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Instruction Language: Ancient Greek
Day & Time: Saturdays, 12:00–13:30 EDT / 18:00–19:30 CET/CEST.
Course Duration:
Start Date: June 13
End Date: July 11
Lesson Structure:
Duration: 90 minutes per session
Total Instructional Hours: 7.5 hours total (5 sessions)
Abstract: This course provides a technical introduction to the three fundamental meters of Ancient Greek poetry—iambic verse, hexameter, and anapest—through the analysis of both classical pagan and early Christian authors.
Comprehensive Description: Participants will explore the foundational vocabulary and concepts of Greek prosody by engaging with primary grammatical and metrical authorities, including Dionysius Thrax, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Hephaistion, John Tzetzes, and George Choeroboscus. Students will apply these theoretical frameworks to a diverse range of poetic texts from Anacreon, Homer, and Aeschylus to Gregory of Nazianzus, Nonnus of Panopolis, and Clement of Alexandria. The curriculum includes regular scansion exercises and emphasizes the oral performance of verse to internalize rhythmic structures. Additionally, the course will examine the historical shift toward stress-based metrics as discussed by Maximus Planudes.
Course Units:
Unit 1: Foundations of Greek Prosody. Definitions of grammar (ἐμπειρία and τέχνη) in literary study; measuring vowel quantity; the concept of the metrical foot (πούς) and the mechanics of accentuation.
Unit 2: Iambic Meter and Introduction to Anapests. Scansion and melodic performance of iambic verse and anapestic systems; analysis of the Agamemnon (parodos) and Clement of Alexandria.
Unit 3: Anapests and Introduction to Hexameter. Advanced discussion of anapestic structures and the transition to epic dactylic hexameter.
Unit 4: Hexameter and Byzantine Prosody. Homeric recitation following the reconstructions of Stefan Hagel and M.L. West, alongside an investigation into Byzantine modal traditions and stress-based poetry.
Language Level:
Framework Reference: Designed for students who have completed Athenaze Vol. I and are currently studying Vol. II (or equivalent).
General Description: Intermediate. Participants should be capable of auditory comprehension in Ancient Greek and able to explain grammatical or metrical passages in the target language within an immersive context.
Estimated Self-Study Time:
Time Commitment: 1–2 hours per week.
Preparation Type: Students are expected to complete a preliminary reading of the assigned texts and prepare scansion exercises prior to each session.
Required Materials: All primary reading selections will be provided by the instructor at least one week in advance.
Primary Bibliography:
M. Consbruch, Hephaestionis enchiridion cum commentariis veteribus (Teubner).
Nonnus, Paraphrasis sancti evangelii Joannei, ed. Scheindler (Teubner).
C. Matray and C. Mondésert, Clément d'Alexandrie: Le pédagogue, Vol. 3 (Sources Chrétiennes).
J.-P. Migne, Patrologiae cursus completus (series Graeca) (MPG) 37.
M.L. West, Carmina Anacreontea (Teubner).
L. Radermacher and H. Usener, Dionysii Halicarnasei quae exstant, Vol. 6 (Teubner).
Secondary Bibliography:
M.L. West, "The Singing of Homer and the Modes of Early Greek Music," JHS 101.
G. Danek and S. Hagel, Homerische Vortragstechnik: Rekonstruktion und modernes Publikum.
Instruction Language: Ancient Greek
Day & Time: Saturdays, 12:00–13:30 EDT / 18:00–19:30 CET/CEST.
Course Duration:
Start Date: June 13
End Date: July 11
Lesson Structure:
Duration: 90 minutes per session
Total Instructional Hours: 7.5 hours total (5 sessions)
Abstract: This course provides a technical introduction to the three fundamental meters of Ancient Greek poetry—iambic verse, hexameter, and anapest—through the analysis of both classical pagan and early Christian authors.
Comprehensive Description: Participants will explore the foundational vocabulary and concepts of Greek prosody by engaging with primary grammatical and metrical authorities, including Dionysius Thrax, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Hephaistion, John Tzetzes, and George Choeroboscus. Students will apply these theoretical frameworks to a diverse range of poetic texts from Anacreon, Homer, and Aeschylus to Gregory of Nazianzus, Nonnus of Panopolis, and Clement of Alexandria. The curriculum includes regular scansion exercises and emphasizes the oral performance of verse to internalize rhythmic structures. Additionally, the course will examine the historical shift toward stress-based metrics as discussed by Maximus Planudes.
Course Units:
Unit 1: Foundations of Greek Prosody. Definitions of grammar (ἐμπειρία and τέχνη) in literary study; measuring vowel quantity; the concept of the metrical foot (πούς) and the mechanics of accentuation.
Unit 2: Iambic Meter and Introduction to Anapests. Scansion and melodic performance of iambic verse and anapestic systems; analysis of the Agamemnon (parodos) and Clement of Alexandria.
Unit 3: Anapests and Introduction to Hexameter. Advanced discussion of anapestic structures and the transition to epic dactylic hexameter.
Unit 4: Hexameter and Byzantine Prosody. Homeric recitation following the reconstructions of Stefan Hagel and M.L. West, alongside an investigation into Byzantine modal traditions and stress-based poetry.
Language Level:
Framework Reference: Designed for students who have completed Athenaze Vol. I and are currently studying Vol. II (or equivalent).
General Description: Intermediate. Participants should be capable of auditory comprehension in Ancient Greek and able to explain grammatical or metrical passages in the target language within an immersive context.
Estimated Self-Study Time:
Time Commitment: 1–2 hours per week.
Preparation Type: Students are expected to complete a preliminary reading of the assigned texts and prepare scansion exercises prior to each session.
Required Materials: All primary reading selections will be provided by the instructor at least one week in advance.
Primary Bibliography:
M. Consbruch, Hephaestionis enchiridion cum commentariis veteribus (Teubner).
Nonnus, Paraphrasis sancti evangelii Joannei, ed. Scheindler (Teubner).
C. Matray and C. Mondésert, Clément d'Alexandrie: Le pédagogue, Vol. 3 (Sources Chrétiennes).
J.-P. Migne, Patrologiae cursus completus (series Graeca) (MPG) 37.
M.L. West, Carmina Anacreontea (Teubner).
L. Radermacher and H. Usener, Dionysii Halicarnasei quae exstant, Vol. 6 (Teubner).
Secondary Bibliography:
M.L. West, "The Singing of Homer and the Modes of Early Greek Music," JHS 101.
G. Danek and S. Hagel, Homerische Vortragstechnik: Rekonstruktion und modernes Publikum.
