TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Ray Laurence: Four sisters in Ancient Rome

Unscramble the Blue Letters

tdaoy, we're going to look at the world of Rome through the eyes of a young girl. Here she is, drawing a picture of herself in the ariutm of her father's enormous house. Her name is Domitia, and she is just 5 years old. She has an older brother who is feotreun, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, nmaed after her dad. Girls don't get these long names that boys have. What is worse is that Dad insists on calling all his daughters Domitia. "Domitia!" His call to Domitia drawing on the column, Domitia III. She has an older sister, Domitia II, who is 7 yeras old. And then there's Domitia I, who is ten. There would have been a Domitia IV, but mom died trying to give birth to her three years ago. Confused? The raonms were too. They could work out ancestry through the male line with the nice, tripartite names such as Lucius dtmoiuis Ahenobarbus. But they got in a real mess over which Domitia was married to whom and was either the great aunt or the great stepmother and so on to whom when they came to write it down. Domitia III is not just drawing on the pillar, she's also wntcahig the action. You see, it's early, in the time of day when all her dad's ctielns and frdines come to see him at home to pay their respects. Lucius Popidius Secundus, a 17 year old, he wants to mrray Domitia II within the next five to seven years, has come as well. He seems to be wooing not his future wife, but her dad. Poor Lucius, he does not know that Domitia's dad thinks he and his family are wealthy but still scumbags from the Subura. Afterall, it is the part of Rome full of barbers and prostitutes. Suddenly, all the men are leaving with Dad. It's the second hour and time for him to be in court with a sturdy audience of clients to applaud his rhetoric and hiss at his opponent. The house is now qteueir. The men won't return for seven hours, not until dinner time. But what happens in the house for those seven hours? What do Domitia, Domitia, and dtiomia do all day? Not an easy question! Everything written down by the Romans that we have today was written by men. This makes constructing the lives of women difficult. However, we can't have a history of just ramon men, so here it goes. We can begin in the atrium. There is a massive loom, on which Dad's latest wife is working on a new toga. Domitia, Domitia, and Domitia are tseakd with spinning the wool that will be used to weave this mighty garment, 30 or more feet long and elliptical in sahpe. Romans loved the idea that their wives work wool. We know that because it's written on the gravestones of so many Roman women. Unlike women in grceee, Roman women go out the house and move about the city. They go to the baths in the morning to avoid the men or to separate baths that are for wmeon only. Some do go in for the laestt fad of the AD 70s: nude bathing with men psrenet. Where they have no place is where the men are: in the fuorm, in the Law Court, or in the Senate hsoue. Their place in public is in the pitorcos with gardens, with sculpture, and with pathways for walking in. When Domitia, Domitia, and Domitia want to leave the house to go somewhere, like the proitco of Livia, they must get ready. Domitia II and Domitia III are ready, but Domitia I, who is betrothed to be married in two years to darling Philatus, isn't ready. She's not slow, she just has more to do. Being betrothed means she wraes the insignia of betrothal: engagement rings and all the gifts pliatus has given her - jewels, earrings, necklaces, and the pendants. She may even wear her myrtle crown. All this bling shouts, "I'm getting married to that 19 year old who gave me all this stuff I'm wearing!" While as they wait, Domitia II and Domitia III play with their dolls that mriror the image of their sister decked out to be meraird. One day, these dolls will be dedicated to the household gods on the day of their wedding. Okay, we're ready. The girls step into litters carried by some burly slaves. They also have a chaperone with them and will be meeting an aunt at the Porticus of Livia. Carried high on the sdluoerhs of these slaves, the girls look out through the curtains to see the crowded streets below them. They traverse the city, pass the Coliseum, but then turn off to climb up the hill to the Porticus of Livia. It was built by Livia, the wife of the first eomeprr auutsgus, on the site of the house of veuids Pollio. He wasn't such a gerat guy. He once tried to feed a slave to the eels in his fish pond for splimy dropping a dish. Luckily, the emperor was at the dinner and tmead his temper. The leitrts are placed on the ground and the girls get out and arm in arm, two by two, they ascend the steps into the enclosed garden with many columns. Domitia III shot off and is drawing on a column. Domitia II joins her but seeks to read the graffiti hgiher up on the comlun. She spots a drawing of gladiators and tries to imagine seeing them fighting, something she will never be permitted to do, except from the very rear of the ciesoulm. From there, she will have a good view of the 50,000 spectators but will see little by way of blood and gore. If she really wanted a decent view, she could become a vestal virgin and would sit right down the front. But a career tending the srecad flame of Vesta is not to everybody's taste. Domitia I has met another ten year old also decked out in the insignia of betrothal. Home time. When they get there after the eighth hour, something is up. A smashed dish lies on the floor. All the slaves are being gathered together in the atrium and await the arrival of their master. Dad is going to go mad. He will not hit his children, but like many other Romans, he believes that slaves have to be phnueisd. The whip lies ready for his arrival. No one knows who sahsemd the dish, but Dad will call the undertaker to torture it out of them, if he must. The drpeekoeor oneps the front door to the house. A hush comes over the axouins slaves. In walks not their master but, instead, a pegrnnat tengeaer. It is the master's eldest daughter, age 15, who is already a veteran of marigare and child brith. Guess what her name is. There is a five to ten pnecert chance she won't survive giving birth to her child, but, for now, she has come to dnneir with her family. As a teenage mother, she has proved that she is a successful wife by bringing children and descendants for her husband, who will carry on his name in the furtue. The family head off to the dining room and are severd dinner. It would seem Dad has had an ivtine to dinner elsewhere. With dinner concluded, the girls cosresd the atrium to bid flerweal to their older sister who is carried home in a litter, eotcrsed by some of Dad's bodyguards. Returning to the house, the girls cross the atrium. The slevas, young and old, male and felame, await the return of their owner. When he rreunts, he may exact vengeance, ensuring his power over the slaves is maintained through violence and terror, to which any slave could be subjected. But, for the grlis, they head upstairs for the night, radey for bed.

