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ancient greek texts
general links
ANCIENT GREEK HISTORY
FULL TEXTS
Ancient greek texts online Table of Contents at PERSEUS PROJECT
Ancient History Sourcebook Full Texts by Paul Halsall USA
Ancient Greek Literature by M Lachanas
Cornell College Let's Review Greek! Greek Writers Easy Readings by Category.
The Little Sailing Site:www.mikrosapoplous.gr Ancient Greek Texts Download polytonic representation in ZIP by Agelos Perdikouris / alternative address
FOR CHILDREN
Historyforkids: ancient greek literature for children
GREEK RESOURCES for CLASSICISTS
classical studies links

list of ancient authors
Aesop's Fables (Laura Gibbs)
historians
Ancient Greek History on the WWW: read sources. by John R. Lenz
HERODOTUS - HPOΔOTOΣ mod.gre.pronunc: [i`roδotos]
His history of his ancient world, persian-greek wars, etc. is divided in nine (9) books called gre: 'MOYΣAI' (eng: muses). His narration is flowing and delightful, includes many stories, myths and customs of many nations.
Herodotus @wikipedia
THUCYDIDES - ΘOYKYΔIΔHΣ c.460-c.395 a.e.v. mod.gre.pronunc: [θuki`δiδis]
History of the Peloponnesian War (431-404 a.e.v.) between Sparta and Athens. Describes causes of historical events, gives excellent political analysis and presents the famous 'demegories', the speeches of great politicians. Thucydides wrote about the years up to 411 a.e.v. The remaining war-years are described by Xenophon. Famous parts of his history are: the introduction where he sets the goals of a historian, his 'archaeology', his recording of the plague, Pericles' Epitaph for the casualties of the first year, the 'pathology of civil war', the debates over the killing of the men in Lesbos, the debates over the killing of the men in Melos.
Thucidides @wikipedia
his History @wikipedia
TEXTS
Pericles's Funeral Oration @wikipedia
XENOPHON - ΞENOΦΩN c.431-355 a.e.v. gre: [ksseno`fon]
His works include the Hellenica that describes events of the Peloponnesian War from where Thucydides stopped, other historical works, and accounts of the teachings of the philosopher Socrates.
Xenophon @wikipedia
ARRIANUS - APPIANOΣ or Arrian. 86-146 e.v. gre: [aria`nos]
History about Alexander and his expedition to Asia.
Arrian @wikipedia
PLUTARCH - ΠΛOYTAPXOΣ or Plutarchus. c.46-120 e.v. gre: [`plutarxos]
Biographies at his BIOI ΠAPAΛΛHΛOI eng: lives parallel and various other treatises.
Plutarch @wikipedia
philosophers
Philosophical thought appears for the first time around the 6th century a.e.v. in China and in Greece. See: Laozi (chinese) and presocratic philosophers (greek).
General philosophy links
Ancient philosophy @wikipedia (list of philosophers)
Ancient Greek Philosophy by M Lachanas
IONIAN or HYLOZOIC or PRESOCRATIC PHILOSOPHY
Start from Thales (624-546 a.e.v.) gre:[θa`lis]. You can find a concise list of many important philosophers by group at wikipedia. Their works do not survive, apart from some fragments, small jewels of pure thought. Check Heraclitus (535-475 a.e.v.) mod.gre:[i`raklitos], Democritus (460-370 a.e.v.) mod.gre:[δi`mokritos].
Presocratic philosophy @wikipedia
PLATO - ΠΛATΩN c.428-c.348 a.e.v. gre:[`platon]
Brilliant thinker. His philosopy is presented mostly in dialogue form. He tought at Academia, a sacred place in Athens (not far away from today's Academia street).
Plato @wikipedia
ARISTOTLE - APIΣTOTEΛHΣ 384-322 a.e.v. gre:[aristo'telis]
Student of Plato, he remained in the Academy until he founded his own school: LYKEION (lyceum). His writings about almost everything and his logic-system called ORGANON (organum) dominated for long, too long, over european thought.
Aristotle @wikipedia
and my personal favourite: EPICURUS - EΠIKOYPOΣ 341-270 a.e.v. gre:[e`pikuros]
Epicurus @wikipedia
 
list of ancient greek poets
Latin and Greek Authors on the Web by Herman Lauvys BELGIUM
epic poetry
Homer OMHPOΣ [`omiros] The Poet
Hesiod
Hesiod @wikipedia
ancient greek lyrical poetry
SAPPHO - ΣAΠΦΩ [sap`fo]
Sappho @wikipedia
Article on Sappho's poetry and transliteration of greek by J. B. Hare
The Poems of Sappho -- Index Translation Edwin Marion Cox 1925
ARCHILOCHUS - APXIΛOXOΣ [ar`x^iloxos] The shield-thrower and anti-hero!
Archilochus @wikipedia
dramatists
Drama is of course theatre, but the plays were written in poetic verse and metre.
Classical drama and theatre. University course by Mark Damen retr. 06 NOV 2007.
Oxford Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama, University of Oxford
Theatre of ancient greece @wikipedia
the three tragic dramatists
AESCHYLUS AIΣXYΛOΣ mod.gre.pronunc:[es`çilos]
SOPHOCLES ΣOΦOKΛHΣ [sofo`klis]
EURIPIDES EYPIΠIΔHΣ [evri`piδis]
comedy
ARISTOPHANES APIΣTOΦANHΣ [aristo`fanis]
contemporary performance of ancient drama
Greeks love theatre. During summers all the country's ancient theatres are packed with thousands of spectators. An average Epidaurus-event is attended by c.15 thousand people. Ancient drama is not attended only by scholars! Not at all!!! People relate to it very naturally. The old villagers of the nearby village Lygourio, who were traditionally allowed to watch dress rehearsals since the 50s are the toughest critics! The Epidaurus Festival was established in 1954, following earlier attempts for the revival of ancient drama by the poet Sikelianos at Delphi.
Documentary: Lygourio and the Ancient Theater / Yorgos Antoniou Λυγουριό και αρχαίο θέατρο / Γιώργος Αντωνίου
Drama in theatre:
Actress Katina PAXINOY, Actor: Alexis Minotis, DIRECTORS: Karolos Koun, Dimitris Rontiris.
Drama in film: Film director: Mikhalis CACOYIANNIS.
To watch a drama, the perfect place is Epidaurus. A very distant second best would be the Herodion of Athens.
If you cannot come to greece, look for the filmed production of the 1962: Electra by Sophocles, director: Dimitris Rontiris, Electra: Aspasia Papathanasiou, production: BBC.
The famous monologue with Aspasia Papathanasiou

didskalia.net About Theatre
late antiquity
LOYKIANOS (Lucian) of Samosata - ΛOYKIANOΣ 125-180 e.v. [lucia`nos]
I laugh to tears reading the Dialogus of the Dead (gre: NEKPIKOI ΔIAΛOΓOI)
Lucian of Samosata by wikipedia
Lucianus works translated in english at www.sacred-texts.com
hellenistic texts in KOINE language
texts from the New Testament
minus dead links, 2025.08.10.