Athenaze, Book II: An Introduction to Ancient Greek

by Maurice Balme, Gilbert Lawall, James Morwood

Combining the best features of traditional and modern methods, Athenaze: An Introduction to Ancient Greek 3/e, provides a unique, bestselling course of instruction that allows students to read connected Greek narrative right from the begining and guides them to the point where they can begin reading complete classical texts. Carefully designed to hold students' interest, the course begins in Book I with a fictional narrative about an Attic farmer's family placed in a precise historical context (423-431 B.C.). This narrative, interwoven with tales from mythology and the Persian Wars, gradually gives way in Book II to adapted passages from Thucydides, Plato, and Herodotuc and ultimately to excerpts of the original Greek of Bacchylides, Thucudides, and Aristophanes' Acharnians. Essays on relevant aspects of ancient Greek culture and history are also woven throughout.

Genres: Language, Classics, Nonfiction, Linguistics, Textbooks, Reference, Classical Studies

480 pages, Paperback

First published February 14, 1991

Reviews

[Abigail]

I look upon Balme & Lawall's introductory classical Greek text, Athenaze, as a single work that happens to be published in two volumes. Nothing expresses my feelings about Book II better than my review of Book I, which I have duplicated below (with some minor adjustments):

Good old Dicaeopolis! Lazy Xanthias! Brave Philip! How we students enjoyed snickering at the "Dick and Jane" approach to classical Greek that is to be found in this introductory text, and what an effective teaching tool it turned out to be...

This was the book used in the beginning Greek class I took in college, Book I the first semester, and Book II the second. Each unit contains a list of vocabulary, a text in Greek, a Word Study, a section on Grammar, and a list of exercises. Taken sequentially, the texts tell the story of Attic farmer Dicaeopolis and his family, living in Greece at the beginning of the Peloponnesian War. Interspersed throughout are various passages explaining some of the cultural background of the story. This second volume has 15 units, each divided into two lessons. The book also contains a reference grammar at the back , a brief dictionary, and an index.

These books are ideally suited, I think, for introducing students to this ancient language. They allow one to jump into textual passages right from the beginning, even though very little grammar or vocabulary has been learned. While I can think of any number of things more interesting than Dicaeopolis digging stones out of a field, it would be impossible to jump right into Homer, Plato, or any of the other greats. Nor would it be especially pleasant to spend an entire year doing nothing but memorizing lists of vocabulary and tables of grammar paradigms. Here is a noble compromise: and though my classmates and I may have groaned, I look back now with nostalgic fondness.

[Will]

πᾶς αὔτος ἔστιν Ἕλληνικος ἐμοῖ. ἀλλὰ ὀυ ῆν τὸ βίβλιον κὰκον.

[Drianne]

Finally finished Book 2! It gets way harder, way fast once you're past the made up bits and into the adapted Herodotus/Thucydides. I did really enjoy when we got back to Dicaeopolis at the end, though. And I loved the chapter where Dicaeopolis and Myrrhine were evacuating the farm.

[Nick Werner]

Read on and off over the last 2 months at about 2 chapters per sitting. Not bad, but I hear the Italian version is much more text-rich.

Not good enough to recommend over Luschnig's text, but I could be wrong if the Italian edition adds a good amount. I will eventually get a copy to work through.

[Walter Gay]

Good one, prepares you to be reading real Greek fairly well

[Brian]

I love Athenaze I; I’m less enamored of Athenaze II. I appreciate the attempt to initiate students into Thucydides, Herodotus, and Aristophanes, but by the end of the book the grade is impossibly steep. More could have been gained by sticking with the Dicaeopolis story and providing more exposure to perfects and conditionals.

[Bill Tucker]

Not too hateful, but a bit patronizing if you ask me. I expected something akin to Wheelock's Latin, but got a text book written more with middle-schoolers in mind.

[Eclarep]

My second Ancient Greek textbook. Good textbook, considering there aren't many textbooks for Ancient Greek.

[William Herbst]

Used the text as an undergraduate.

[c]

Praiseworthy explanations of grammatical constructions woefully incoherently sequenced.

[Martin]

A brilliant introduction to Ancient Greek.