Dresden speaks … Greek

The ancient sculptures of the Dresden State Art Collections in the Semper Gallery are probably the oldest Greek heritage in Dresden and the largest collection outside the Mediterranean region.

Greek language

The Greek language is an Indo-European language with a history dating back to the 2nd millennium BC. This makes it one of the oldest European languages.

The golden age of Athens and democracy marked thousands of years of strong development of the Greek language. Greek spread throughout the Middle East as far as India through Alexander the Great and his successors. It was used as the official language of the Eastern Roman Empire. Ancient Greek was the language of the ancient Greek civilization and was spoken and written by famous philosophers, poets and historians.

Over time, Ancient Greek evolved and became modern Greek. However, the influence of Greek on other languages remained. Around 12% of English vocabulary today is of Greek origin. Greek is spoken by around 15 million people in Greece, Cyprus and other parts of the world. There are over 700 speakers in Dresden.

Script

The Greek script is based on the Phoenician alphabet, which originated in the 8th century BC. The Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet, but adapted it to their needs by adding vowels. This innovation made it possible to represent sounds more accurately and to write a variety of words.

Over time, Greek writing evolved and became an important tool for the dissemination of knowledge, literature and philosophy in Ancient Greece. Upper and lower case letters were introduced later, making the script even more versatile.

The word “alphabet” is made up of the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, alpha and beta. The Greek alphabet consists of 24 letters, some of which are also used in a mathematical and scientific context, e.g. the number pi or the angular velocity omega.


Dresden spricht …

Workshops, tours, writing and printing workshops under the motto “Dresden speaks many languages”

Period
03-12.2024

Porject coordination
Yvonn Spauschus (Projektleitung)
Yulia Vishnichenko · Moussa Mbarek · Nadine Wölk · Rosa Brockelt · Yuliya Firsova · Martin Mannig (workshop leader)
Rosa Brockelt · Rosa Hauch · Falk Goernert · Birthe Mühlhoff (moderation, documentation)
Adina Rieckmann · Lydia Hänsel (tourguides)
Inge · Mahsa · Karin (voluntary help)

Cooperation partners
JugendKunstschule Dresden – Standort Passage, Omse e.V., Nachbarschaftshilfeverein, Stadtteilverein Johannstadt e.V., Malteser Hilfsdienste e.V., Jugendhaus LILA as well as Chinesisch-Deutsches Zentrum e.V., Lebenshilfe Dresden e.V., GEH8 Kunstraum und Ateliers e.V., Umweltzentrum Dresden – ABC Tische and many more

Supported by

The project is funded by the State Ministry for Social Affairs and Social Cohesion. This measure is co-financed with tax funds on the basis of the budget passed by the Saxon state parliament within the framework of the state programme Integrative Maßnahmen.