Meter Font Display Help

This page explains how to view the special symbols used for talking about Greek and Latin meter.

Perseus uses a simple encoding for metrical symbols that can be read on any system. The main idea is similar to the use of Beta Code for Greek: necessary symbols are represented by letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. Unless you ask for display in symbol form, you will see metrical symbols represented this way. The diagram shows which letters and numbers are used for which metrical symbols.

If you have one of the supported fonts, however, you can see metrical symbols in their familiar forms. In the Configure Display tool, under "Meter Display," select "Show as symbols."

There are two supported fonts. First of all, if you are using Unicode, (see the Greek font help for more details), your ordinary display font probably includes the symbols we use. Although the Unicode standard does not include all the metrical symbols that scholars use, it has adequate equivalents for most of them. The display may be unattractive but it will be comprehensible.

Second, if you are not using Unicode, you may install Anaxiphorminx, a font created by Dr. Ilja L. Pfeijffer of Leiden University. Anaxiphorminx is available from the CL Fonts Project of the Classical Association of the Empire State. The font was originally created for the Macintosh, but there is a True Type version as well, suitable for Windows or Unix systems. Anaxiphorminx will not work on Perseus pages in the UTF-8 encoding, however. Perseus does not support or maintain this font, but provides these links for your convenience.

The Configure Display tool does not allow you to select a specific font for meter. If your system uses Unicode (more strictly, if Perseus pages are presented to you in UTF-8 encoding), only the Unicode meter symbols will work. If your system does not use Unicode, only Anaxiphorminx will work. You may use the "transliteration" of metrical symbols on any platform.
On a Unicode system, you will be able to use the Anaxiphorminx font with other applications, just not with Perseus pages.