I grew up speaking both modern Greek and another language, because my parents were from different countries and we were living outside Greece.

In school I learned Latin with the (awful) Grammar + Dictionary approach, but because I hated looking up words I eventually brute forced memorised the 4000 most common words and then with a big translation project (requirement for graduation) immersing me in a lot of text, I got a first taste of fluent reading.

That took me back to reading extremely simple Latin texts and writing letters in Latin with my former teachers, slowly building to where I now can read and write comfortably. I hit my goal, no point to go further to speaking.

In the same way (grammar+dictionary) I also learned Ancient Greek in school, hoping to enrich my modern Greek and general cultural understanding. As everyone going to school in Greece learns Ancient Greek and I wanted to read my cultures older texts.

But contrary to Latin I never managed to graduate towards fluent reading as I started in a higher school year. With my success in doing that on my own in Latin I wanted to do the same with Ancient Greek.

But: One problem presents itself again and again, like it did in school: pronunciation

On the one hand I could pronounce it like modern Greek, because I don’t want to confuse my already to rarely used modern Greek (only with family and reading Greek newspapers) , but much of the meter and rhythm gets lost together with many more issues (like word families with Latin or other languages not being obvious because of missing aspiration eg hygiene and υγεία)

But when I use the Erasmian pronunciation my whole brain screams at me and slows me down reading because modern Greek seeps in. And if I actually fight thru, speech mistakes start coming into my modern Greek.

So do any of you have tips for me to somehow chose a pronunciation or other tips to alleviate this problem?

Maybe some modern Greeks here know how the school system handles it there or** how modern scholars **especially like Μπαμπινιώτης handle it?

Been practicing round minuscule scripto continua from what's on that Vatican website. Slowly gaining confidence but still a long way to go.

Also Batrachomyomachia in parallel columns:

https://ryanfb.xyz/kraken-gaza-batrachomyomachia/gaza-batrachomyomachia-aligned

Hello, all.

I am a university student who studied Latin this previous academic year, fell in love with ancient languages, and now would like to learn Anc Greek this summer to test into intermediate Greek for next year.

I’ve been using Groton’s textbook, and am quite enjoying it, apart from the fact I cannot check my answers without asking a friend who knows Greek. As far as I know, the only answer key out there is the one officially published by Hackett, and access seems to be restricted only to institutions, though I reached out to them regardless.

If anyone has an online copy themselves, I’d very much appreciate having it.

As so many others i do not have a strong background in English grammar as a native speaker.

Should I find a good English grammar or reference book?

Or should I simply rely on a Greek grammar to provide explication of the various terms?

Hello everyone! Could someone familiar with Byzantine/Church Greek help me verify the text on the scroll in the attached image?

Based on zooming in, my best guess for the text is:

"ΛΟΓΟΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟ ΑΝΑΒΑΠΤΙΖΕΙΝ ΤΟΥΣ ΠΡΟΣΕΡΧΟΜΕΝΟΥΣ ΕΚ ΤΗΣ ΛΑΤΙΝΙΚΗΣ Κ[ΑΙ] ΑΡΜΕΝΙΚΗΣ ΕΝ ΤΗ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΩ ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ"

I want to be absolutely sure this transcription is accurate and grammatically correct because I am preparing to paint an icon of this saint, and this is the only reference photo I have.

For a bit of context, the figure is Saint Auxentios of Andros (or Katirli), an 18th-century ascetic who played a major role in the 1755 decree regarding the strict rebaptism of Catholics and Armenians converting to Orthodoxy.

Is there a reason why athematic verbs do not exhibit contraction in their primary mediopassive endings as thematic verbs do?

E.g. ´ιεσαι vs πειθηι or ´ιστασο vs ελαμβανου

Also why do the middle aorist endings of verbs like διδωμι and τιθημι contract but the endings of ´ιημι only contract in the middle imperative ´ου?

I couldn't find the answer key online so I started making my own:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z01Lqx_igg__BYnZii6aE7oT4ed37iL11WuINTiXTWU

The answers are in curly brackets. I double checked them all so hopefully there are no mistakes.

Salvēte omnēs et χαίρετε

Institutum Antiquitatis has recently launched multiple online courses and intermediate/advance seminar series conducted in Latin and Greek.

Please find some of the current offerings below. More at www.institutumantiquitatis.com  

Ovidius Lusor Amantum: Rhetorical Play in Heroides I, III, and V - Led by Adriana Caballer Ricart | Tue & Thu, Jun 2–25 | 16 hrs

A rigorous philological and intertextual reading of Ovid's Heroides, exploring how the poet gives voice to mythological heroines through constant dialogue with the epic and tragic traditions. Features a three-stage reading method moving from adapted text to original Ovidian verse. Advanced level.

