Mensa Latina

The Mensa Latina (which means ‘Latin Table’) is an informal gathering of students who want to learn more about Roman culture and the Latin language.

Winter 2025 Mensa Latina Meetings

Started during the 2021-22 academic year by Professors Fanny Dolansky and Sarah Parker, the Mensa Latina aims to introduce students to a variety of topics not covered in classes or only touched on briefly in courses on Roman history or Latin such as petkeeping in the Roman world, funerary inscriptions, and Roman naming conventions. This past fall, we tried our hands at playing some Roman boardgames; visited Special Collections at the library where we learned from David Sharron and Dr. Parker about manuscripts and paleography then examined Latin texts from the Medieval and Renaissance periods firsthand; and prepared for the department’s annual end-of-year party by learning about the Saturnalia and other Roman holidays.

The Mensa Latina normally meets once a month for an hour and has attracted students from Classics and Archaeology as well as other departments who range from first-year students to graduate students — and occasionally some alumni too! No formal knowledge of Latin is required, and everyone is welcome.

If you are interested in learning more about the Mensa Latina or want to suggest topics for future sessions, please contact Prof. Dolansky — or attend one of the upcoming sessions this term when we’ll learn about beauty and adornment in the Roman world (makeup, wigs, hair dyes, and more!); delve into the hilarious and often saucy genre of the Roman novel; and wrap up the term on a musical note.