Dactylic Hexameter — Scanning Latin Poetry

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to mark the metrical feet of a Latin hexameter line, apply the rules for long and short syllables, and scan the opening line of the Aeneid correctly.

Introduction

Latin poetry is metrically based: every syllable in a poem is either long (–) or short (◡), and lines are built from fixed patterns of these syllables called feet. Vergil's Aeneid uses dactylic hexameter — the meter of Homer in Greek, adopted for Latin epic. Understanding it is not optional for B2 Latin: the AP Latin exam requires you to scan lines, and meter is also the key to understanding Vergil's emphases, pauses, and emotional shifts. This lesson gives you all the rules you need.

Core Concept

Basic Vocabulary

Term	Meaning
Syllable quantity	Whether a syllable is long (–) or short (◡)
Dactyl	One long + two shorts: – ◡ ◡
Spondee	Two longs: – –
Hexameter	Six feet per line
Caesura	A word break within a foot (marks the mid-line pause)
Elision	When a word ending in a vowel (or -m) "absorbs" the following initial vowel

The Hexameter Line

A dactylic hexameter has six feet. Each foot is either a dactyl (– ◡ ◡) or a spondee (– –). The sixth foot is always a spondee or trochee (– ◡), regardless.

Pattern: Foot 1 + Foot 2 + Foot 3 + caesura + Foot 4 + Foot 5 + Foot 6

Rules for Syllable Length

A syllable is LONG if:

1. It contains a naturally long vowel (marked with a macron: ā, ē, ī, ō, ū)
2. The vowel is followed by two or more consonants (long by position), even across word boundaries

A syllable is SHORT if:

1. It contains a naturally short vowel
2. It is not followed by two consonants

Elision: When a word ends in a vowel (or -m + vowel) and the next word begins with a vowel or h-, the ending vowel is elided (not pronounced, or blended into the next word). Mark it in scansion with a curved bracket under the elided syllable.

Scanning Step by Step

Line to scan: Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris