elegiae 2.4
- Virgil
- Eclogues 1, 2, 4, 9, 10
- Georgics 4
- Aeneid 1, 6, 12
Recommended Commentaries
Items in blue are also on the M.A. list
Author |
Work |
Commentary |
Apuleius |
Metamorphoses Book 1 |
May, R. 2013. Apuleius: Metamorphoses Book 1. Oxford: Aris & Phillips. |
Augustus |
Res Gestae 1-5, 13-16, 19-22, 34-35 |
Cooley, A. E. |
Caesar |
De Bello Gallico Book 1 |
Francese, C. 2011. Caesar: Selections from the Gallic War. Dickinson College Commentaries. https://dcc.dickinson.edu/caesar/book-1/chapter-1-1 |
Cato |
De Agricultura Praef.-2, 5, 139-43 |
Dalby, A. 1998. Cato on Farming: A Modern Translation with Commentary. Totnes: Prospect Books. |
Catullus |
Carmina 1-60 (1-8, 10-11, 14, 42, 50-51), 64, 70, 72, 76, 79, 85, 101
|
Garrison, D. H.The Student’s Catullus. 4th edn. University of Oklahoma Press, 2012. Thomson, D. 1997. Catullus. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. |
Cicero |
De Oratore 3.1-24, 56-68, 74-81, 91-95, 199-230 |
Mankin, D. 2011. Cicero: De Oratore Book III. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
|
De Republica 2.1-34, 56-63 |
Zetzel, J. 1995. Cicero: De re publica, Selections. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. |
|
De Imperio Gn. Pompei
|
Macdonald, C. 1966. De Imperio Gn. Pompei ad Quirites oratio: pro lege Manilia. London: Bristol Classical Press. Gildenhard, I. & L. Hodgson. 2014. Cicero, On Pompey’s Command (De Imperio), 27–49. Dickinson College Commentaries. https://dcc.dickinson.edu/cicero-de-imperio/27 |
|
In Catilinam 1-2 |
Dyck, A. 2009. Cicero: Catilinarians. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
|
Epistulae ad Atticum 1.2, 3.3, 9.19, 12.15, 13.52 Epistulae ad Familiares 7.5, 7.18, 14.3 |
Shackleton Bailey, D. 1980. Cicero: Select Letters. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Stockton, D. 1969. Thirty-five Letters of Cicero. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Shackleton Bailey, D. 1999. Letters to Atticus. 4 Vols. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Shackleton Bailey, D. 2001. Letters to Friends. 3 Vols. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
|
Ennius |
Annales, Book 1, fr. 47; Book 6, fr. 9; Book 8, fr. 1 (Skutsch) |
Skutsh, O. ed. 1985. Annals of Quintus Ennius. Oxford: Clarendon. |
Horace |
Sermones 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5*, 1.9* |
Gowers, E. 2012. Horace: Satires Book I. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
|
Odes 1.1-18, 1.37, 2.1, 2.10, 2.20, 3.30 |
Mayer, R. 2012. Horace: Odes, Book I. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Harrison, S. 2017. Horace: Odes Book II. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Woodman, A. 2022. Horace: Odes Book III. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press |
|
Ars Poetica |
Rudd, N. 1960. Horace: Epistles Book II and Ars Poetica. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
Juvenal |
Satires 1, 3 |
Courtney, E. 1991. Juvenal: Satires I, III, X. London: Bristol Classical Press. |
Livy |
Book 1 |
Whiteley, J.L. 1991. Livy: Book I. London: Bristol Classical Press. |
|
Book 22 |
Briscoe, J. & S. Hornblower. 2020. Livy: Ab Urbe Condita, Book XXII. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2020. |
Lucan |
Book 1 |
Roche, P. 2009. Lucan, De Bello Civili Book 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press. |
Lucretius |
Book 1 |
Brown, P. M. 1991. Lucretius: De Rerum Natura I. London: Bloomsbury. |
Martial |
