Description

The Astronautilia or Little Space Odyssey is a sci-fi story about the quest for the sheep that observes the universe, which has been stolen by the villain Mandys. It is an epic poem in Homeric Greek written by Jan Křesadlo, a Czech novelist and poet, and published in 1995, and is a wholly unique work of literature. The story is humorous and full of adventure. We will read from a facsimile of Křesadlo’s hand-written Greek text and discuss in Ancient Greek. For those unacquainted with Homeric Greek, we will spend part of the first class session going over the main differences between Homeric and Attic.

ἡ Ἀστροναυτιλία ἢ ἡ Μικροοδυσσεία ἡ κοσμική ἐστι “σαῖ-φαῖ” ποίημα περὶ τῆς ζητήσεως τοῦ προβάτου τοῦ κοσμοθεωροῦντος, ὃ ἔκλεψε ὁ Μάνδυς. τὸ δὲ ποίημα ἐγράφη ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰωάννου Πυρείων τῇ Ὁμηρικῇ διαλέκτῳ. ἀναγνωσόμεθα μὲν οὖν ἐκ τοῦ χειρογράφου τοῦ Ἰωάννου, ἑλληνιστὶ δὲ περὶ αὐτοῦ διαλεξόμεθα. τοῖς δὲ μὴ ἐμπείροις τῆς Ὁμηρικῆς διαλέκτου δείξομεν πῶς διαφέρει τῆς Ἀττικῆς.

For Whom Is This Course?

• • intermediate to advanced learners of Ancient Greek

Prerequisites

• • good knowledge of Ancient Greek (at least one year of university studies or equivalent)
  • prior experience speaking the language is recommended
  • prior experience with Homeric Greek is recommended but not required

Language of Instruction

• • Ancient Greek

Text

• The full text of the Astronautilia is available for free (no registration needed) on the Municipal Library of Prague website (Greek text begins on page 34 of the pdf):
  https://web2.mlp.cz/koweb/00/04/61/51/45/astronautilia_hvezdoplavba.pdf

Time & Date

• • May 19, 2025, to July 28, 2025 (ten weeks in total, once a week; no class on June 2)
    Every Monday, 19:00-20:00 Central European Time

Teacher

 

Josef Chlachula

Josef grew up in Minnesota and is pursuing a master’s degree in classical philology in Prague, Czechia. His main interests are in Greek poetry and Hellenistic philosophy and has previously taught classes on these topics at Argos Ancient Greek.

Registration

To register, please put the class into your digital shopping card and proceed to checkout. Alternatively, you can also send us an email: info@argos-didaskei.com

 

FAQ

Which pronunciation do you use?

We use the Erasmian pronunciation of Ancient Greek.

How many students are there in each class?

Classes are capped at six students.

Where do classes meet?

We will meet on Zoom or Teams. The teacher will send you the meeting link before the first session.

What happens after my purchase?

After you have paid you will receive a confirmation email. A week before the class starts, the teacher will send you the meeting link as well as other useful information.

Which payment methods do you offer?

We are currently offering the following payment methods: bank transfer (US or SEPA), Wise, PayPal, credit card.

What happens if I need to cancel a class?

You can cancel your registration any time via email. If you cancel before a class has started, you will receive a full refund of the course fee you have paid minus a ten percent administration fee. If you have to cancel a class that has already started, you will receive a partial refund in direct proportion to the number of classes that you have attended minus the ten percent administration fee. For example: If you have to cancel half way in of a course, you will receive a 50% refund minus 10% percent of the originally paid course fee.

I have further questions: Who can I contact?

Feel free to write us an email: info@argos-didaskei.com