Explore what it means to be human today by studying what it meant to be a hero in ancient Greek times with this immensely popular course offered by Professor Gregory Nagy, Director of the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C. and Nafplio, Greece.

Learners will experience, in English translation, some of the most beautiful works of ancient Greek literature and song-making spanning a thousand years from the 8th century BCE through the 3rd century CE: the Homeric Iliad and Odyssey ; tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides; songs of Sappho and Pindar; dialogues of Plato, and On Heroes by Philostratus. All of the resources are free and designed to be equally accessible and transformative for a wide audience.

You will gain access to a supportive learning community led by Professor Nagy and his Board of Readers, who model techniques for "reading out" of ancient texts. This approach allows readers with little or even no experience in the subject matter to begin seeing this literature as an exquisite, perfected system of communication.

No previous knowledge of Greek history, literature, or language is required. This is a project for students of any age, culture, and geographic location, and its profoundly humanistic message can be easily received without previous acquaintance with Western Classical literature.

We warmly recommend this wonderful course as the best introduction to the classical roots of the Innermost House idea. The full course may be audited at no charge, or, for only a nominal fee, one may interact with other learners and receive a certificate from Harvard University. Revolving enrollment. Please enroll HERE.