Monday, January 1, 2024

Open Access Ancient Language Textbooks, OERs, and Primers

[Most recently updated 25 October 2023]

Open Access Textbooks, OERs, and Language Primers relating to the ancient world
Additional resources of thus type are accessible through the  Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs) Project pages at the University of Minnesota.

And see also Open Access Textbooks relating to Antiquity at The Open Textbook Library

And see also Lexicity
And see also  Smarthistory, a "multi-media web-book designed as a dynamic enhancement (or even substitute) for the traditional art history textbook"

Textkit has a huge library of Greek and Latin textbooks

Learn Ancient Greek


Listed below is Textkit’s entire collection of Ancient Greek textbooks. All books are made available for full and free download in PDF format.

Greek Answer Keys

First Greek Book Key, John Williams White
First Greek Writer Key, Arthur Sidgwick
Greek Prose Composition Key, North and Hillard
Greek Prose Composition Key, Arthur Sidgwick

Greek Composition Textbooks

First Greek Writer, Arthur Sidgwick
Greek Prose Composition, North and Hillard
Selections from the Septuagint, Conybeare and Stock

Greek Lexicon/Dictionary

Greek Reading Text

Easy Selections From Plato, Arthur Sidgwick

Greek Reference Grammars

Greek Grammar, William W. Goodwin
Greek Grammar, Herbert Weir Smyth

Greek Textbooks

A First Greek Course, Sir William Smith
First Greek Book, John Williams White
First Greek Grammar Accidence, W. Gunion Rutherford
First Greek Grammar Syntax, W. Gunion Rutherford
NT Greek in a Nutshell, James Strong

Learn Latin



Listed below is Textkit’s entire collection of Latin textbooks. All books are made available for full and free download in PDF format.

Latin Answer Keys


Latin for Beginner’s Key, Benjamin L. D’Ooge

Latin Prose Composition Key, North and Hillard

Latin Composition Textbooks


A New Latin Prose Composition, Charles E. Bennett

Latin Prose Composition, North and Hillard

Latin Reading Text


Caesar’s Civil War in Latin, Charles E. Moberly



Cicero Select Orations, Benjamin L. D’Ooge







Selections From Ovid, Allen & Greenough

The Phormio of Terence in Latin, Fairclough and Richardson

Latin Reference Grammars


A Latin Grammar, Charles E. Bennett

New Latin Grammar, Allen & Greenough

Latin Textbooks


Beginner’s Latin Book, Collar and Daniell

Latin For Beginners, Benjamin L. D’Ooge

Do you know of others? Do you use any of these in your teaching? Are you developing open access textbooks in any area of ancient world studies? Please respond by clicking the Comments button.

6 comments:

  1. This is a great notion, this blog. As is open access. I subscribe forthwith. Thanks, Bob Curtis

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  2. This primer is not related to classical antiquity but nevertheless i think it worth to mention it here:
    Introduction to Maya Hieroglyphs - Workshop Handbook (aavailable in English, Spanish, Polish, French, Danish and Slovak):
    http://www.wayeb.org/resourceslinks/wayeb_workbook.php

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  3. Reading Akkadian Hymns and Prayers: An Introduction, ed. Alan Lenzi

    http://www.sbl-site.org/assets/pdfs/9781589835962.pdf

    It doesn't teach Akkadian, but it does help with rapid reading of 29 selected prayers and hymns.

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  4. I would urge caution - the number of errors in a text devoted to Classical Greek is impressive. An online Greek course by Dora Pozzi is available at http://www.class.uh.edu/MCL/faculty/pozzi/grnl1/intr/intr.0.1.0.htm
    She has retired, but the site is up. The site is showing its age, and you have to re-do some links yourself, but it is a better guide for beginners in my opinion.

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  5. Thanks to all three of you for your comments and addition. Helma's cautionary note is important, especially for students working independently.

    I have also added a link to the Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs) pages at (http://www.carla.umn.edu/lctl/index.html) the University of Minnesota

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  6. this is an excellent resource. thank you!

    ReplyDelete