Ancient Greece
The civilization of Ancient Greece emerged during the 8th century BC. Historians date the end of the Greek period to the date when Greece fell to the Romans, in 146 BC.
Historians divide the history of Ancient Greece into four stages.
The Archaic period , when the civilization’s main features were evolving, (8th -6th centuries BC)
Classical Greece (5th -4th centuries BC) this was marked by the period of the Persian Wars (c. 510-479 BC).
The Golden Age of Athens (c. 479-404 BC)
The Classical era (404-338 BC).
The beginning of Western Civilisation
Greek civilization had a powerful influence on the later Roman civilization. Some historians see the Roman era as a continuation of Hellenic (Greek) civilization, which they label “Greco-Roman”. After the Roman conquest of Greece in 146 BC, Romans took many features of Greek civilization to far-flung parts of the Mediterranean world and Western Europe. As a result of this dispersion of ideas, Greek civilization came to be the founding culture of Western civilization..
Greek Mythology
Greek Gods/ Goddesses
You will be working individually to complete this task.
Create a PowerPoint or Interactive presentation of your god that explains ‘ a day in the life’ of your chosen mythological character.
Research and then use your skills of paraphrasing to complete your written piece.
This is a creative piece but most importantly, it must reveal your knowledge of this character.
In your character’s day, fit as much information, events, descriptions, etc as you can.
Below are key things YOU MUST include in your description.
Activity 1. Day in the life of a deity
Title. The name of the God/Goddess/Creature and an introduction to the reader about themselves.
Graphic. Pictures of your god/goddess/character(s). Please make sure they fit the description given in mythology. Double check your images.
Story. In the words of your character, they must retell at least ONE myth about them and their role in the myth, including the other characters in the myth. Read several myths about this god/goddess/character(s) and choose the most revealing tale to present.
Please bring the original myth with you to class! We may need to refer to it.
Background. Provide a history about the god/goddess/character(s). For example, you should know who his/her/their parents are, whether he/she is married, where he/she/it is from, etc. Indicate notable births, famous family, etc. Again, you will have to read two or three myths to gain an accurate understanding.
Symbols. With what object(s) and/or animals is this god/goddess/character associated?
Power. What his/her/their powers and responsibilities, special skills, talents, traits are.
Flaws. What are his/her/their weaknesses? Are there areas that may cause him/her/them trouble?
Anything else you think will add to your written “a day in the life” piece.
2. Sources: Ancient Greek religion
All Greeks worshipped the same gods.
They believed they could communicate with the Gods through an Oracle.
They believed Gods would;
Protect them
Make Crops Grow
Grant Favours
Source 1: Bradley P. (2000) Ancient Greece Cambridge University Press, UK
‘One of the things that all Greeks had in common was their religion. They worshipped the same ‘family’ of gods and goddesses, they built beautiful temples and shrines for these gods, carried out sacrifices to them and celebrated festivals in their honour. They believed that in return the gods would protect them, make their crops grow and grant them favours. The Greeks also believed that the gods communicated with them through oracles.’
‘The Greeks treated their gods like people – they fell in love, married, had children, became jealous of each other and quarreled. Each god or goddess had particular powers, duties and responsibilities and it was important to pay them attention as often as possible either in a public temple or at private shrines in the home.’
Questions
According to Source 1, what were two ways that all Greeks worshipped their gods? (2)
Use evidence from the source to describe what the Greeks expected in return for worshipping their Gods? (2)
How did the Greeks treat their Gods? (2)
Source 2: The Greek temple of Segesta in north-west Sicily (modern-day Italy).
The temple was built 417BCE in dedication to an unknown god.
Questions
In what way is Source 2 supported by information in Source 1? (2)
Why is there a Greek temple in Italy (Sicily)? (2)
Source 3: Cartwright M. (2013) ‘Greek Religion’ Ancient History Encyclopedia
‘Athletic Games and competitions in music (especially playing the kithara and lyre) and theatre (both tragedy and comedy) were held during festivals to honour a particular god. These events were attended by visitors from all over Greece and were more like a pilgrimage than of a sports event. Because of the sacred status, warfare was prohibited during these events and pilgrims were guaranteed free-passage across Greece.’
