Classics Graduate Program Reading Lists

The works on the reading list are the basis of the translation exam. The reading list will vary depending on the student's degree track and academic interests. For example, a student more inclined towards Greek will have a longer Greek reading list and a shorter Latin reading list, and vice-versa. A Ph.D. student will also have a larger reading list than an M.A. student. Please select the appropriate list from the menu below.

Latin

Caesar
BellumCivile or Bellum Gallicum (3 books from either)

Catullus
Carmina, all

Cicero
In Catilinam I, Pro Milone, Pro Caelio, Pro Archia, Philippics II, Epistulae, to total 50 pp. Somnium Scipionis, De Senectute

Horace
Carmina I-III; Liber Epodon 2, 16; Sermones I.1, 4, 5, 9, 10; II.1, 6; Epistulae I.1, Ars Poetica

Juvenal
Satirae: I, III, X

Livy
Aburbe condita libri: I, XXI

Lucan
Bellum Civile: I

Lucretius
De rerum natura: I, II, IV

Martial
Epigrammata (to total 35 pp.)

Ovid
Metamorphoses I-II; Tristia IV.10; Amores I or Ars Amatoria I; Heroides two (suggested 1, 7, 12, 13)

Petronius
Cena Trimalchionis

Plautus
Comoediae: Two plays

Pliny the Younger
Epistulae (to total 25 pp.), including VI. 16, X. 96, X.97

Propertius
Carmina, I

Quintilian
Institutiones Oratoriae: X

Sallust
Catilina

Seneca the Younger
One tragedy, Epistulae (to total 20 pp.)

Suetonius
Divus Augustus

Tacitus
Agricola; Annales, 100 pp. from either 1-6 or 11-16

Terence
Two plays

Tibullus
Carmina, Bk I

Vergil
Aeneis I-XII; Georgica I; Eclogae I, IV, X

Total: 2,073

Greek

Aeschylus
Agamemnon

Aristophanes
Clouds or Frogs

Aristotle
Poetics

Demosthenes
De Corona, one Phillippic

Euripides
Choose two from Alcestis, Bacchae, Electra, Hippolytus, Ion, Medea Troades

Herodotus
I. 1-92; VIII, I-96

Hesiod
Works and Days

Homer
Iliad Six books, including I, II, IX; Odyssey Six books

Homeric Hymns
Hymn to Demeter

Isocrates
Panegyricus

Lucian
15 Teubner pages

Lyrici
Campbell’s edition. Familiarity is expected with: Alcaeus, Alcman, Anacreon, Archilochus, Bacchylides, Callinus, Hipponax, Ibycus, Mimnermus, Sappho, Simonides, Solon, Stesichorus, Theognis, Tyrtaeus, Xenophanes

Lysias
XII

Menander
Dyskolos

Pindar
Three odes from Olympians or Pythians

Plato
Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Republic I

Plutarch
One Life

Polybius
One book

Sophocles
Antigone, Oedipus Tyrannos

Theocritus
Two Idylls

Thucydides
I, II.1-65

Xenophon
Two books of Anabasis or Hellenica or Memorabilia

Total: 1,375
Latin

Caesar
Bellum Civile or Bellum Gallicum (3 books from either)

Catullus
Carmina (to total 60 pp., including 61, 62, 63, 68)

Cicero
In Catilinam I, Pro Milone, Pro Caelio, Pro Archia, Philippics II, Epistulae, to total 50 pp. De Senectute

Horace
Carmina I-III; Sermones, 4 from I.1, 4, 5, 9, 10; II.1, 6; Ars Poetica

Juvenal
Satirae: Two from I, III, X

Livy
Aburbe condita libri: I or XXI

Lucan
Bellum Civile: I

Lucretius
De rerum natura: Two books from I, II, IV

Martial
Epigrammata (to total 35 pp.)

Ovid
Metamorphoses I; Amores I or Ars Amatoria I; Tristia IV.10

Petronius
Cena Trimalchionis

Plautus
Comoediae: Two plays

Pliny the Younger
Epistulae (to total 25 pp.), including VI. 16, X. 96, X.97

Propertius
Carmina, I

Quintilian
Institutiones Oratoriae: X

Sallust
Catilina

Seneca the Younger
Epistulae (to total 20 pp.)

<pSuetonius
DivusAugustus

Tacitus
Agricola; Annales, 60 pp. from either 1-6 or 11-16

Terence
One play

Tibullus
Carmina, Bk I

Vergil
Aeneis I-XII; Georgica I; Eclogae I, IV, X

Total: 1,637

Greek

Aeschylus
Oresteia

Aristophanes
Clouds, Frogs

Aristotle
Poetics, Nicomachean Ethics or Politics, One book

Demosthenes
De Corona, one Philippic, one Olynthiac

Euripides
Three plays including Alcestis from Alcestis, Bacchae, Electra,Hippolytus, Ion, Medea, Troades.

