Iota subscript – GCSE Classical Greek
When iota comes after long alpha, eta or omega, it is written in miniature form underneath: ᾳ ῃ ῳ It is not certain how far it was pronounced in classical times, but it is convenient to sound slightly to differentiate ᾳ from ordinary long alpha…
5 gifts Ancient Greece gave to the world.
It was home to the first recognized historian. The mission of Herodotus, also known as the “father of history,” was to make sure that “human achievement may be spared the ravages of time, and that everything great and astounding, and all the glory of those…
The secrets behind the myth of Prometheus
Arnold Toynbee professes that there is always a basic myth which dominates the birth of a civilization. For the Greek civilisation, it is not hard to discover it; it was the Myth of Prometheus. Prometheus was a hero who revolted against Zeus, stealing fire to rescue…
Connecting words- Classical Greek
The following are very common: καί and τε*… καί both…… and ἀλλά but * This comes second word in a phrase, after the first…
4 GCSE CLASSICAL GREEK BOOKS
1. Greek Stories Author: John Taylor and Kristian Waite Greek Stories is an ideal first reader for students of Classical Greek. It offers 100 self-contained passages of manageable length, chosen for their intrinsic interest and adapted from a wide range of ancient authors. 2. Greek to GCSE: Part…
The verb to be – Classical Greek
As in most languages, this is irregular, but will quickly be familiar: εἰμί εἶ ἐστί(ν)* ἐσμέν ἐστέ εἰσί(ν)* * again the “movable nu” is added (to make pronunciation easier) if the next word starts with a vowel, or if this is the last word in…
The word order and the negative in Classical Greek
Word Order This is much more flexible than in Latin. The verb need not come at the end, though it can. Examples Ἀκούω τήν βοήν. Ὁ ἄγγελος διώκει τόν δοῦλον. Ὁ στρατός φυλάσσει τόν ποταμόν. Ὁ ξένος ἐπιστολήν γράφει. Ὁ διδάσκαλος διδάσκει τόν δοῦλον Negative…
The definite article / Classical Greek
This is the word for the. Latin has no equivalent, but in Greek, it is very important. In case there is no article, translate a: e.g. ὁ δοῦλος=the slave, δοῦλος= a slave masculine nominative ὁ …
Nouns (first and second declension feminine) Nominative & Accusative
First declension feminine: τιμή= honour sg nominative τιμ-ή accusative τιμ-ήν Second declension feminine λόγος= word (also reason, story) sg nominative λόγος accusative λόγον As with verbs, it is important to distinguish the…
The Present Tense- Classical Greek
Sing παύω= I stop Παύ-ω Παύ-εις Παύ-ει Pl. Παύ-ομεν Παύ-ετε Παύ-ουσι(ν) The “ν”- often called “movable n“- is added (to make pronunciation easier)…