Notes to Tacitus, Annales 3.76

sexagesimus, -a, -um
sixtieth.
Philippensis, -e
Philippian; of or belonging to Philippi, the city in Macedonia where Brutus and Cassius were defeated by Octavian and Antony in 42 BCE.
acies, -ei f.
battle; line of troops (military). Note how sexagesimo quarto. . . anno frames the noun-adjective combination.
supremus, -a, -um
last; highest; greatest; modifies diem.
expleo, -ere, -plevi, -pletum
complete, fulfill.
avunculus, -i m.
maternal uncle. Tacitus does not mention her father, who may have died soon after his consulship in 62 BCE, never having achieved the fame of Cato, Cassius, and Brutus.
gigno, -ere, genui, genitum
bear, give birth to; perfect passive participle modifying Iunia, related by blood to Cato. Scholars differ as to whether the phrase is an ablative absolute or Catone avunculo is an ablative following genita.
uxor, -oris f.
wife, a spouse in a valid Roman marriage.
soror, -roris f.
sister.
testamentum, -i n.
will; eius refers to Junia.
apud preposition + accusative
with; among; before.
vulgus, -i n.
the public; crowd, populace.
rumor, -oris m.
common talk, hearsay; public opinion; with multo, an ablative of quality, explaining the response to the publication of Junia's will.
quia conjunction
because.
opes, -um f. pl.
wealth, resources; ablative after in, here "in the case of."
cum conjunction
although; introduces a clause of concession whose verb is in the subjunctive (nominavisset).
ferme = fere, adverb
almost, nearly.
procer, -is m.
noble, prince.
honor, -oris m.
esteem; offering.
nomino (1)
name; the subject is Iunia, the first word in the passage.
Caesar, -aris m.
Caesar; Caesar's name as well as Augustus' became a title used by the emperors. See SPQR for coin inscription: TI[berius] CAESAR DIVI AVG[usti] F[ilius] AVGVSTVS).
qui, quae, quod relative pronoun
who, which; the antecedent for the connecting relative pronoun is either testamentum or the entire statement in paragraph 2 (translate as hoc).
civiliter adverb
courteously; like a citizen (literal); Tacitus judges Tiberius' restraint here uncharacteristic of imperial rule.
accipio, -ere, -cepi, -ceptum
receive, accept; supply est (its subject is quod).
prohibeo, -ere, -hibui, -hibitum
hold back; prevent; restrain; forbid; the subject is the Emperor Tiberius.
quo minus/quominus conjunction
that not, from; it follows verbs of hindering or preventing.
laudatio, -onis f.
eulogy; ablative of means.
rostra, -orum n. pl.
Rostra; ablative, object of pro. The speaker's platform in the Forum, named for its facing of prows (=beaks) of defeated enemy ships (see SPQR). The corpses of prominent men (and by the time of Julius Caesar women as well) were brought here by mourners for their eulogies before cremation.
sollemne, -is n.
religious rite, ceremony; observance; ablative of means, with ceteris.
funus, -eris n.
funeral; direct object of prohibuit and subject of cohonestaretur.
cohonesto (1)
honor in common; grace; subjunctive in a substantive clause following a verb of prohibition (prohibuit quo minus).
viginti, indeclinable numerical adjective
twenty; it modifies imagines, framing clarissimarum familiarum.
clarus, -a, -um
illustrious, famous, glorious; bright, clear; as a title in the superlative, clarissimus/a is used to refer to leading public figures, their wives and children.
familia, -ae
household; family. Not at all the modern nuclear family, the word signifies all members (relations, slaves, freedmen) who are subject to the control of a paterfamilias; it sometimes includes the household property as well.
imago, -inis f.
ancestor portrait; wax death masks were made of men who had held curule office (aedile at least) and kept by families in a cabinet in the atrium of their home. The imagines were worn by hired mourners in funeral processions for members of elite families. Click on SPQR for marble ancestor busts on the statue of an aristocrat.
antefero, -ferre, -tuli, -latum
carry before; bear in front; the imagines in a Roman funeral procession preceded the corpse.
Manilius, -i m.
name of a noble family; the plural is used here to stand for the members of the gens Manilia, one of the oldest patrician families.
Quinctius, -i m.
name of a noble family; the plural is used here to stand for the members of the gens Quinctia, a patrician family.
idem, eadem, idem
the same; modifies nobilitatis.
nobilitas, -tatis f.
renown; aristocracy; excellence.
praefulgeo,
outshine; shine greatly; Cassius and Brutus are the subjects of this verb.
eo ipso: supply facto; an ablative of cause that explains the following clause that begins with quod.
effigies, -ei f.
likeness, portrait, image; click on SPQR for portrait busts of Cassius and Brutus.
viso, -ere, visi, visum
view, behold, see.


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