Alea iacta est.

[MarkG]

Originally posted by shade
I don't care about that,I just find it frustrating that they don't use the Latin

hmmm cause then the answer would be too obvious?
unless Hannibal was talking latin....

[Adagio]

Originally posted by shade
I thought it was basic knowledge(for anyone who has ever had some history or latin),but seems not to be so.

Latin is not exactly a language many people knows I think, I guess only 10% of them I know, knows what that means. And about history classes, it has now beenmany years since my last history lesson, and the only thing I remember is we're only learned about the time as Germany invaded our country (I think that was about 70% of our history lessons we used on that, the other 30% were about other events in danish history...Thank God I don't have any of those lessons anymore

In any classes we have had has only been about things releated directly to Denmark...and for that latin has never been in (and no, we have never talked about the origin of different languages)

I don't know if this also is the case in other parts of the country, but from all others I have talked about this they said it was kinda the same for them

[Adagio]

Originally posted by MarkG
who cares about latin

Not me

[dainbramaged13]

im in first year latin and i dont know what it means...

[Pods]

Argh...

Okay, lets clear this up entirely:

As has been said, 'Alea iacta est' is Latin for 'The die is cast'

The history behind it:

In 50 BC the Roman Republic was on the verge of civil war, between the 'popular' faction led by Julius Caesar and the 'Senatorial' faction, led by Gnaeus Pompey, also known as Pompey the Great.

Caesar had been in Gaul (France) for just under 10 years leading up to 50 BC, and because of some previous complexity regarding his consulship in Rome in 59 BC, his return to Rome would mean that he would be arrested (mostly because his rivals, the 'Senatorials', wanted to get him out of the picture), which obviously he wanted to avoid. He wanted to avoid by being elected consul of Rome again for 50 BC (if he was in office he would have been immune from being arrested), but the Senate wouldn't allow him to stand for the consulship from France, so his return to Rome would leave him open to arrest. His only other option was to go in with an army.

So, in 50 BC his one-time colleague Pompey the Great was mobilising legions for Caesar's impending return to Rome. Caesar, however, decided to have speed as his advantage by immediately going down into Italy with only one legion. It is said that Italy started from the Rubicon river, and so Caesar stood with his legion at this river for quite a while, considering whether or not he wanted to plunge Rome and all its territory into a brutal civil war (which lasted 5 years, until 45BC) - by crossing the river with a legion, he would have effectively declared civil war. So, Caesar was standing at the Rubicon considering whether or not he wanted to engage in a civil war, and when he decided that he had no choice, he crossed the river with the words 'Alea iacta est', The die is cast, so as to say that there was no turning back (and perhaps also that he felt victory was inevitable, depending on your interpretation).

So that is the story of 'Alea iacta est'

S.

[Martinus]

But people! This is probably the most famous Latin quote! Every Civer should know it!

[JellyDonut]

I got today's CivTriv right, although I could have done it without the thread (who doesn't know Caesar crossed the Rubicon?). My score has been boosted to *fanfare* 70 points! (I don't play often) I think the reason they didn't put it in Latin or even Latin with the English translation next to it was because people would have easily ruled out Montgomery (if they knew Charlemagne, Hannibal and Caesar spoke Latin, which everybody does )

EDIT:
Martinus: The most famous Latin quote is obviously "In Omnia Paratus", which is broken-up Latin for "Insomnia Apparatus."

[Adagio]

Originally posted by JellyDonut
EDIT:
Martinus: The most famous Latin quote is obviously "In Omnia Paratus", which is broken-up Latin for "Insomnia Apparatus."

aha...Could someone translate that for us non latin speakers

[Nemo]

i donno...i always thought the most appropiate latin quote for civ was "Veni Vidi Vici"

[Nemo]

and i always thought that the most famous was:

"Carpe Diem"

[Adagio]

Originally posted by Nemo
i donno...i always thought the most appropiate latin quote for civ was "Veni Vidi Vici"

Hey finaly a quote I know

EDIT: Reminds me on the good old The Settlers II days

[JellyDonut]

Seriously though, I thought the most famous Latin quote was "E pluribus unum" or "Et tu, Brute?" But I guess I'm wrong.

[Akron]

Originally posted by Nemo
i donno...i always thought the most appropiate latin quote for civ was "Veni Vidi Vici"

Definitely is the most famous too. This is one I know.

[ixnay]

I'd never heard this quote in Latin... but I've heard all the other ones mentioned later in the thread.

[Buck Birdseed]

Originally posted by JellyDonut
Seriously though, I thought the most famous Latin quote was "E pluribus unum" or "Et tu, Brute?" But I guess I'm wrong.

I've never even heard of the first one (though likely I will kick myself when hearing the translation...), and the second one was made up by Shakespeare. Naw, the most famous latin quotes would have to be Descartes' "Cogito ergo sum" and Caesar's "Veni, Vidi, Vici". And, as any reader of the Asterix series of comics will tell you, Alea iacta est, which can be used in a million humorous situations mocking the romans.