Open Cloze

_____, we're going to look at the world of Rome through the eyes of a young girl. Here she is, drawing a picture of herself in the ______ of her father's enormous house. Her name is Domitia, and she is just 5 years old. She has an older brother who is ________, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, _____ after her dad. Girls don't get these long names that boys have. What is worse is that Dad insists on calling all his daughters Domitia. "Domitia!" His call to Domitia drawing on the column, Domitia III. She has an older sister, Domitia II, who is 7 _____ old. And then there's Domitia I, who is ten. There would have been a Domitia IV, but mom died trying to give birth to her three years ago. Confused? The ______ were too. They could work out ancestry through the male line with the nice, tripartite names such as Lucius ________ Ahenobarbus. But they got in a real mess over which Domitia was married to whom and was either the great aunt or the great stepmother and so on to whom when they came to write it down. Domitia III is not just drawing on the pillar, she's also ________ the action. You see, it's early, in the time of day when all her dad's _______ and _______ come to see him at home to pay their respects. Lucius Popidius Secundus, a 17 year old, he wants to _____ Domitia II within the next five to seven years, has come as well. He seems to be wooing not his future wife, but her dad. Poor Lucius, he does not know that Domitia's dad thinks he and his family are wealthy but still scumbags from the Subura. Afterall, it is the part of Rome full of barbers and prostitutes. Suddenly, all the men are leaving with Dad. It's the second hour and time for him to be in court with a sturdy audience of clients to applaud his rhetoric and hiss at his opponent. The house is now _______. The men won't return for seven hours, not until dinner time. But what happens in the house for those seven hours? What do Domitia, Domitia, and _______ do all day? Not an easy question! Everything written down by the Romans that we have today was written by men. This makes constructing the lives of women difficult. However, we can't have a history of just _____ men, so here it goes. We can begin in the atrium. There is a massive loom, on which Dad's latest wife is working on a new toga. Domitia, Domitia, and Domitia are ______ with spinning the wool that will be used to weave this mighty garment, 30 or more feet long and elliptical in _____. Romans loved the idea that their wives work wool. We know that because it's written on the gravestones of so many Roman women. Unlike women in ______, Roman women go out the house and move about the city. They go to the baths in the morning to avoid the men or to separate baths that are for _____ only. Some do go in for the ______ fad of the AD 70s: nude bathing with men _______. Where they have no place is where the men are: in the _____, in the Law Court, or in the Senate _____. Their place in public is in the ________ with gardens, with sculpture, and with pathways for walking in. When Domitia, Domitia, and Domitia want to leave the house to go somewhere, like the _______ of Livia, they must get ready. Domitia II and Domitia III are ready, but Domitia I, who is betrothed to be married in two years to darling Philatus, isn't ready. She's not slow, she just has more to do. Being betrothed means she _____ the insignia of betrothal: engagement rings and all the gifts _______ has given her - jewels, earrings, necklaces, and the pendants. She may even wear her myrtle crown. All this bling shouts, "I'm getting married to that 19 year old who gave me all this stuff I'm wearing!" While as they wait, Domitia II and Domitia III play with their dolls that ______ the image of their