For this month’s Roman festival, the Latin classes celebrated the Probatio Equorum, which included a feast on Monday and a class activity on Tuesday and Wednesday. “The purpose of the Roman festival,” states Mr. Taylor, “is to learn about Ancient Roman culture.” The Probato Equorum was a formalized inspection of warhorses in Ancient Rome. The horses who passed inspection were then paraded through the streets while the other horses were reserved for mundane, every-day activities. The inspection and parading of horses was part of a larger festival known as the Ludi Romani or the Roman Games. Despite this festival’s jovial nature, the inspection of warhorses in Ancient Rome was regarded as serious business, and it was carried out by Censores or Roman military officers.
The festival’s feast was held at lunch on Monday. It was optional for students to participate, and they had to bring food to be allowed to attend. Students who participated earned 20 points for their house. There were a variety of dishes, from samosas to tiramisu, and they were all very delicious! “I really enjoyed the Roman festival,” says Olivia Wilcox, a 9th grade student, “hanging out during the feast was very fun!”
The class activity entailed students acting as Censores. They formed into groups of two and each group was handed a card that contained information about a fictional horse. Their job was to inspect each horse thoroughly and decide whether it was ready for war. They researched into what makes a good warhorse and what makes a bad warhorse and created a rubric. The rubric consisted of 5 categories—breed, age, health indicators, equipment, and training level—that could be ranked either excellent, good, or needs improvement. They used the information they learned through their research to fill in the requirements for each ranking in the sections. Finally, they graded their horse on what requirements they met and what requirements they didn’t meet, and they decided to either pass or fail the horse.
All around, the Probatio Equorum was an amazing festival, from the feast to the class activity. If you have any more questions surrounding the festival, contact Mr. Taylor. Stay tuned for next month’s festival!
