Since its publication in 1990 Athenaze An Introduction to Ancient Greek has helped tens of thousands of students learn classical Greek Building on the bestselling tradition of previous editions the long-awaited third edition combines the best features of traditional & modern teaching methods It provides a unique course of instruction that allows students to read connected Greek narrative right from the beginning & guides them to the point where they can begin reading complete classical texts James Morwood editor of the Oxford Grammar of Classical Greek & the Pocket Oxford Classical Greek Dictionary brings his expertise & years of teaching experience to this revision Carefully designed to hold students' interest the course begins in Book I with a fictional narrative about an Attic farmer's family placed in a precise historical context (432-431 BC) This narrative interwoven with tales from mythology & the Persian Wars gradually gives way in Book II to adapted passages from Thucydides Plato & Herodotus & ultimately to excerpts of the original Greek of Bacchylides Thucydides & Aristophanes' Acharnians Essays on relevant aspects of ancient Greek culture & history are also woven throughout