A brief introduction: a million years ago, I did Classical & Medieval Latin at Liverpool University, escaping with a “Gentleman’s Degree” and, along with several of my cohort, a drink problem. That was followed up with some archaeology (south-east England in the Romano-British Period) at evening class, that involved a dig on - and under - the site of the Rose Theatre on the Thames on a very wet Saturday; I am now very much an armchair archaeologist! I am also qualified (and allowed) to teach Latin, although that’s not what I’m doing these days. I still struggle through the occasional text, more often with a Loeb than with Lewis & Short.
I did try ancient Greek for a year, but the rot had already set in. I was struggling with a hangover and a particular (unseen, tho’ it should’ve been prepared for homework) sentence; the conversation with the tutor went something like this:
Er … the smoke … er, where’s the verb? Oh, OK. Was coming … was coming from, no, coming out of, er, the, er …
Dane, where is the smoke likely to be coming from?
(After a moment’s thought) The chimney?
Dane, we are talking about a dragon.
And now my interest has returned to Greek, this time NT koine rather than Thrasymacus. All assistance gratefully received!
On the one question that any two Classicists will debate for hours: although the Iliad has a lot going for it, I’m an Odyssey person (in translation only, so far …).
Hey,
welcome to textkit. This site will be a great aid for your study. It will never tell you that smoke doesn’t come out of a chimney or a dragon!
Great that you want to learn Greek again and I think, euhm euhm, I sure of it: you are at the right place for that.
Please, do go and teach! There is a huge lack of latin teachers nationwide, even for the lack of schools offering latin nowadays; plus, intoxicated or not (some of our teachers are anyway in class) you would certainly be an interesting down to earth and fun teacher with a degree in latin
Universities eh…I have been told of various distractions that some people have, all but the actual studying for the degree. i.e. a girls’ university, “you just can’t find a boyfriend here” - ‘as if that’s the reason wherefore they came’ if I may quote Raya
Welcome! I’m studying both Greek and Latin, although more of the Latin. Textkit is the best place for learning either that I’ve ever found yet. Actually, I probably wouldn’t even be learning Latin , except that the Latin section looked soooo tempting!
Good one, about the dragon! - but you wouldn’t believe some of the moments I’ve had with my own Greek tutors. And my mistakes always have to end up containing the most embarrassing (and very unintended) innuendos…
More of an Odyssey than an Iliad person? What if I said I’m more of a Sappho than a Homer person?
Is it just me who finds it suspicious that you never hear of Classicists who will admit to not liking Homer?
Anyway, good luck with your studies and enjoy your time here! Feel free to PM me or the other moderators if you have any issues with the forums.
Anyway, have a nice time in Textkit!
