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Fri 6 Aug, 2004 11:30 pm
what is "exploring the unknown" in latin?
My latin dictionary has no equivalent for 'explore'. And when I looked at the verbs listed for 'travel'; 'journey'; and 'discover', still nothing was just right.
It seems to me that the feeling was that either you discovered something, or you didn't. If you did, you were a discoveror (inventor); if you didn't, you were just somebody who wandered off (peregrinator).
The Romans weren't known for their enjoyment of travel or their appreciation for other cultures. They were pretty sure they were the best thing going, and figured it would be doing everybody a favor to occupy other countries, try to make them more Roman, and take advantage of their resources as fair payment for bringing right-thinking Roman culture to them.
So, maybe you could rephrase; or else maybe you could ask for this in Greek. Or French - some mottos do appear in French. (The Greeks and the French were both generally more open-minded than the Romans.)