Latin Ph.D. Reading List & Recommended Commentaries

Reading List for Latin Ph.D. Translation Exam

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
    (15.832-79)

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

https://dcc.dickinson.edu/ovid-amores/epigram-0

 

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.