Sesklo- The first Greek Settlement

SESKLO

The first GREEK settlement?

Well probably not since other Neolithic settlements like Nea Nikomedia have also since been found in Thessaly in Northern Greece but its one of the oldest dating occupied for over a thousand years.

Why do I consider this Neolithic settlement to be Greek ?

Note the use of slip and the symmetrical  arrangement of the cord used to  create a geometric pattern rather than spirals and the overall symmetry.

Now here's a reconstruction of what archaeologists think Sesklo looked like.

MMM terraced hillside and is it a central plaza / agora next to the main building?

Why do I say terrace rather than wall? This is Greece well their ancestors ... the houses are close but separate on a hill to leave slopes and flatter land free for farming and grazing and while many archaeologists believe walls were for defence ... remember there were still four legged predators back then and a need maybe to shelter garden plants from storms and rain and wandering stock .

Perhaps Sesklo should be called a proto polis?

Arithmoi Greek Numbers Post 2 1 to 10

ARITHMOI GREEK NUMBERS ONE TO TEN

Here are the Numbers One to TEN in Greek

1 ONE M. εἱς F. μία N. ἕν

(see the previous post for the full declension of the first 4 numbers).

2 TWO All genders follow this declension pattern

Nominative Accusative δύο Genitive Dative δυοῖν

3 THREE M. F. τρεῖς N. τρία

4 FOUR M. F. τέτταρες N. τέτταρα

5 FIVE πέντε

6 SIX ἕξ

7 SEVEN ἑπτά

8 EIGHT ὀκτώ

9 NINE ἐννέα

10 TEN δέκα

The modern Greek forms are ένα δύο τρία τέσσερα πέντε ἕξι ἑφτὰ ὀχτὼ ἐννιὰ δέκα

The number One is also used as the indefinite article in Modern Greek.

Next post a look at the origins of Greek culture in the Neolithic and then we return to numbers and the Ordinals First ... Second .. third . 

Arithmoi Greek Numbers Post One in a Series

ARITHMOI GREEK NUMBERS

Arithmetic is a word of Greek origins coming from ἀριθμοι

Here are the First Four Cardinal Numbers in Greek

I have given them a separate post because the other cardinal numerals are indeclinable.

ONE

Masculine εἱς Feminine μία Neuter ἕν

Masculine Nominative εἱς Accusative ἕνα Genitive ἑνός Dative ἑνί

Feminine Nominative μία Accusative μίαν Genitive μιᾶς Dative μιᾷ

Neuter Nominative ἕν Accusative ἕν Genitive ἑνός Dative ἑνί

TWO

There are no differences. All genders follow this declension pattern

Nominative and Accusative δύο Genitive and Dative δυοῖν

THREE

Masculine Nominative τρεῖς Accusative τρεῖς Genitive τριῶν Dative τρισί(ν)

Feminine Nominative τρεῖς Accusative τρεῖς Genitive τριῶν Dative τρισί(ν)

Neuter Nominative τρία Accusative τρία Genitive τριῶν Dative τρισί(ν)

FOUR

Masculine Nominative τέτταρες Accusative τέτταρας Genitive τεττάρων Dative τέτταρσι(ν)

τέτταρες τέτταρες τέτταρες

Feminine Nominative τέτταρες Accusative τέτταρας Genitive τεττάρων Dative τέτταρσι(ν)

Neuter Nominative τέτταρα Accusative τέτταρα Genitive τεττάρων Dative τέτταρσι(ν)

Check out the next post for the complete set from 1 to 10 along with their modern Greek Demotic equivalents!

Greek Diphthongs

DIPHTHONGS

The Double Vowel Sounds of Greek

Δίφθογγοι

αι Classical high aisle height Demotic e as in ten

αυ Classical how law house Demotic af or av

ει Classical fiancee fete they feign Demotic i

ευ Classical met moon new Demotic ef or ev

ηυ Classical ee + ou

οι Classical foil boy Demotic i

ου Classical moon Demotic u

υι Classical we why French oui lui

For more on the modern pronunciation keep following this blog!

(pre) Classical Cephalopods

Here's two images that say a lot about the differences between Minoan and Mycenaean culture and maybe also  about what some scholars call Apollonian and Dionysiac tendencies in Hellenic culture ?

One A Minoan ceramic vessel decorated with a octopus.

something like a brush was used with a rich ink like iron slip

It's a full round sensous vessel embraced by the cephalopod's tentacles.

Now scroll down and check out this Mycenaean vessel.

Very symmetrical and classical and balanced and orderly.

Personally I like the Minoan one better but there's something Greek about both of them!

A Celebration of Life and the Sea?

Next time back to Phonology with an explanation of diphthongs!

The Sounds of Greek Fourth in a Series

THE SOUNDS OF GREEK

How Greek Was and Is Pronounced

This is part 4 of a series of 4 blogs over one week.

Τ τ Tau Tactics or Time or sTand

Υ υ Upsilon The French U in Tu or the German ü or the Y in the form of Welsh that pronounces it as U. IPA [y] This sound tends to change to a i and is pronounced as I in Modern Greek just as some Modern Welsh speakers use i for the sound spelt “Y” instead of the “u” and also explains Greek sun in sunthesis becoming sinthesis in English.

Φ φ Phi The Aspirated P at the beginning of words like Phobos or English Pin or Pool or mop-handle.

Modern Greek F as in Fat

Χ χ Chi An Aspirated K as in English Cat or Cool.

In Modern Greek it's a Fricative like the sound in the Gaelic (NOT the English) pronunciation of Loch or the ch in German words like Machen

This sound is also often transliterated as “h” as in Hue as it becomes ç before i and e but English speakers tend to hear it as a H so Classical Greek Metokhee is pronounced metohi in modern Greek.

Ψ ψ Psi Ps Pi plus Sigma as in EcliPSe or English caPS

Ω ω Omega the BIG O Ode Ocean like English sAW

There is NO H in Classical Greek. Aspirated letters have their own symbols.

Theta for Th Phi for Phi Chi for Kh. These are NOT Fricatives in Classical Greek!

However there is what scholars call a rough breathing.

In classical Greek Ὀρος is oros but ὁρος is horos. Ῥήτωρ is rheetoor.

Altough the historical rough breathing is used in written forms in many Modern Greek texts the “h” is NOT spoken and you will often see the breathing symbol omitted.

The dictionary form Holos ὅλος all becomes όλος olos.

(I am not going to explain Katherousa versus Dhemotika here!

That is a topic for a separate post)

The Sounds of Greek Third in a Series

THE SOUNDS OF GREEK

How Greek Was and Is Pronounced

This is part 3!

As the Greek ABC has 24 letters I will be posting this article as a series of 4 blogs over one week.

Ν ν Nu in Naxos or net

Ξ ξ Xi usually a ks sound as in Sphinx sphinks or boX boks

Ο ο Omicron O in Optic or pOt but Modern Greek the sound in bOUght or tAUt and spells u as ου!

Π π Pi in Perimeter or sPin

Ρ ρ Rho Rhinoceros or Run or thRee was more like the Scots Rolled R.

Σ ς σ Sigma Stasis or Sign and sTick

A medial double sigma as in thalassa is 2 S sounds NOT a Z.

In Modern Greek s before a Voiced Consonant becomes a Z