The term 'DIALECT OF ANCIENT GREEK' can be summarized by the five-letter word 'DORIC'. Doric was one of the three main dialects of Ancient Greek, along with Ionic and Attic. It was spoken in the southern regions of Greece, including the Peloponnese, Crete, and some of the islands. It was also used in the colonies of Magna Graecia in southern Italy. Doric was the oldest and most conservative of the three dialects, and it was used in the earliest surviving works of literature.