ABSTRACT
The quantitative metres of Greek and Latin Antiquity were determined by the length of each syllable, rather than by word accent, as was the case with the rhythmic poetry which became popular later in the development of Latin poetry. Each syllable was considered either long or short, depending on a number of factors such as the length of the vowels and the different combinations of vowels and consonants: diphthongs (double vowels), for example, were regarded as by nature long, while single vowels might be long or short. Taking the length of each syllable into account, words were combined into patterns based on the repetition of certain metrical ‘feet’ such as the dactyl (comprising one long and two short syllables), the iamb (a short followed by a long syllable), the trochee (a long followed by a short syllable) – to name but the most common metrical building blocks. Later rhythmic poetry often took over the same patterns but based them on word accent rather than syllable length.