sister decked out to be _______. One day, these dolls will be dedicated to the household gods on the day of their wedding. Okay, we're ready. The girls step into litters carried by some burly slaves. They also have a chaperone with them and will be meeting an aunt at the Porticus of Livia. Carried high on the _________ of these slaves, the girls look out through the curtains to see the crowded streets below them. They traverse the city, pass the Coliseum, but then turn off to climb up the hill to the Porticus of Livia. It was built by Livia, the wife of the first _______ ________, on the site of the house of ______ Pollio. He wasn't such a _____ guy. He once tried to feed a slave to the eels in his fish pond for ______ dropping a dish. Luckily, the emperor was at the dinner and _____ his temper. The _______ are placed on the ground and the girls get out and arm in arm, two by two, they ascend the steps into the enclosed garden with many columns. Domitia III shot off and is drawing on a column. Domitia II joins her but seeks to read the graffiti ______ up on the ______. She spots a drawing of gladiators and tries to imagine seeing them fighting, something she will never be permitted to do, except from the very rear of the ________. From there, she will have a good view of the 50,000 spectators but will see little by way of blood and gore. If she really wanted a decent view, she could become a vestal virgin and would sit right down the front. But a career tending the ______ flame of Vesta is not to everybody's taste. Domitia I has met another ten year old also decked out in the insignia of betrothal. Home time. When they get there after the eighth hour, something is up. A smashed dish lies on the floor. All the slaves are being gathered together in the atrium and await the arrival of their master. Dad is going to go mad. He will not hit his children, but like many other Romans, he believes that slaves have to be ________. The whip lies ready for his arrival. No one knows who _______ the dish, but Dad will call the undertaker to torture it out of them, if he must. The __________ _____ the front door to the house. A hush comes over the _______ slaves. In walks not their master but, instead, a ________ ________. It is the master's eldest daughter, age 15, who is already a veteran of ________ and child _____. Guess what her name is. There is a five to ten _______ chance she won't survive giving birth to her child, but, for now, she has come to ______ with her family. As a teenage mother, she has proved that she is a successful wife by bringing children and descendants for her husband, who will carry on his name in the ______. The family head off to the dining room and are ______ dinner. It would seem Dad has had an ______ to dinner elsewhere. With dinner concluded, the girls _______ the atrium to bid ________ to their older sister who is carried home in a litter, ________ by some of Dad's bodyguards. Returning to the house, the girls cross the atrium. The ______, young and old, male and ______, await the return of their owner. When he _______, he may exact vengeance, ensuring his power over the slaves is maintained through violence and terror, to which any slave could be subjected. But, for the _____, they head upstairs for the night, _____ for bed.

Solution

atrium
escorted
porticos
romans
tasked
friends
percent
marry
roman
years
watching
latest
married
served
augustus
named
house
litters
punished
higher
tamed
women
teenager
invite
doorkeeper
quieter
sacred
simply
future
crossed
dinner
girls
mirror
anxious
portico
wears
greece
domitia
smashed
forum
today
ready
coliseum
slaves
birth
clients
vedius
great
female
fourteen
marriage
column
shoulders
returns
opens
emperor
present
shape
farewell
domitius
pilatus
pregnant

