Library of Greek Passages

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Herodotus 6.107: Hippias Loses a Tooth

Content: Hippias, the former tyrant of Athens, exiled and in the service of Darius, the king of Persia, accompanies the Persian expedition to Marathon in 490 BCE. An odd dream and dental mishap leads him to conclude that Persia will not conquer Greece.

Grammar: progressive and aorist indicatives, present, past, and future; progressive and aorist participles. There are no imperatives, subjunctives, or optatives. No subordination (no indirect statements, no relative clauses, etc.) The dialect is Ionic.

Exercise sentences with map

Herodotus Hippias Loses a Tooth Sentences

Full passage

Herodotus Hippias Loses a Tooth

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Herodotus 7.220: The Pythia’s Prophecy

Content: ahead of the Persian invasion of the Greek mainland in 480 BCE, the Delphic Oracle predicted that Sparta would fall unless one of its kings dies. Perhaps this is why Leonidas chose to die at Thermopylae.

Grammar: a short indirect statement, a subjunctive, a participle, and the future. Otherwise the grammar is simple. Just lots of new vocabulary.

Full passage with commentary

ΤΑ ΤΗϹ ΠΥΘΙΗϹ ΜΑΝΤΗΙΑ

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Homer, Odyssey 17.290-327: Argos the Dog

Content: in this famous passage, Odysseus’s dog, Argos, recognizes Odysseus, who has returned to his palace in disguise.

Grammar: a smattering of everything, though only one non-indicative verb (an optative).

Full passage with commentary

Argos the Dog