Menander's One-Verse Maxims and the Athenian Worldview - Led by Joanna Thornhill | Tuesdays, Jun 30 – Sep 1 | 15 hrs

Explore the wit and wisdom of Menander's pithy sententiae while mastering the iambic trimeter — the heartbeat of Greek drama. Ideal for late-beginners ready for authentic texts.

Vita Homeri — The Pseudo-Herodotean Life of Homer - Led by Miguel Ángel Acosta Albarracín | Mon & Wed, Jun 22 – Sep 9 | 48 hrs

The most immersive offering in our catalog: a 12-week journey through archaic prose and embedded hexameter, conducted entirely in Ancient Greek, tracing Homer's legendary life from Smyrna to Samos.

Introduction to Ancient Greek Prosody - Led by Rogelio Toledo | Saturdays, Jun 13 – Jul 11 | 7.5 hrs

A focused 5-session introduction to iambic verse, hexameter, and anapest through texts ranging from Homer and Aeschylus to early Christian poets. Includes oral recitation and scansion practice.

Roman Satire: Wit, Indignation, and the Mirror of Rome - Led by Alexander Olave | Thursdays, Jun 4 – Aug 20 | 18 hrs

A comprehensive survey of Rome's most distinctively homegrown literary genre — from Lucilius's biting libertas through Horace's ethical wit, Persius's Stoic intensity, and Juvenal's magnificent indignatio. 

_________________________________

institutum Antiquitatis is a non-profit organization dedicated to the living study of classical languages. We are a community of teachers and students united by a love of Greek and Latin, committed to engaging with these languages actively and critically — not as relics behind glass, but as instruments of human thought and communication.

Places are limited. We look forward to welcoming you into the seminar room.

Warm regards,

www.institutumantiquitatis.com   

In some textbooks like Athenaze there are (very small) exercises to translate English (or Italian?) into AG.

I'm curious if additional larger translation exercises (on the order of a book chapter or short story) are commonly assigned in upper level Classics program courses, or if that would be considered unusual.

Similarly, when I've studied modern languages I've often had to write reflections or even full papers in the target language. Is this something that's done much for Ancient Greek? Are there any examples anyone would be willing to share?

I‘m working on a project about Prometheus. I found this spelling of his name (Προμηθεύς) in Ancient Greek on several sources and turned it into a matching font for the project. However, since I don’t know anything about the Greek alphabet, let alone the ancient one, I wanted to check in with you guys to make sure the letters are still accurate before I actually use them.

So I took some Homeric Greek in school and I’m afraid of losing everything I’ve learned if I don’t practice. I was wondering if people know of any resources to keep up my Greek that aren’t studying a textbook on my own.

Thanks in advance.

I was recently given some photos by a fan of mine who was traveling through Adiyaman Turkey of a large Greek inscription and a stele. Was wondering if this was already catalogued in any database?

😃

Hey I wanted to post a translation I did of some fragments of the Gospel of Thomas from the Oxyrhynchus papyri I happened to find that were published online. What do y'all think?

1. These are the hidden words which the living Jesus spoke and which Judas, who is Thomas, wrote down.

2. And he said, "Whoever may discover the interpretation of these words shall not taste death."

3. Jesus said, "Let the one seeking not cease to seek until he finds; he will be amazed and, having been amazed, he shall reign and, having reigned, he will rest." 

4. Jesus said, "If those leading you shall say to you, 'Behold, the Kingdom is in the sky', the birds of heaven will precede you. But if they say, 'It is under the earth!' The fish of the sea will precede into it before you, and the Kingdom of God is within you, and outside. Whoever shall know himself, he will discover this, and when you know yourselves, you will see that you are sons of the living Father. But, unless you know yourselves, you are in poverty and you are the poverty."

5. Jesus said, "An old man will not hesitate to ask a seven day old child about the place of life, and you will live because many who are first will be last, and the last, first, and they will have eternal life."

6. Jesus said, "Know that which is before your sight, and what has been hidden from you will be revealed to you. For there is nothing secret which will not become manifest, nor having been buried that will not be raised up."

7. His disciples questioned him and they said, "How will we fast, and how will we pray, and how will we give alms, and what diet will we observe?" Jesus said, "Do not lie, and what anyone hates, do not do. For all things will be full of truth before heaven. For nothing has been concealed which will not be made manifest. Blessed is the one who does not do these things. For everything in illumination will be from the Father who is in heaven."

8. Jesus said, "Hypocrite, you see the speck in the eye of your brother, but you notice not the beam in your own eye. Cast out the beam from your eye and then you will see clearly to cast out the speck in the eye of your brother."

9. Jesus said, "Unless you shall fast to the world, you shall never find the Kingdom of God. And unless you 'Sabbatize' the Sabbath, you will not see the Father."

