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Koine Greek

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An ancient Greek inscription from the famous Rosetta Stone, displayed at the British Museum in London.

Koine Greek was a special way of speaking and writing that many people used a long time ago. It started after the time of Alexander the Great and became the main language in many places around the Mediterranean and the Middle East. People used it for everyday talk and for important writing.

Many famous books were written in Koine Greek. This includes the Septuagint, which is a Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, and the New Testament. Even a Roman Emperor named Marcus Aurelius wrote his private thoughts in this language.

Today, Koine Greek is still used in some church services, especially in the Greek Orthodox Church. Over many years, it changed and became what we now call Modern Greek. The word “Koine” means “common,” because it was a language that many people could share and understand.

Images

Historical map showing the kingdoms that emerged after the death of Alexander the Great.
An ancient papyrus manuscript showing early biblical text from the Second Epistle to the Corinthians.

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This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Koine Greek, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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