Subscribe to Blog via Email
December 2024 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Category: Ancient Greek
Why does it seem that the prefixes of compound words end in O?
Ancient Greek used connecting vowels between two stems when forming compounds, unless the second stem started with a vowel (e.g. nost-os ‘homecoming’ + algos ‘pain’ > nost-algia). A vowel was also unnecessary if the first part of the compound was a numeral or preposition, which instead had their own optional vowels: tetr(a)– ‘four’, di(a)– ‘through’, […]
Why is the ancient Greek tonal pronunciation theory so refuted by Modern Greek speakers?
The right answer to this is Dimitris Almyrantis’, which goes into the motivations and anxieties behind this attitude. I had passed on answering this, but I’ve just been asked this externally, by a user who pointed out the discrepancy with Chinese and Italian. There are a few linguistic and cultural factors that have made this […]
Can “αἰὲν ἀνάβηθι” be improved to resemble the Latin “excelsior?”
Not that I actually know much about Homeric Greek, but the infinitive does work better than the imperative, because it makes it less personal and more gnomic: it is a statement to the world, not a command to the individual. Although in context, it is not a command anyway, but reported speech: Ever to Excel […]
What is the etymology of the ancient Greek word “Otis”?
Frisk’s etymological dictionary concurs with Frank Dauenhauer’s answer, that the bustard was called ōtis ‘one with ears’ (“from its cheek tufts or head? See Thompson, Birds”); thus also ōtos ‘scops owl’, from its ear tufts. If you go to A glossary of Greek birds : Thompson, D’Arcy Wentworth, 1860-1948 Sir, p. 200, you’ll find he […]
Are patron saints the same idea as Greek gods under another pretext?
Thanks to the other respondents. Patron saints share with the Ancient Greek gods the notion of domain of influence. They also, significantly, share the notion of patronage: elements of folk religion such as Votive offerings (Greek tamata), and theological notions such as Intercession of saints, are tied up with that understanding of how the Heavens […]
Why is aponeurosis named as such? I know the “apo” part. What’s the word root: “neurosis”?
To expand on Raul Hernandez’s answer: aponeurōsis = apo ‘away, from, of’ + neurōsis neurōsis = neuroō ‘to equip with sinews, to put strings on (a bow, a lyre)’ + –sis ‘nominalisation suffix, -ing’ neuroō = neuron ‘nerve, sinew’ + –oō ‘verb suffix, often factive: to make something be or have X’. So aponeurosis literally […]
What are the most important new discoveries that have been made about the ancient world in the 21st Century?
In Greek philology, the biggest finds this century have been: The previously unreadable texts in the Archimedes Palimpsest, that have become readable through a synchrotron, including a couple of new texts by Archimedes, a new speech by Hyperides, and a new commentary on Aristotle by Alexander of Aphrodisias. Transcribed and released in 2008, though only […]
Which books on Greek and Roman mythology list the most number of mythological characters?
As I am nowadays saying openly, I worked at the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae for 17 years, 13 which I spent working on word recognition. As a result, I got to know pretty well where all the obscure names were in Greek literature. In the classical Canon, hands down, the Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus). Among online resources, THEOI […]
Are there any books that are written in Ancient Greek?
If the question means, are there any contemporary books in Ancient Greek: not a lot, but a few: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Ancient Greek Edition): J.K. Rowling: 9781582348261: Amazon.com: Books Bruno Coitinho’s answer to What modern books have been translated to ancient languages?: Don Camillo, Sherlock Holmes Eleftherios V. Tserkezis’ answer to What […]
How do I fathom the 3rd declension?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek_grammar_(tables)#Third_declension And I weigh in too, though my answer is not really different to Desmond’s. The way to fathom the 3rd declension is via proto-Greek. That’s what the grammars do, whether it’s the most useful thing to do or not. Focus on the recurring endings: -(ς) -ος -ι -α -Ø, -ες -ων -σι -ας -ες […]