Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks

56 Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks
Table 3.1:
The Greek Alphabet
Α α alpha a
Β β beta b
G γ gamma g (always hard as in
get, not as in gent)
Δ δ delta d
Ε ε epsilon short e (as in get)
Ζ ζ zeta z
Η η eta long e (as in ate)
Θ θ theta th
Ι ι iota i
Κ κ kappa k
Λ λ lambda l
Μ μ mu m
Ν ν nu n
Ξ ξ xi X
Ο ο omicron short o (as in top)
Π π pi p
Ρ ρ rho r
Σ σ, ς sigma s
Τ τ tau t
Υ υ upsilon u
Φ φ phi ph
Χ χ chi ch
Ψ ψ psi ps
Ω ω omega long o (as in porter)
Each noun, pronoun, and adjective consists of a stem, which never
changes, and an ending, which does. Endings take the form of cases.
For example, the genitive case is the case of possession, as in the
phrase “the bone of the dog ” or “the dog’s bone.” Greek thus tends to
be more economical than English in the number of words it employs.
In addition, the definite and indefinite article (i.e., the, a, or an ) are
frequently omitted, particularly in verse.
Here is a transcription, transliteration, and translation of Book 1,
line 1 of Homer’s The Iliad.