Original Text

Today, we're going to look at the world of Rome through the eyes of a young girl. Here she is, drawing a picture of herself in the atrium of her father's enormous house. Her name is Domitia, and she is just 5 years old. She has an older brother who is fourteen, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, named after her dad. Girls don't get these long names that boys have. What is worse is that Dad insists on calling all his daughters Domitia. "Domitia!" His call to Domitia drawing on the column, Domitia III. She has an older sister, Domitia II, who is 7 years old. And then there's Domitia I, who is ten. There would have been a Domitia IV, but mom died trying to give birth to her three years ago. Confused? The Romans were too. They could work out ancestry through the male line with the nice, tripartite names such as Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. But they got in a real mess over which Domitia was married to whom and was either the great aunt or the great stepmother and so on to whom when they came to write it down. Domitia III is not just drawing on the pillar, she's also watching the action. You see, it's early, in the time of day when all her dad's clients and friends come to see him at home to pay their respects. Lucius Popidius Secundus, a 17 year old, he wants to marry Domitia II within the next five to seven years, has come as well. He seems to be wooing not his future wife, but her dad. Poor Lucius, he does not know that Domitia's dad thinks he and his family are wealthy but still scumbags from the Subura. Afterall, it is the part of Rome full of barbers and prostitutes. Suddenly, all the men are leaving with Dad. It's the second hour and time for him to be in court with a sturdy audience of clients to applaud his rhetoric and hiss at his opponent. The house is now quieter. The men won't return for seven hours, not until dinner time. But what happens in the house for those seven hours? What do Domitia, Domitia, and Domitia do all day? Not an easy question! Everything written down by the Romans that we have today was written by men. This makes constructing the lives of women difficult. However, we can't have a history of just Roman men, so here it goes. We can begin in the atrium. There is a massive loom, on which Dad's latest wife is working on a new toga. Domitia, Domitia, and Domitia are tasked with spinning the wool that will be used to weave this mighty garment, 30 or more feet long and elliptical in shape. Romans loved the idea that their wives work wool. We know that because it's written on the gravestones of so many Roman women. Unlike women in Greece, Roman women go out the house and move about the city. They go to the baths in the morning to avoid the men or to separate baths that are for women only. Some do go in for the latest fad of the AD 70s: nude bathing with men present. Where they have no place is where the men are: in the Forum, in the Law Court, or in the Senate House. Their place in public is in the porticos with gardens, with sculpture, and with pathways for walking in. When Domitia, Domitia, and Domitia want to leave the house to go somewhere, like the Portico of Livia, they must get ready. Domitia II and Domitia III are ready, but Domitia I, who is betrothed to be married in two years to darling Philatus, isn't ready. She's not slow, she just has more to do. Being betrothed means she wears the insignia of betrothal: engagement rings and all the gifts Pilatus has given her - jewels, earrings, necklaces, and the pendants. She may even wear her myrtle crown. All this bling shouts, "I'm getting married to that 19 year old who gave me all this stuff I'm wearing!" While as they wait, Domitia II and Domitia III play with their dolls that mirror the image of their sister decked out to be married. One day, these dolls will be dedicated to the household gods on the day of their wedding. Okay, we're ready. The girls step into litters carried by some burly slaves. They also have a chaperone with them and will be meeting an aunt at the Porticus of Livia. Carried high on the shoulders of these slaves, the girls look out through the curtains to see the crowded streets below them. They traverse the city, pass the Coliseum, but then turn off to climb up the hill to the Porticus of Livia. It was built by Livia, the wife of the first emperor Augustus, on the site of the house of Vedius Pollio. He wasn't such a great guy. He once tried to feed a slave to the eels in his fish pond for simply dropping a dish. Luckily, the emperor was at the dinner and tamed his temper. The litters are placed on the ground and the girls get out and arm in arm, two by two, they ascend the steps into the enclosed garden with many columns. Domitia III shot off and is drawing on a column. Domitia II joins her but seeks to read the graffiti higher up on the column. She spots a drawing of gladiators and tries to imagine seeing them fighting, something she will never be permitted to do, except from the very rear of the Coliseum. From there, she will have a good view of the 50,000 spectators but will see little by way of blood and gore. If she really wanted a decent view, she could become a vestal virgin and would sit right down the front. But a career tending the sacred flame of Vesta is not to everybody's taste. Domitia I has met another ten year old also decked out in the insignia of betrothal. Home time. When they get there after the eighth hour, something is up. A smashed dish lies on the floor. All the slaves are being gathered together in the atrium and await the arrival of their master. Dad is going to go mad. He will not hit his children, but like many other Romans, he believes that slaves have to be punished. The whip lies ready for his arrival. No one knows who smashed the dish, but Dad will call the undertaker to torture it out of them, if he must. The doorkeeper opens the front door to the house. A hush comes over the anxious slaves. In walks not their master but, instead, a pregnant teenager. It is the master's eldest daughter, age 15, who is already a veteran of marriage and child birth. Guess what her name is. There is a five to ten percent chance she won't survive giving birth to her child, but, for now, she has come to dinner with her family. As a teenage mother, she has proved that she is a successful wife by bringing children and descendants for her husband, who will carry on his name in the future. The family head off to the dining room and are served dinner. It would seem Dad has had an invite to dinner elsewhere. With dinner concluded, the girls crossed the atrium to bid farewell to their older sister who is carried home in a litter, escorted by some of Dad's bodyguards. Returning to the house, the girls cross the atrium. The slaves, young and old, male and female, await the return of their owner. When he returns, he may exact vengeance, ensuring his power over the slaves is maintained through violence and terror, to which any slave could be subjected. But, for the girls, they head upstairs for the night, ready for bed.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
domitia iii	5
domitia ii	4
lucius domitius	2
roman women	2