Herodotus
I, VIII

Hesiod
Works and Days

Homer
Iliad I, II, III, VI, IX, XI, XVI, XVIII, XIX, XXI, XXII, XXIV; Odyssey Twelve books (suggested: I, IV,VI,VII, IX, XI, XII, XVI, XIX, XXI, XXII, XXIII)

Homeric Hymns
Hymn to Demeter

Isocrates
Panegyricus

Lucian
15 Teubner pages

Lyrici
Campbell’s edition. Familiarity is expected with: Alcaeus, Alcman, Anacreon, Archilochus, Bacchylides, Callinus,Hipponax, Ibycus, Mimnermus, Sappho, Simonides, Solon, Stesichorus, Theognis, Tyrtaeus, Xenophanes

Lysias
XII

Menander
Dyskolos

Pindar
Five odes from Olympians or Pythians

Plato
Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Republic I, X

Plutarch
One Life

Polybius
One book

Sophocles
Ajax, Antigone, Oedipus Tyrannos

Theocritus
Three Idylls

Thucydides
I, II. 1-65, VII

Xenophon
Two books of Anabasis or Hellenica or Memorabilia

Total: 2,407
Caesar
Bellum Civile or Bellum Gallicum (to total 75 pp.)

Catullus
Carmina (to total 60 pp., including 61, 62, 63, 68)

Cicero
In Catilinam I, Pro Milone, Pro Caelio, Pro Archia, Philippics II, Epistulae, to total 50 pp. De Senectute

Horace
Sermones I.1, 4, 5, 9, 10; II.1, 6 (Choose 4); Carmina I-III, Ars Poetica

Juvenal
S atirae: Two from I, III, X

Livy
Aburbe condita libri: I or XXI

Lucretius
De rerum natura: Two books from I, II, IV

Martial
Epigrammata (to total 35 pp.)

Ovid
Metamorphoses I; Amores I or Ars Amatoria I; Tristia IV.10

Plautus
Comoediae: Two plays

Pliny the Younger
Epistulae (to total 25 pp.), including VI. 16, X. 96, X.97

Propertius
Carmina, I

Quintilian
Institutiones Oratoriae: X

Sallust
Catilina

Seneca the Younger
One tragedy, Epistulae (to total 20 pp.)

Suetonius
Divus Augustus

Tacitus
Agricola; Annales, 60 pp. from either 1-6 or 11-16

Terence
One play

Tibullus
Carmina, Bk I

Vergil
Aeneis I-XII; Georgica I; Eclogae I, IV, X

Total: 1,610
Caesar
Bellum Civile or Bellum Gallicum (to total 75 pp.)

Catullus
Carmina (to total 40 pp., including 63, 68)

Cicero
In Catilinam I, Pro Archia, Epistulae, to total 25 pp, De Senectute

Horace
Carmina I-III (to total 75 pp.), Ars Poetica

Juvenal
Satirae: One from I, III, X

Livy
Ab urbe condita libri: I or XXI

Lucretius
De rerum natura: I

Martial
Epigrammata (to total 25 pp.)

Ovid
Metamorphoses I or Ars Amatoria I

Plautus
Comoediae: One play

Propertius
Carmina (to total 20 pp.)

Sallust
Catilina

Tacitus
Agricola

Terence
One play

Tibullus
Carmina, to total 20 pp.

Vergil
Aeneis I, II, IV, VI, VII, X, XII

Total: 873

Greek

Aeschylus
Any one of the six genuine plays (i.e., excluding Prometheus)

Aristophanes
Clouds or Frogs

Aristotle
Poetics

Demosthenes
One Philippic

Euripides
Choose one from Alcestis, Bacchae, Electra, Hippolytus, Ion, Medea Troades:

Herodotus
I. 1-92; VIII, I-96

Homer
Iliad Four books, including I, II, IX; Odyssey Four books

Isocrates
Panegyricus

Lyrici
Campbell’s edition. Familiarity is expected with: Alcaeus, Alcman, Anacreon, Bacchylides, Ibycus, Sappho, Simonides, Stesichorus,

Lysias
XII

Menander
Dyskolos

Pindar
Two odes from Olympians or Pythians

Plato
Apology, Republic I

Sophocles
Antigone or Oedipus Tyrannos

Thucydides
I

Xenophon
One book of Anabasis or Hellenica

Total: 965
Aeschylus
Agamemnon

Aristophanes
Clouds or Frogs

Aristotle
Poetics

Demosthenes
De Corona, one Phillippic

Euripides
Two plays, including Alcestis from: Alcestis, Bacchae, Electra, Hippolytus, Ion, Medea, Troades.

Herodotus
I. 1-92; VIII, I-96

Homer
Iliad I, II, III, VI, IX, XI, XVI, XVIII, XIX, XXI, XXII, XXIV; Odyssey Twelve books (suggested: I, IV,VI,VII, IX, XI, XII, XVI, XIX, XXI, XXII, XXIII)

Isocrates
Panegyricus

Lyrici
Campbell’s edition. Familiarity is expected with: Alcaeus, Alcman, Anacreon, Archilochus, Bacchylides, Callinus, Hipponax, Ibycus, Mimnermus, Sappho, Simonides, Solon, Stesichorus, Theognis, Tyrtaeus, Xenophanes

Lysias
XII

Menander
Dyskolos

Pindar
Three odes from Olympians or Pythians

Plato
Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Republic I

Sophocles
Antigone, Oedipus Tyrannos

Theocritus
Two Idylls

Thucydides
I, II.1-65

Xenophon
Two books of Anabasis or Hellenica or Memorabilia

Total: 1,732