This site presents a Greek text of On Unbelievable Tales (Περὶ ἀπίστων), by a certain Palaephatus, who is thought to have lived in Athens in the fourth century BCE. This edition includes running vocabulary lists and notes on the Greek intended for learners of Ancient Greek at the intermediate level—those who have completed their study of the fundamentals of grammar, but who have not yet embarked on extensive reading of unadapted ancient texts. There are also images, mostly of ancient Greek vase paintings and sculpture, that illustrate the myths Palaephatus discusses. The Greek text is essentially that of Festa's 1902 Teubner, with a few small changes.
R.J. Barnes (Lecturer in Classics at Purdue University) and Matthew Gorey (Associate Professor of Classics at Wabash College) prepared the Greek text, wrote the notes and vocabulary lists, and suggested images for the media tab. DCC's Content and Copy Editor Meagan Ayer created the pages and menus, identified further images, uploaded them and equipped them with metadata. She also edited, proofread, and uploaded the notes, vocabulary, and introductory material.
Lastly, over the past three years, several cohorts of Intermediate Greek students at Wabash College and Purdue University beta-tested various sections of the commentary. Special thanks are due to James Day (Purdue) and Logan Weilbaker (Wabash), who provided feedback and proofreading on the full text as intermediate Ancient Greek students.
Cover image: Terracotta vase in the form of a ketos (sea monster). Greek, Cretan or South Italian, 2nd half of the 7th century BCE. Metropolitan Museum 2009.529. Image source.