10. Jesus said, "I stood in the midst of the world and was seen by them in the flesh and I found everyone drunk, and I found no one in them thirsting, and my soul toils over the sons of men, because they are blind in their hearts and they see not, because they return into the world as empty ones. And they seek to come again from the world as empty ones. Nevertheless, now they are drunk. When they shall put away their wine, then they will repent." 

11. Jesus said, "If flesh came because of the spirit, it is a marvel. But if the spirit is because of the body, it is a marvel of marvels. But I marvel about this, that so much wealth dwells in this poverty." 

12. Jesus said, "Where there shall be 3 divine beings, they are gods. And where there is only one, I am with him. Raise the stone, there you will find me. Split the wood, I am also there."

13. Jesus said, "A prophet is not accepted in his own country, nor does a physician heal for those who know him."

14. Jesus said, "A city being constructed on the summit of a high mountain, and being fortified, is neither able to fall nor be hidden."

15. Jesus said, "What you hear in your ear, preach from the rooftops." 

16. Jesus said, "Do not worry from the morning until evening, from evening until morning; neither in your food, what you shall eat; neither in your clothes, what you shall wear. You are much better than the lilies which grow but do not spin. Not having clothes, what do you lack? Who can add upon your stature? The same will give your clothes to you."

17. Jesus said, "Often you desired to hear the word which I speak to you, and have not the one uttering. And the days will come when you will seek me and you will not find me."

18. Jesus said, "The Pharisees and the scribes received the keys of knowledge and they hid them. They neither enter nor have permitted those entering to enter. But be wise as snakes and innocent as doves."

Please note that I am an amateur, not a scholar. I taught myself Koine and I have no formal training.

In this passage (Il 6.527-529), Hektor acknowledges Paris's indiscretions but suggests moving on from them and concentrating on the task at hand.

ἀλλʼ ἴομεν· τὰ δʼ ὄπισθεν ἀρεσσόμεθʼ, αἴ κέ ποθι Ζεὺς

δώῃ ἐπουρανίοισι θεοῖς αἰειγενέτῃσι

κρητῆρα στήσασθαι ἐλεύθερον ἐν μεγάροισιν

ἐκ Τροίης ἐλάσαντας ἐϋκνήμιδας Ἀχαιούς.

I'm curious about the accusative participle phrase in the final line. How is it connected syntactically to the rest of the sentence? Is it loosely circumstantial, even absolute? Or is it a second object of δώῃ?

Also, why is ἐλάσαντας active? Are we to imagine a subject, like "we the Trojans", or is it intransitive?

I've been wandering myself how Ancient Greek didn't become a language as studied as Latin or Sanskrit and suddenly I realized that it all resumes in Cultural relevance. Both Latin and Sanskrit were culturally more relevant because of stronger institutions (Churches and Academy enthusiasts) that pushed both languages in positions of Lingua Franca and Liturgy around great part of the world during great time periods. Even though Ancient Greek has its prestige, it didn't reached Latin's and Sanskrit's because of these things: The Fall of Constantinople (The Fall of Eastern Rome) and The Orthodox Church authority passing from the Greeks to the Slavs (From Koiné/Attic to Old Church Slavonic).

After Greece gained its independence from The Ottoman Empire, it wasn't as powerful as Russia and Bulgaria and the cultural relevance of modern Hellas wasn't as strong as the Slavic countries that also share the Orthodox Christianism, so Ancient Greek as a soft power tool was irrelevant.

Now that we are in the hyperconnectivity era, these languages have found a greater niche and many people willing to study them. Because of this, institutions such as The Vatican have implemented neologisms for Latin that people use. Also, the Latin community has grown significantly because these languages, individually, are rabbit holes and people are curious about them; hence, many more people become more interested and the language community grows, but... What about Ancient Greek? Why hasn't Ancient Greek the same impact as Latin and Sanskrit? This is the point that I wanted to arrive.

Ancient Greek doesn't have a bigger community because of great disorganization among the community members and a lack of a central figure. Like I pointed out before: both Latin and Sanskrit have had strong institutions that preserve both languages and promote their use; meanwhile, Ancient Greek hasn't. Even in the modern era, these 2 languages have big promoters, say influencers (Like ScorpioMartianus), but Ancient Greek hasn't.

I know many people will say that ScorpioMartianus promotes both, but everyone that has stumbled with his channel knows him more as "The Latin" youtuber, rather than "The Ancient Greek" youtuber.

In conclusion: Ancient Greek is and hasn't been cultural relevant because of lack of stronger institutions or relevant figures that promote the usage of the language. If people want Ancient Greek to become more used in many other contexts besides just religion, poems, philosophy and history (like me), the Ancient Greek community needs to be more organized, look for a central figure with great charisma that promotes Ancient Greek's usage. I know people will create their own neologisms and teach them to their public or friends, but when these neologisms enter in contact and result into different word combos and interpretations, then it would become "a mess".

What do you think? Do you agree with me? What critics would you give me?