Where to start with Ancient Greek literature according to an Ancient Historian [cc]

One of the things I love about ancient Greek comedy, Aristophanes in particular is how recognizable some of this humour is. You will find in Aristophanes straight up fart jokes that just demonstrate the way in which some things just never seem to go out of style.

This one right here is my favourite piece of ancient Greek literature for so many reasons. It is comical it's entertaining and it's just like I said so readable.

Now personally this is my favourite piece of epic literature but that's going to vary depending on what kind of reader you are. I love this book and I love the story and I love the mythology it deals with.

I understand why it's a really compelling play, there's a lot of emotion in there, it's really fascinating but it is Euripides version of this myth.

I do think this one is probably one of the best to start with in terms of getting to grips with the genre of ancient Greek tragedy, it doesn't feel so much like a vignette within a larger story it feels like a whole story if you read them all back to back.

I think it's a really interesting little book and a really great introduction to Plato.

Even those poems only have two lines surviving are so beautiful that this book is so well worth reading. I think any poetry lover of any era could get something from this collection.

So chronologically it's the Iliad that comes first in terms of events. This specifically follows the soldier Achilles and his rage and his emotional turmoil during a short period in the Trojan war. As much as this is obviously a very important piece of literature and beloved by many I personally feel that the Odyssey is one that is much more accessible to new readers of ancient literature.

This one is an adventure story, it's the journey of the hero Odysseus following the trojan war as he attempts to get back home but is waylaid by a myriad of different mythical beasts and gods and creatures that get in his way. If you're a fan of Circe by madeline miller this is probably your first port of call for reading more and I would really highly recommend this.

These are usually collected together but they are not from a complete trilogy, they all deal with the same myth. They can be read consecutively to get a good idea of the myth as a whole. And it's just another really great insight into some really famous Greek mythology.

This is my go-to recommendation for anybody who wants an overview of Greek mythology from the original literature. It is the closest thing in ancient Greek literature you will find to a full collection of their myths in one place.

These poems take you back through the family tree of some of the most important, most well-known Greek gods so it gives you a really good introduction to the topic of Greek mythology. I think because of that it makes for very easy reading.