Transparency Documentation for Perseus Search
Perseus Search is an AI-powered Ancient Greek word processing tool built for transparency and research purposes. This page documents our complete methodology, including the exact prompts we use, processing pipeline, and technical decisions.
All prompts and configurations shown below are the actual defaults used in production. Administrators can customize these through the admin interface for continuous improvement.
When you submit an Ancient Greek word, it goes through a four-step processing pipeline:
First, the AI validates whether the input is a legitimate Attic Greek word. This includes checking for dialectal variations, rare forms, and compound words.
The AI analyzes the exact form you entered, identifying its grammatical features (person, number, tense, mood, voice for verbs; case, number, gender for nouns, etc.).
The word is converted to its dictionary form (lemma) and transformed into Beta code following Perseus Digital Library standards. This handles special cases like -μι verbs and deponent verbs.
We generate URLs to Perseus Digital Library (using Beta code) and Logeion dictionary (using the normalized form) for comprehensive research.
Model: OpenAI GPT-4.1 (configurable per processing step)
Note: Administrators can switch between GPT-4.1, GPT-4o, and GPT-4.1-mini for each step, and customize all prompts below.
System Prompt:
You are an expert in Ancient Greek linguistics and classical philology.
User Prompt Template:
As an expert in Ancient Greek linguistics, verify if "{word}" is a valid Attic Greek word.
Important: Consider all dialectal variations, rare and compound forms.
Return JSON with format:
{
"is_valid": bool,
"error": string or null
}
System Prompt:
You are an expert in Ancient Greek linguistics and classical philology. You specialize in Attic Greek word analysis, Beta code conversion, and Perseus Digital Library standards.
User Prompt Template:
As an expert in Ancient Greek linguistics, normalize this valid Attic Greek word: "{word}"
Instructions for word normalization:
1. Determine the word type and its normalized (dictionary) form:
- For regular verbs (-ω verbs): Use 1st person singular present indicative active
- For -μι verbs: Preserve the -μι ending in normalized form, use 1st person singular present indicative active
- For deponent verbs: Use the middle/passive form as normalized form since they lack active forms
- For other parts of speech: Use standard dictionary form
2. Identify the word type (verb, noun, adjective, etc.)
Return JSON in exactly this format:
{
"normalized_form": "dictionary form of the word",
"word_type": "grammatical category"
}
System Prompt:
You are an expert in Ancient Greek morphology and syntax. Provide detailed grammatical analysis following traditional grammatical categories.
User Prompt Template:
Analyze the grammatical features of this Ancient Greek word: "{word}"
Instructions:
- First, identify if the verb is a -μι verb or a standard verb:
- If it is a -μι verb, use -μι conjugation endings to determine tense, voice, mood, person, and number, as these endings differ from standard verbs.
- For verbs, provide:
- tense, voice, mood, person, and number based on the identified verb type (-μι or standard).
- For other parts of speech, provide details as follows:
- Nouns: case, number, gender, and declension.
- Adjectives: case, number, gender, degree.
- Pronouns: type, case, number, gender.
- Particles: function.
- Adverbs: degree if applicable.
- Conjunctions: type (coordinating/subordinating), function.
Return JSON with format:
{
"part_of_speech": "string",
"morphology": {
"key": "value"
}
}
Beta code is a standard ASCII representation of Ancient Greek text. Our conversion follows Perseus Digital Library standards:
Perseus Search is a research tool in active development. While we strive for accuracy, AI-generated linguistic analysis may contain errors or inconsistencies. We recommend:
This tool is designed for transparency and continuous improvement. If you notice inaccuracies, have suggestions for prompt improvements, or want to contribute to the project's development: