Ancient Greek course THE PALLADION

In the winter of 2026, the Palladion is offering two courses in Ancient Greek at beginner and intermediate levels. The courses are hybrid, open to participants at any location via the Zoom platform, and available in-person in Budapest.

Why learn Ancient Greek in the 21^st century? A solid training in the language allows one to read key texts of history, literature, philosophy, and religion from Classical Greece through Late Antiquity and the Byzantine era in the original, opening fresh perspectives on the roots of our modern world — from the Iron Age and Classical Athens to Early Christianity and beyond.

What do we offer? In the long term, participants in our Greek courses will gain a sound knowledge of the Ancient Greek language — the ability to read, analyze, and interpret primary source material in the original. After four terms (two years) of study, participants should be able to study Greek texts independently with the aid of a dictionary and commentary, critically assess modern translations of Ancient Greek works, and attend Greek reading seminars at higher education institutions.

What do the courses look like? This is an online (hybrid) course, accessible to participants worldwide via Zoom, with the option to attend in person in Budapest. Each session (75 minutes, twice a week) begins with a brief review and discussion of the homework, which mainly consists of grammar exercises. Regular homework is assigned, and participants should plan to spend about twice as much time on preparation as in the online sessions themselves. For participation, a computer (not just a smartphone) with a stable internet connection is required, since all participants need to follow the shared materials on Zoom. To support ongoing learning, an online platform will also be set up in the first weeks for discussions of texts, homework, and related questions, ensuring continuous exchange among participants.

Ancient Greek LANGUAGE COURSE (Beginner II, in Hungarian)

In the beginners’ Greek course we work through one chapter of the textbook Reading Greek (Joint Association of Classical Teachers’ Greek Course, 2nd ed, Cambridge University Press, 2007) in each class. In addition, we read sentences or (very short) excerpts from ancient authors to highlight the diversity of the ancient Greek language (dialects, periods, styles) and to prepare students for reading authentic Greek texts. The grammar volume of Reading Greek is used for overview, memorization, and practice of the grammar introduced in each session.

Expected prerequisite knowledge: basic knowledge of noun declension (1st, 2nd, and 3rd declensions); present-tense active and middle indicative verb conjugation; recognition of the forms of the most common pronouns (personal pronouns, demonstrative pronouns). This corresponds to the material covered in chapters 1–3 of Reading Greek.

Thematic READING SEMINAR in Ancient Greek (Intermediate level, in English)

Ancient Greek Reading Seminar 2026 Winter
Sophocles: Philoctetes

„… I see with mortal men
the tongue, not action, rules in everything.”

The Palladion Reading Course of Winter 2026 proposes a fresh examination of one of the most polyvalent classical tragedies, Sophocles’ Philoctetes. Written in Athens during the late – but not yet fatal – years of the Peloponnesian War, the play revisits the world of Homer by bringing on stage three celebrated heroes of the Trojan War: Odysseus, Neoptolemos, and Philoctetes. However, the playwright looks at the bygone events through such a strong moral lens that the heroic acts of Homeric reality evoke pressing dilemmas of contemporary Athenian politics and philosophy, as well as fundamental aspects of human existence: obedience and integrity, choice and responsibility, fate and free will.
During the course, we will read and discuss key scenes of the drama: the dispute of Odysseus and Neoptolemos over the means of obtaining the famous bow, the encounter between Neoptolemos and Philoctetes, the rise of hope followed by painful disillusionment, Neoptolemos’ transformation from Odysseus’ companion to Philoctetes’ admirer, and finally, the protagonist’s desperate protest against his fate. Through close reading, the course aims to observe the motives and reasoning behind human actions, and to understand how the web of lies woven by the witty Odysseus to hunt down the lonely Philoctetes becomes in fact a catch for the honest but naïve Neoptolemos.

The reading course is open to any participants with a sound knowledge of Ancient Greek morphology (declensions, conjugation of ω-verbs, and basic vocabulary), and some prior experience in reading Ancient Greek texts. Throughout the course, we will read, analyse, and interpret selected dialogues, speeches and choral songs of the drama, with an emphasis on precise grammatical analysis and careful contextual interpretation. More advanced grammatical topics will also be introduced as needed, in response to the interests and abilities of the participants.

Suggested text editions to be used:

R. C. Jebb (ed., introd., comm.): Sophocles’ Philoctetes. Cambridge University Press, 1898.
S. L. Schein (ed., introd., comm.): Sophocles’ Philoctetes. Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics, 2013.

Suggested works about the Philoctetes:

Oliver Taplin: The Mapping of Sophocles’ Philoctetes: Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies 34, 69–77.
M. H. Jameson: ’Politics and the Philoctetes’: Classical Philology 51/4 (1956), 217–227.
Charles Segal: ’Philoctetes and the Imperishable Piety’: Hermes 105/ 2 (1977), 133–158.
Thomas M. Falkner: Containing Tragedy: Rhetoric and Self-Representation in Sophocles’ “Philoctetes”: Classical Antiquity 17/1 (1998), 25–58.
Gordon M. Kirkwood: ’Persuasion and Allusion in Sophocles’ ‘Philoctetes’: Hermes 122/4 (1994), 425–436.