I’d like to introduce myself a bit. I first learned Ancient Greek and Latin long ago and I decided now to brush up on it again. I just finished Pharr’s Homeric Greek and enjoyed it a lot. I really like the Homeric epics and Homer’s way of telling a story that is still thrilling after all this time. As a next step, I’d like to concentrate more on Attic. I have the Italian version of Athenaze and Zuntz’s Course, and it would be nice to maybe find a few people who also work with those books.
Χαῖρε! Everyone seems to think the Italian version of Athenaze is the best. I use the American 3rd edition, which I think is quite clear and still has the advantage of the connected stories and seeing the grammar and syntax in context. Zuntz is quite dense, but with lots of examples and exercises, and, as I recall, with a real attempt to incorporate as much “real” Greek (Greek from ancient authors) as possible. I would tend to go with Athenaze. Your experience with Pharr and Homeric Greek means that you should move quickly through it. Pharr intended Homeric Greek to be the baseline from which you could then springboard to Attic with minimal instruction. The experience of most of us is the other way round, starting with Attic Greek. I remember fearing Homer, and the professor saying “It won’t be nearly as difficult as you think – you’ll be up and running in no time,” and of course, she was right.
I really enjoyed working through Ørberg’s Lingua latina per se illustrata and when I learned that there was an attempt to apply the method to Ancient Greek I was sold instantly. So that’s that
I had the same impression when I first looked at it some time ago. So I’d be really interested in hearing what people who have been using it on their own have to say about it. I can see it as a great resource for a course with an instructor and fellow students… But it seems a bit tough for someone who is alone.
That’s the plan, yes. My main goal is to use it as a way to absorb all the things that I have forgotten about Attic and to conveniently build up some vocabulary along the way. So that afterwards reading becomes more fun when I don’t have to look up too many new words and also get a better grip on more complicated syntax. Homer was quite relaxed in this regard.
And, of course, independently of which book you’re using it’s always nice to be able to talk to someone who shares your experience.
I too completed Pharr prior to starting Attic and have found the transition not at all overwhelming. After Pharr, I carried on with Homeric Greek and read the rest of the Iliad and am now nearing the end of the Odyssey (literally!). To transition to Attic, I first read Amy Barbour’s Selections from Herodotus which feature the Ionic dialect, then moved on to Xenophon’s Anabasis and Hellenica.
In terms of textbooks, I did complete Cynthia Claxton’s Attica: Intermediate Classical Greek to prepare for Xenophon. Her book provides a rapid review of Attic Morphology and Syntax whilst focusing on analysis of Attic prose by reading selections from Xenophon’s Hellenica, Antiphon’s Against the Stepmother for Poisoning and Euripides’ Electra. An answer key is available through the Yale University Press site, should you decide to try it. It’s relatively inexpensive: https://www.amazon.com/Attica-Intermediate-Classical-Readings-Exercises/dp/030017876X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=SUSROL7ZNP7T&dchild=1&keywords=claxton+attica&qid=1611510723&sprefix=claxton+attic%2Caps%2C194&sr=8-1
I will warn you though that others have found some of the chapters that deal with the speeches by Kritias and Theramenes to be somewhat challenging. In any event, I wish you well on your journey, whichever path you take!
