If you want to use the last days of the year to improve your Greek, we invite you to join our free live webinar on December 28 at 8pm Central European Time (Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Warsaw). We will read texts from the Christian Christmas tradition (New Testament & Gregory of Nazianzus) as […]
Alexander and the Gordian Knot: A (Maybe) True Story in Easy Ancient Greek
Background info The story of Alexander and the Gordian knot is told by Arrian and Plutarch (see sources below). It can be interpreted in many different ways, depending on whether you see Alexander as a ruthless power seeker who does not care for religious traditions or as a smart guy who is thinking out of […]
περὶ τοῦ Μάρκου Αὐρηλίου – About Marcus Aurelius
In this video we take you to Carnuntum, a Roman military camp near Vienna (Austria) where Marcus Aurelius stayed for three years defending the borders of the Roman empire and, en passant, writing his famous „Meditations“ (Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν).
Easy Ancient Greek: ὁ πάππος καὶ ἡ λύκαινα (Story for Beginners & Intermediate Learners)
This story was written by one of my (Jenny’s) students just four months before his untimely death due to cancer: I am very glad that I had the honour to teach him ancient Greek during the short time we knew each other and I am especially grateful that he allowed me, before his death, to […]
the equinox – ἡ ἰσημερία
Today is the equinox (ἡ ἰσημερία). While the English word “equinox” literally means “equal night” (Lat.: aequa nox) the Greeks actually say it the other way around: “equal day” (ἴση ἡμέρα).
τίς ἦν ὁ Πυθαγόρας; Who Was Pythagoras?
A video on Pythagoras.
Πυθαγορικὰ χρυσᾶ ἔπη – The Golden Verses of Pythagoras
Mathematician, mystic, sect leader – Pythagoras is definitely one of my favorite philosophers. Take a look at his Golden Verses, a poem (probably) from Hellenistic times ascribed to him. Who else can spot some similarity with the Ten Commandments? 🤔 – Jenny
ἡ λέξις τῆς ἑβδομάδος (μδ’) – Ancient Greek Word of the Week (44)
τὸ δένδρον, –ου – a tree. The „Word of the Week“ will be switching from animals to plants now, and we start with the most basic plant word there probably is: τὸ δένδρον, -ου – a tree. The illustration for this word is taken form Hieronymus Bock’s gorgeous „Kreüter Bůch“ (Strasbourg, 1546) (https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2015/09/29/a-german-botanical-renaissance/).
Homer’s Odyssey Explained in Ancient Greek
In this video we explain the beginning of the Odyssey in Ancient Greek.
Ancient Greek Word of the Day (New Series) / ἡ λέξις τῆς ἡμέρας
τοῖς φιλέλλησι χαίρειν Learning a language is like training a muscle: You have to keep at it on a daily basis in order to build up strength. Since regular practice is so crucial, I decided to start a new series that is intended to keep learners of Ancient Greek in daily contact with the language: […]