The use of papaver somniferum (from the Latin fero ferre = 'to bear/bring' and somnium = 'sleep') as a narcotic, goes back to the 13 th century BC. The works of ancient authors such as Dioscorides, Celsus, Galen, Theophrastus and Pliny the Elder provide us with detailed information about the morphology of the plant, its processing and the administration of the drug. 1 These authors make it clear that opium was mainly employed as anodyne and narcotic but they also documented its use as a drug in the treatment of a variety of ailments, either as one of many ingredients in a medicinal recipe or as the main ingredient. Modern botanical and pharmaceutical analysis of the plant and its active ingredients provide us with some surprising conclusions regarding its effectiveness in the treatment of the medical conditions for which it was prescribed in the 1 st and 2 nd century. The early history of poppyA 775 mm high statuette (Fig. 1) of a Minoan (13 th century BC) goddess with uplifted hands probably provides us with the oldest ancient evidence for poppy and opium. It is known as 'The Poppy Goddess' because it bears on the head three movable pins in the likeness of heads of the sleep-inducing poppy (Kerényi 1976:24; Sakellarakis, 1987:91). It can be seen in the Museum at Herakleion. Greek archaeologists have concluded that:1. The vertical notches in the capsules are more deeply coloured, and relate to the extraction of the juice.2. The Minoan goddess appears to have her eyes closed as though asleep. 1References to the information supplied by these sources will be found throughout this article.2

Tacitus’ portrayal of Agrippina Minor
Ancient historiography has more in common with the historical novel than with modem historiography. The Annals of Tacitus should be seen as an artistic, narrative text which demands active participation by the reader in the process of interpretation. A narratological analysis of Tacitus' description of the life and death of Agrippina, mother of the emperor Nero, reveals a serious ethical reflection on the atrocities committed by the imperial family. Agrippina is characterised as an exceptionally strongwilled woman who had an immense influence on the Roman Empire while she was the wife of the emperor Claudius and mother of his successor, Nero. On the other hand, her typically female character traits are accentuated from which the reader has to infer that it was precisely the fact that she was a woman which made her authoritative position intolerable

At present two models of instruction predominate the scene of mainstream 21 st century Latin pedagogy. The first, commonly known as the 'philological model' or 'grammar-and-translation' method, has been prevalent since the early days of classical scholarship and still forms the basis of methodology at most South African universities. During the past two decades the second, the so-called 'living language' method, has become popular in schools and universities across the United States. Both methodologies are examined and evaluated in this article. Based on this short overview of Latin pedagogy, a model is then proposed to accommodate generation Y students of Latin at South African universities utilising both the 'living language' method and the 'flipped class-room' approach. Since the student profile of the North West University has changed dramatically over the past few years to include an ever increasing number of distance students, the challenge has been to accommodate the needs of these students without sacrificing the preferred approach or method. Excerpts taken from a learning management system, 1 developed for the Oxford Latin Course and aimed at distance students, will finally illustrate how the learning of these students is facilitated. The LMS in question is also aimed at secondary school learners who are keen to follow an online Latin course.

Scholarship has recognised Tacitus' preoccupation with character and his use of rhetorical stereotypes even at a time when historiography was examined with the overriding aim of discovering the historical 'truth'. The search for empirical validity revealed Tacitus' historical unreliability and his manipulation of material. Historical theory has since evolved toward an acknowledgement of ancient historiography as a form of literary art and belonging to the domain of narratology. This article is based on the premise that the Annals of Tacitus closely corresponds to a modern literary text and that the 'manipulated material' requires of the reader to fulfil an active role in the interpretation process. A narratological analysis of Tacitus' characterisation of Livia Augusta and Agrippina Minor reveals a sophisticated use of the narratological device of 'analogy between characters'. The analysis is limited to identical nouns and adjectives used in the direct description of both these women and the reinforcement of these characteristics by indirect presentation. Tacitus' mastery of subtle narratological devices becomes evident and his portrayal of Livia as analogous to Agrippina reiterates his deeply seated hatred of the Julio-Claudian regime.

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