Greek and
Latin
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Getting Started
Very, VERY few state schools offer instruction in Latin, and even fewer offer access to Ancient Greek. With the state of things as they are, many people will need to learn these languages as independent learners.
There are a lot of resources available if you want to learn these languages, and here we present a selection which has helped us with our own learning. On desktop, just hover your mouse over the picture for a bit more info and a link.
Whether you are just getting started, or are a bit further on in your ancient language journey, these resources should provide a bit of help. As the site develops, we will try to add to these sections, so if you find something that is really useful to you elsewhere, please send us a link so we can add it here.
We've tried to group them broadly according to level, but there is of course a lot of overlap. Some reference books especially are aimed at supporting beginners and more-confident learners simultaneously. As always, browse and see what fits for you; and don’t be afraid to ask if you are looking for something specific, or just need a bit of a hand.
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Beginners
For us, the best for beginners’ self-study. Takes one concept at a time and unfolds the grammar slowly and clearly. An incredible book.
A much-loved series from the Scottish Classics Group, Ecce Romani uses an episodic fiction of a Roman family to illustrate its grammar and syntax instruction. Gets you reading paragraphs in Latin on page one. A favourite.
The most-used Latin course in the world, making Caecilius a meme celebrity.
Again, uses a story to unfold the language, but breaks of for cultural explanations as it goes.
Some teachers prefer the Oxford course which incorporates the life and works of Horace.
Delightful and accessible. Legonium has been linking Latin with Lego for years, and now has a complete course available.
Very useful support for all levels, really. This Latin Vocabulary Tester is split by A-Level (OCR), GCSE (Eduqas), GCSE (OCR) and CLC.
Very clear and very user-friendly. Wonderful, really.
Less of a course and more of a resource, Latin is Simple is an excellent - and completely free - analysis tool for learners getting to grips with grammar.
This textbook has become the standard resource for students who are looking for a clear and thorough introduction to the language of the ancient Greeks.
Designed for complete beginners, Complete Ancient Greek offers a bridge from the textbook to the real world, enabling you to learn the grammar, understand the vocabulary and how to translate the writings of Plato and Homer.
Combining the best features of traditional and modern methods, Athenaze provides a unique course of instruction that allows students to read connected Greek narrative from an early stage, and guides them to the point where they can read complete classical texts.
This free course, Getting started on ancient Greek, offers a taster of the ancient Greek world through the study of one of its most distinctive and enduring features: its language.
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Intermediate
and Beyond
This reader contains selections from Tacitus, Suetonius and Seneca on the first five Roman emperors. They present a dark world of murder, mayhem, debauchery and palace intrigue.
This book is designed for those who have completed an introductory course in Latin and aims to help such users to enjoy one of Latin literature's greatest masterpieces.
This reader is a selection of 441 texts and exercises for reading Latin, at a beginner and intermediate level.
The book is arranged by subject and presents the main grammatical questions related to the study of Latin.
The aim of this book is to make the most famous medieval version of Aesop’s Fables, the elegiac Romulus, accessible to intermediate students of Ancient Latin.
Intensive Intermediate Latin: A Grammar and Workbook comprises an accessible grammar and related exercises in a single volume.
A bit pricey but recommended by many.
With a new approach, "Via Plana" systematically presents the major features of advanced Latin grammar and then offers sixth-formers and undergraduates a 'smooth road' to fluency.
Xenophon of Ephesus’s “pulp” novel, "An Ephesian Tale", is an excellent text for students who have completed the first year of college-level Ancient Greek.
The aim of this book is to make The Judgment of the Goddesses by Lucian of Samosata (c. 120 CE –190) accessible to intermediate students of Ancient Greek.
Philippians: A Greek Student's Intermediate Reader is designed to help intermediate students bridge the gap between the formulaic translation exercises found in grammars and the authentic text of the Greek New Testament.
The most famous Greek texts available, Loeb have become a first-stop when searching out Greek in the original.
Each volume provides a page of ancient text alongside a page of translation.
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Media
A channel for intermediate learners, Lupus Alatus provide readings of stories so we can hear the language, while the text is on screen and the subtitles offer translations. Really, very good indeed.
Minecraftium. Terrific resource for absolute beginners.
Found in Antiquity is an excellent collection of lessons running from beginner to intermediate, as well as discussion and vlogs about Latin, Learning Latin and much besides.
One for those with a familiarity already, Latinitium is an excellent demonstration of teaching and learning through spoken/subtitled Latin.
This course from Easy Latin comprises more than forty lessons, each of around ten minutes. Very good for absolute beginners.
These videos from Learn Ancient Greek are a thorough beginner’s course, from alphabet and breathings to cases to declensions.
Also from Easy Latin, this is a ten lesson introduction to Ancient Greek which will be just enough to get you started.
The Center for Hellenic Studies at Harvard has made a complete course of Ancient Greek available here. It’s very thorough and will see many a beginner through to intermediate level.
A good intermediate Latin course working from Orbis Sensualium Pictus (text available in description of video one). Excellent use of spoken Latin for comprehension.
This collection of Latin grammar videos from PBS will be of use to those who are uncertain of their grammatical terms and their uses.