Selected Epigrams (Watson), 6, 8, 9a, 15, 19, 20, 27, 30, 32, 44, 52, 56, 64, 68, 69, 83, 85 |
Watson, L. and P. Watson. 2003. Martial: Select Epigrams. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
Nepos |
Hannibal |
Mulligan, B. 2015. Cornelius Nepos: Life of Hannibal. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers. Dickinson College Commentaries. https://dcc.dickinson.edu/nepos-hannibal/preface
|
Ovid |
Metamorphoses 1, 3, 15 |
Anderson, W. 1998. Ovid’s Metamorphoses Books 1-5. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. Luck, G. 2017. A Textual Commentary on Ovid, Metamorphoses Book XV. Huelva: University of Huelva |
|
Amores 1 |
Turpin, W. 2016. Ovid: Amores Book 1. Cambridge: Cambridge Open Book Publishers. Dickinson College Commentaries 2016 |
|
Ars Amatoria 1 |
Hollis, A. 1989. Ovid: Ars Amatoria Book 1. Oxford: Clarendon Press. |
Petronius |
Satyrica 26-78 |
Schmeling, G. 2011. A Commentary on the Satyrica of Petronius. Oxford: Oxford University Press. |
Plautus |
Menaechmi |
Gratwick, S. 1993. Plautus, Menaechmi. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
Pliny |
Epistulae 1.6, 2.1, 2.6, 2.17, 7.5, 7.24, 9.6, 10.33-34, 10.38-40 |
Whitton, C. 2013. Pliny the Younger, Epistles Book II. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Shelton, Jo-Ann. 2016. Pliny the Younger: Selected Letters. Wauconda, IL: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers. |
Propertius |
Elegiae 1.1-6, 1.11-12, 1.22, 2.1, 2.3, 2.12, 3.1, 4.1 (1.6, 4.1.1-70) |
Heyworth, S. 2008. Cynthia: A Companion to the Text of Propertius. Oxford: Oxford University Press |
Quintilian |
2.14-21 |
Reinhardt, T. and M. Winterbottom. 2006. Quintilian: Institutio Oratoria Book 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press. |
Sallust |
Bellum Catilinae |
Ramsey, J. 1984. Sallust’s Bellum Catilinae. Oxford: Oxford University Press. |
Seneca |
Ep. 1, 7, 33, 47, 64, 86, 114 |
Edwards, C. 2019. Seneca: Selected Letters. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
|
Thyestes |
Boyle, A.J. 2017. Seneca: Thyestes. Oxford: Oxford University Press. |
Statius |
Silvae 2.2, 2.4, 2.7 |
Newlands, C.E. 2011. Statius: Silvae Book II. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
|
Thebaid 2.1-305 |
Gervais, K. 2017. Statius: Thebaid 2. Oxford: Oxford University Press. |
Suetonius |
Divus Augustus 9-60, 91-101 |
Carter, J.M. 2003. Suetonius: Divus Augustus. Bristol: Bristol Classical Press. |
Tacitus |
Annales Book 4 |
Martin, R.H. & A.J. Woodman. 1990. Tacitus: Annals Book IV. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
|
Annales Book 14.1-19 |
Woodcock, E.C. 1998. Tacitus: Annals XIV. London: Bristol Classical Press. |
Terence |
Hecyra |
Goldberg, S.M. 2013. Terence: Hecyra. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
Tibullus |
Elegiae 2.4 |
Murgatroyd, P. 1995. Tibullus: Elegies II. Oxford: Oxford University Press. |
Virgil |
Eclogues 1, 2, 4, 9, 10 |
Coleman, R. 1977. Vergil: Eclogues. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Clausen, W. 1992. A Commentary on Virgil: Eclogues. Oxford: Clarendon Press |
|
Georgics 4 |
Thomas, R.F. 1988. Virgil: Georgics Vol. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
|
Aeneid 1, 6, 12 |
Williams, R. 1998. Virgil: Aeneid I-VI. London: Bristol Classical Press. Williams, R. 1998. Virgil: Aeneid VII-XII. London: Bristol Classical Press. Ganiban, R. 2008. Vergil: Aeneid I. Indianapolis: Hackett. Johnson, P. 2012. Vergil: Aeneid VI. Indianapolis: Hackett. |