Ancient Greek Magic: A Linguistic Approach
This course is designed for beginners to the ancient Greek language who have a strong interest in the Greek Magical Papyri (PGM) and related ancient traditions. Each week, we will examine an ancient Greek ritual text, analyzing it together line-by-line, with a focus on both pronunciation and translation. This weekly exercise will be supplemented with audio and video recordings, original word-for-word translations, and (optional) homework to reinforce the grammar and vocabulary of the PGM. A private community will allow you to interact with the instructor and other students via text and voice chat. The 10-week course begins September 17, 2022.
Registered students will receive:
Each week for 10 weeks, there will be a live videoconference of approximately 90 minutes. Each session will cover:
a brief grammar lesson utilizing Learn to Read Greek, including suggested (optional) homework for the week;
a thorough review of the week’s ritual translation project (see below);
a lecture on the historical context of the week’s ritual (and on Greco-Egyptian magic in general);
opportunities to ask questions about any of the material.
All registered students will receive access to the recordings of the videoconferences.
Each week, I will release a new interlinear version (Greek and English) of a ritual from the PGM. These include original translations that pay close attention to the meaning of the individual Greek words and tend to be more literal and true to the original Greek than the translations in GMPT. In some cases, glossaries of important vocabulary will be provided.
Each week, I will release an original audio recording of the weekly ritual to aid in pronunciation.
Even before the class starts (September 17, 2022), you will receive access to a private Discord server that will serve as a virtual classroom between the weekly videoconferences. (If you are not familiar with Discord, it is free and easy to use.) Some course materials will be released in advance and you are encouraged to begin working through Learn to Read Greek with the community and instructor.
You will become familiar with the best online and offline tools for help with translating ancient Greek. Among these resources are digital copies of the PGM and related texts from Greek antiquity.
You will be provided with answer keys for the (optional) homework assignments.
Additional translations will be made available to registered students during and after the 10-week course.
To get the most out of the course, it is recommended that you acquire a copy of Learn to Read Greek (Part 1) and The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation before the course begins.
About the Instructor:
This course is taught by Brian P. Alt, PhD, the author of the forthcoming book, Interlinear Magic: An Anthology of the Greco-Egyptian Magical Papyri. Brian holds a master’s degree in Classics (ancient Greek and Latin) and a PhD in Religious Studies, with an emphasis on ancient Greek and Egyptian religion and magic. He has been studying, reading, and translating ancient Greek for 18 years and has been teaching courses and seminars on the history of religion, magic, and mythology since 2006.
Seats are Limited!
In order to maintain a small classroom conducive to language learning, I have limited the number of registrations for this course. The registration page will have a live update of the number of seats remaining.
