A Brief History of Ancient Greek
Brief Histories of the Ancient World
1. Edition January 2014
232 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Short Description
A Brief History of Ancient Greek presents the history of this ancient language from its Indo-European beginnings to the present day, and explains key relationships between the language and literature of the Classical period (500 - 300 BC). The development of the language is written in the framework of modern sociolinguistic theory, and throughout the text, Colvin reflects the latest scholarship on subjects such as Koiné Greek and the relationship between literary and vernacular Greek. The text is written to be accessible to readers with little or no Greek.
A Brief History of Ancient Greek accessibly depicts the social history of this ancient language from its Indo-European roots to the present day.
* Explains key relationships between the language and literature of the Classical period (500 - 300 BC)
* Provides a social history of the language which transliterates and translates all Greek as appropriate, and is therefore accessible to readers who know little or no Greek
* Written in the framework of modern sociolinguistic theory, relating the development of Ancient Greek to its social and political context
* Reflects the latest thinking on subjects such as Koiné Greek and the relationship between literary and vernacular Greek
Preface and Acknowledgments vii
1 The Indo-European Beginnings 1
2 An Aegean Co-Production 17
3 Mycenean Greek 32
4 The Dark Ages 51
5 The Alphabet 68
6 The Greek Dialects 89
7 Homer and the Epic Tradition 113
8 The Language of Greek Poetry 134
9 Bare Words: The Start of a Common Language 156
10 Greek to Romaic and Back 178
Appendix: The Greek Alphabet and Pronunciation 200
Abbreviations and Symbols 202
Glossary 204
References 207
Index 211
