Beginning Homeric Greek
“Homer is like Shakespeare in this way, that he cannot be exhausted, that the more he is read the more there is found, and that while the effects are more and more felt, the means by which they are got remain more and more mysterious. The epics must be read as wholes, and not, as is too much the way, in books here and there.
It will come to be realized more and more with each reading that under the smooth and apparently art-less surface there lie depths of supreme and conscious art.
The man who has realized this has gone far to solve for himself the Homeric problem.”
– Richard John Cunliffe “A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect”
Duration: January 2024 – December 2024 (Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall)
Days/Times: Sundays, 6:00 pm -8:00 pm Central (7-9 EST)
Frequency: 17 two-hour Sessions, approximately every two to three weeks, from January 2024 to December 2024
Instructor: David Saussy
Text: Clyde Pharr, 4th Edition.
+ Private Forum for course.
+ Access to Instructor through Private Forum messaging and other means.
+ Make-up lessons available
+ Class schedule calendar for planning ahead
“Thank you for a great class, I never thought I’d be learning Greek! Introduction to Homeric Greek has been ideal for me as an adult beginner of Greek. The seminars with Mr. Saussy – and the study halls – provided structure and added help, but also accountability and something to look forward too. Translating the Iliad adds motivation as the text is not a mere exercise, but a Western masterpiece. I highly recommend this course.” -Erik B
“My favorite thing about this course in Homeric Greek is being able to tackle the challenge in a “no-threat/no fear” environment. This was my first attempt at an ancient language. It was intimidating but David Saussy set just the right setting for learning – positive, supportive, and collaborative. We learned together – the ones with Greek experience or language aptitude cheerfully helped those of us who struggled. Even as I struggled there was never a moment where I felt like I didn’t belong because we all belonged no matter our skill level. As long as you didn’t leave the battlefield, no Homeric Greek Warriors were left behind!” –Dawn S.
χαίρετε
Μῆνιν ἄειδε, θεὰ, Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος
οὐλομένην, ἣ μυρί᾽ Ἀχαιοῖς ἄλγε᾽ἔθηκεν,
πολλὰς δ᾽ ἰφθίμους ψυχὰς Ἄϊδι προΐαψεν
ἡρώων, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἑλώρια τεῦχε κύνεσσιν
οἰωνοῖσί τε δαῖτα, Διὸς δ᾽ ἐτελείετο βουλή,
ἐξ οὗ δὴ τὰ πρῶτα διαστήτην ἐρίσαντε
Ἀτρεΐδης τε ἄναξ ἀνδρῶν καὶ δῖος Ἀχιλλεύς.
The Rage – Sing, Goddess! – of Achilleus Son of Peleus
The Accursed rage, which caused countless sufferings upon the Achaians,
Hurling into Hades high-born souls
Of heroes, and made of them feasts for dogs
And for birds banquets, thus the will of Zeus was accomplished;
(Sing) from the beginning how from the first these two came together in strife,
The Son of Atreus, king of men, and godlike Achilleus…
The Iliad, Open lines 1-7
Our intention is that this leisurely course of study – and other opportunities like advanced courses and translation groups – is empowering for you and complements the conversation seminars you participate in and your own private reading. We want to do more than just offer courses, but help to build and support a community around the love of learning ancient languages like Greek.
Why Homeric Greek?
There is perhaps no finer way to begin learning ancient Greek than with the work of Homer, in particular, Book 1 of the Iliad. The familiarity you develop with Homeric Greek can easily be applied to later Attic Greek (Sophocles and Plato etc) and Koine Greek (New Testament).
What’s our approach?
Language is a window or opening to a world of meaning. Typically Greek and Latin courses teach an abstract language, full of rules, detached from the real ground of meaning, in the actual speech event itself in written form. You learn paradigms and translate sentences, but never really have the opportunity to ‘get into’ what you are translating. In a way, it is as if you learn to cook a meal, but then, you are not allowed to eat and enjoy that meal with gusto. This course is built with an eye to overcoming this problem.
On the first day of this course, as you learn the Greek alphabet and word basics, we will begin looking at the Greek of the Homeric text right away. And this Greek text will be in front of us for the rest of the course.
For assistance, we will make use of Clyde Pharr’s textbook, 4th edition (Homeric Greek: A Book for Beginners Fourth Edition, ISBN-13: 978-0806141640) the purpose of which is to get us immersed in the world and thought of Book 1 of the Iliad in the original language as soon as possible.
During each two hour session, we will face the Greek together, sharing translations, raising and answering questions, and engaged in a collaborative learning pursuit.
The course will meet generally every month on regular days/evening times. Students have daily/weekly access to instructor by means of a private forum for any questions or problems that arise. Make-up lessons are offered in the event that students miss any regularly scheduled sessions. No refunds on payments rendered, but credit is offered for students who wish to try again the following year. Discount on regular cost available for subscribers of Slow Reading Program.