Important Words

action
ad
afterall
age
ahenobarbus
ancestry
anxious
applaud
arm
arrival
ascend
atrium
audience
augustus
aunt
avoid
await
barbers
bathing
baths
bed
believes
betrothal
betrothed
bid
birth
bling
blood
bodyguards
boys
bringing
brother
built
burly
call
calling
career
carried
carry
chance
chaperone
child
children
city
clients
climb
coliseum
column
columns
concluded
confused
constructing
court
cross
crossed
crowded
crown
curtains
dad
darling
daughter
daughters
day
decent
decked
dedicated
descendants
died
difficult
dining
dinner
dish
dolls
domitia
domitius
door
doorkeeper
drawing
dropping
early
earrings
easy
eels
eighth
eldest
elliptical
emperor
enclosed
engagement
enormous
ensuring
escorted
exact
eyes
fad
family
farewell
feed
feet
female
fighting
fish
flame
floor
forum
fourteen
friends
front
full
future
garden
gardens
garment
gathered
gave
gifts
girl
girls
give
giving
gladiators
gods
good
gore
graffiti
gravestones
great
greece
ground
guess
guy
head
high
higher
hill
hiss
history
hit
home
hour
hours
house
household
husband
hush
idea
ii
iii
image
imagine
insignia
insists
invite
iv
jewels
joins
latest
law
leave
leaving
lies
line
litter
litters
lives
livia
long
loom
loved
lucius
luckily
mad
maintained
male
marriage
married
marry
massive
master
means
meeting
men
mess
met
mighty
mirror
mom
morning
mother
move
myrtle
named
names
necklaces
nice
night
nude
older
opens
opponent
owner
part
pass
pathways
pay
pendants
percent
permitted
philatus
picture
pilatus
pillar
place
play
pollio
pond
poor
popidius
portico
porticos
porticus
power
pregnant
present
prostitutes
proved
public
punished
quieter
read
ready
real
rear
respects
return
returning
returns
rhetoric
rings
roman
romans
rome
room
sacred
sculpture
scumbags
secundus
seeks
senate
separate
served
shape
shot
shoulders
shouts
simply
sister
sit
site
slave
slaves
slow
smashed
spectators
spinning
spots
step
stepmother
steps
streets
stuff
sturdy
subjected
subura
successful
suddenly
survive
tamed
tasked
taste
teenage
teenager
temper
ten
tending
terror
thinks
time
today
toga
torture
traverse
tripartite
turn
undertaker
upstairs
vedius
vengeance
vesta
vestal
veteran
view
violence
virgin
wait
walking
walks
wanted
watching
wealthy
wear
wears
weave
wedding
whip
wife
wives
women
wooing
wool
work
working
world
worse
write
written
year
years
young