Ancient Greek echoes through our culture in unexpected ways—sometimes with humor, sometimes with beauty. The word for actor, “hupokrites,” gave us “hypocrite,” while “astronaut” translates poetically to “sailor of the skies.” Myths provided the Achilles heel and the Midas touch. And “crocodile tears” comes from the Greek belief that the scaly carnivore cried while eating its victims.
With humor and fascinating etymology, classical scholar John Davie provides an insightful and entertaining journey through the world of the ancient Greeks, their extraordinary language, and how it still shapes modern minds.
Davie was head of classics at St Paul’s School in London before becoming a lecturer at Trinity College, Oxford. His book, Greek To Us: The Fascinating Ancient Greek That Shapes Our World (Bloomsbury Publishing) is available for purchase.
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