A Greek Anthology

Here is a selection of popular passages from the Perseus Greek texts. Use the "configure display" tool, above, and set your default text preference to "original language" for the quickest access to the Greek originals.

Note that this is not the Greek Anthology, a selection of short poems from the Hellenistic period.

Authors:

• Euripides
• Herodotus
• Homer
• Lysias
• Plato
• Sophocles
• Thucydides
• Xenophon
• New Testament (Bible)

Euripides

• Bacchae 677-774, messenger speech describing the Bacchae on the mountain Bacchae dancing with Dionysus
• Bacchae 862-912, the fawn ode
• Medea 214-266, Medea's first speech. Compare Apollonius Rhodius book 3, which tells of the meeting of Jason and Medea.

Herodotus

• Book 1 chapters 1-5, the beginnings of conflict between Greeks and the East
• 1.7-14, Candaules and Gyges
• 2.66-67, sacred cats of Egypt
• 6.94-120, the battle of Marathon Marathon seen from the south
• 7.210-225, the battle of Thermopylae
• 7.226, "We will fight in the shade."
• 8.83-96, the battle of Salamis

Homer

• Iliad, opening
• Il. 9.182-668, the embassy to Achilles
• 22.90-404, the climactic battle
• Odyssey, opening
• 19.96-507, Penelope questions Odysseus; Eurycleia recognizes him

Lysias

• On the Murder of Eratosthenes
• The Sacred Olive Tree An olive tree
• Against Eratosthenes, opening
• Against Eratosthenes 19, petty theft
• Against Eratosthenes 95-100, peroration
• On the Refusal of a Pension

Plato

• Apology of Socrates: his speech in his own defense
• Phaedo, the death of Socrates Portrait of Socrates
• Ion, a dialogue with a singer
• Republic 514a-518b (start of book 7), the image of the cave

Sophocles

• Ajax 646-692, the "deception speech"
• Antigone 332-383, the "Ode to Man"
• Oedipus the King 1110-1185, Oedipus gets the final information

Thucydides

• Book 2, ch. 34-46, the funeral oration pronounced by Pericles Portrait of Pericles
• 3.36-50, the debate on Mytilene. Compare Aristophanes Knights, a caricature of Cleon. Mytilene from the air
• 5.84-114, dialogue between Athenians and Melians

Xenophon

• Apology of Socrates, an eyewitness account
• Anabasis 4.7.18-27, the Ten Thousand reach the sea

New Testament

• Matthew 5-7: The Sermon on the Mount
• Luke 2: Nativity
• 1 Corinthians 13: The nature of love