Antioch

A system for typing classical and katharevousa Greek in Microsoft Word

Antioch is a keyboard and font utility for Word which allows fast typing of Greek with the full range of classical accents, as well as many extra characters used by classicists.

Antioch uses the Unicode system for classical Greek, which is now the world standard. It will import and convert documents in older formats -- WinGreek, Son of WinGreek, GreekKeys for PC and Mac, Ismini for Mac (also IsminiPC), SGreek, Linguist’s Software, SPIonic, Lector ('graece'), Titus and Vilnius University coding. It will also convert Unicode Greek to WinGreek (including TLG Workplace output), Son of WinGreek, GreekKeys and Vilnius University formats. It will also convert BetaCode, the standard used in many archives of Greek texts. Modern monotonic Greek typed with Antioch is compatible with standard Unicode modern Greek, and there is a separate key for tonos as distinct from acute.

Two default keyboards are offered: a transliterating one which adapts itself to the user's existing QWERTY, AZERTY and QWERTZ layout, and a duplicate of the modern Greek national keyboard. You can also create your own layout. Diacritics may be added by using the keypad or the top row of the keyboard; here too you can change the layout, and choose whether to type diacritics before or after vowels. The diacritic system is uniquely simple to use, allowing post-editing of any diacritic with a single keystroke. There is a menu for easy insertion of additional letters.

You can even speed up your typing of common words by allowing Word’s AutoCorrect procedure to add the diacritics automatically, which is not normally possible in classical Greek. A list of words is available free from the main Antioch page. It includes macros to add or remove them from the AutoCorrect list.

Antioch also offers support for Hebrew with vowel points (and with right-to-left entry), making it an indispensable tool for Biblical scholars. There are two default Hebrew keyboards, or you can program your own. There is also support for the older style of Coptic, though not the new one that has a Unicode page of its own.

Click here to go to the main Antioch page, where you can download a trial copy.