Members of our community who have never studied ancient Greek are using online resources such as the Perseus Digital Library to “go beyond” reading a translation. With the help of online tools and with a basic understanding of how the ancient Greek language works, everyone can explore texts such as the Iliad and Odyssey in the original to learn more about ancient Greek society and institutions.
To facilitate engagement with and original research on ancient Greek texts, the Center for Hellenic Studies is collaborating with participants from the Kosmos Society and colleagues at other institutions to develop several self-study modules. These modules are an early work-in-progress and will evolve over time to include videos, tutorials, and exercises. Please check back frequently for updates.
Kosmos Society already offers access to some of the videos that will form part of these modules. We recommend that you work through them in the order below (click on the links to jump to the relevant section of this page).
Kosmos Society Learning Modules
Kosmos Society Learning Modules
Introduction to Homeric Greek
This Introduction to Homeric Greek series was created by members of the Kosmos Society (then called Hour 25) Community in coordination with Professor Graeme Bird as a community-generated, open access educational resource. The series is designed as a gentle introduction for absolute beginners.
Volume 1: Videos 1–16, Beginning with the Alphabet, with Graeme Bird and Community Members
Introduction to Attic Greek
This Introduction to Attic Greek comprises a series of video presentations made by Professor Leonard Muellner and Belisi Gillespie. These videos cover the content covered in two semesters of a college-level Introduction to Ancient Greek course. They are designed to be used in conjunction with the book Greek: An Intensive Course by Hardy Hansen and Gerald M. Quinn.
You can find a suggested syllabus and the videos here:
Introduction to Attic Greek: Volume 1 (Units 1–3), with Leonard Muellner and Belisi Gillespie
Introduction to Attic Greek: Volume 2 (Units 4–7), with Leonard Muellner and Belisi Gillespie
Introduction to Attic Greek: Volume 3 (Units 8–10), with Leonard Muellner and Belisi Gillespie
Introduction to Attic Greek: Volume 4 (Units 11–14), with Leonard Muellner and Belisi Gillespie
Introduction to Attic Greek: Volume 5 (Units 15–17), with Leonard Muellner and Belisi Gillespie
Introduction to Attic Greek: Volume 6 (Units 18–20), with Leonard Muellner and Belisi Gillespie
Go Beyond Reading a Translation
Our Beyond Translation Module is designed to introduce the basic tools and skills necessary to explore an ancient Greek text or word on Perseus and other online resources.
Kosmos Society Page: Core Greek Vocabulary with Greek
Beyond Translation Video: The Greek Alphabet, with Joel Christensen
Beyond Translation Video: Using Perseus Digital Library, with Anna Krohn
Beyond Translation Video: Decoding Ancient Greek Dictionary Entries, with Joel Christensen
Beyond Translation Guide and Challenge: Investigating Greek Words: Quick Guide to Perseus with Illustrated Worked Examples
Beyond Translation Video: Ancient Greek as an Inflected Language, with Graeme Bird
Beyond Translation Videos, Guides, and Challenge: Using Chicago Homer for Word Studies(Demonstration and Quick Guides with Illustrated Worked Examples)
Beyond Translation Videos and Guides: Using Perseus under PhiloLogic, for Word Studies(Demonstration and Quick Guides with Illustrated Worked Examples)
The Free First Thousand Years of Greek, with Leonard Muellner
“Just Enough” Greek
Our “Just Enough” Greek module presents key concepts in the use of the ancient Greek language. They are specially designed for readers who have never studied ancient Greek.
“Just Enough” Greek Video: Actions in Time, with Leonard Muellner
“Just Enough” Greek Video: Speaking about This and That, with Leonard Muellner
“Introduction to the Meter of Homeric Epic”, with Leonard Muellner
Practicing Homeric epic meter: dactylic hexameter, with Leonard Muellner
Homeric Greek
These videos are from a Center for Hellenic Studies series on reading Homeric epic in ancient Greek. In each installment we read, translate, and discuss a small passage in the original Greek in the most accessible way. If you’ve ever wanted to read Homer in ancient Greek, here is your chance to do so with teachers who have spent a lifetime studying these works. Together Gregory Nagy, Douglas Frame, and Leonard Muellner help even new readers explore the words and formulas that make “the poetry of grammar and the grammar of poetry” in Homeric epic so exquisite and rewarding.
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.1–10
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.11–26
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.27–43
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.44–62
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.63–79
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.80–92
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.93–98
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.99–112
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.113–117
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.118–124
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.125–135
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.136–143
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.144–148
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.149–155
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.156–162
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.163–168
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.169–177, part 1
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.169–177, part 2
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.178–186
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.187–193
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.194–202
Homeric Greek: Odyssey 1.203–212
Homeric Language
In these videos, Gregory Nagy, Douglas Frame, and Leonard Muellner discuss features of Homeric language:
Greek dialects and the poetic super-language
Greek dialects in the language of Homer: Mycenaean, and Arcadia
Homeric language as a system: the meaning of Nestor
Greek dialects in epic: the cake of Homeric poetry
Reading Homer aloud: pronunciation, rhythm, enjambments
First Steps in Digital Philology
Our First Steps in Digital Philology module builds on the previous units by developing the awareness of key concepts, resources, and projects that allow citizen scholars to begin contributing new knowledge to the classics community.
A Homeric Commentary in Progress based on the research of Milman Parry and Albert Lord
Research & Reading: “Discovery Procedures and Principles for Homeric Research,” by Leonard Muellner
Digital Project: Ancient Greek and Latin Dependency Treebanks, Perseus Digital Library
Online Resource: Iliados, a tool for searching Perseus Treebank Data
Scaife Viewer (in development), a reading environment for pre-modern text collections in both their original languages and in translation
Digital Project: The Homer Multitext Project, Casey Dué & Mary Ebbott, Editors; Christopher Blackwell & Neel Smith, Project Architects
An Exploration of Homeric Multitextuality
Online Resource: A Gentle Introduction to XML, via the Text Encoding Initiative
Online Resource: Ancient Greek OCR, by Nick White
More coming soon!
Look for associated threads in the Kosmos Society Discussion Forum where you can ask questions and talk with others who may be working through these modules.