Ancient Greek

The ancient Greek language is the lineal predecessor to the modern Greek language. It was spoken across what the Romans referred to as magna grecia, as people from Greece had founded city-states across the Mediterranean region. Syracuse, in Sicily, was an instance of a very successful culturally Greek city-state, outside the region of modern Greece.

The ancient Greek language has had a disproportionate legacy, compared with other ancient indo-european languages, because other cultures built on the writings of influential thinkers from ancient Greece.

The letters of the Greek alphabet continue to be used by scientists, and other scholars. For instance, the closest star, to Planet Earth, is named Alpha Centauri because it is the brightest star in its constellation.