Questions
Find two pieces of evidence in Source 3 that suggest the Greeks saw athletic games and music and drama festivals as having serious religious importance. (2)
Source 3 was written very recently, in 2013, and the author clearly did not live during the ancient Greek period of history. Does this mean that we cannot rely on this source to provide accurate historical information? Explain. (3)
Source 4: A description of the oracle at Delphi. / Source 5: The oracle at Delphi (Image right)
The Pythia (priestess) would give messages from the god Apollo in response to questions from visitors from all over Greece. Before the Pythia could be questioned she had to ritually prepare herself. Much of the purification rites involve laurel as it is the tree of Apollo and associated with divination (the divine or god-like). The Pythia would chew laurel leaves and bay leaves, drink from the sacred spring and wear a crown of laurel while sitting on a tripod adorned with laurel over a crack in the basement of the temple. Vapours (a mist) rose from the fissure and caused the Pythia to go into a trance like state. When she was ready inquirers would be led in by a priest who would ask the question. The oracle would respond and the priests would interpret the answers for the visitor.
Questions
Referring to Source 4, why would the priest have needed to interpret (make sense of) the oracle’s answers for the visitor? (2)
Using the description in Source 4. Who could the man in Source 5 be?
Activity 2. Greek Tragedy - The Story of Oedipus
Drama and plays were very important to the Ancient Greeks
The Ancient Greeks believed that the future could be seen by Oracles and Prophets and the most famous Oracle was at Delphi, it was believed that she could speak on behalf of the gods.
To do: Create a play or write a screen play about the Greek myth of Oedipus. (See below)
Things to consider:
What was the role of the Oracle?
What effect did the prophecy have on the King and Queen?
How did the prophecies come to be fulfilled despite the efforts of Laius and Oedipus?
What did the Ancient Greeks think of fate and luck?
The Riddle of the Sphinx
What creature walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three legs in the evening?
The Story of Oedipus
Laius and Jocasta were the King and Queen of Thebes and they had a baby boy.
The Oracle prophesied that the boy would kill his father and marry his mother. To prevent the prophecy coming true the baby was taken to the mountains and abandoned.
However a shepherd found the baby and took him home to Corinth where he raised him as his adopted son, naming him Oedipus.
As a young man Oedipus visited the Oracle at Delphi and was told that he would kill his Dad and marry his Mum. So he left Corinth to protect his parents from the prophecy.
While travelling and adventuring Oedipus met a stranger and they had an argument, Oedipus killed the man.
Who was the king of Thebes, his father.
Further along on his journey Oedipus solved the riddle of the Sphinx and so freed the Kingdom of Thebes from a curse. As a reward he was crowned King of Thebes and married the widowed Queen.
When they realised what had happened Jocasta killed herself and Oedipus blinded himself.
The myth suggests that nobody can escape their fate and nobody should be considered lucky until they are dead, a recurring theme in Greek mythology.
3. Greek Cities - Athens Vs Sparta
Activity 3. Athens vs Sparta
The cities of Athens and Sparta were bitter rivals in ancient Greece.
Geographically they are very close to each other, but they had very different values, lifestyles, and cultures.
Use the following information to answer the questions about the rivalry between Athens and Sparta.
Athens was the largest city of Greece.
It was a centre of economic, political, financial and cultural life in Greece.
Athens valued freedom (for some), art, and democracy and considered itself the heart of the civilized world.
Athens was an important trading empire and had established colonies throughout the Mediterranean
Athens took its name from the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge.
Sparta — Foe of the Persian Empire
Sparta, a town near the river Evrotas, is located in the centre of the Peloponnese in southern Greece.
Sparta was the Dorian Greek military state, considered as the protector of Greece as it provided a large army to protect Greece for many years.
Sparta eventually conquered Athens in the Peloponnesian Wars.
After conquering many kingdoms and warring with many communities, Sparta became a major empire around 400 BCE.
Athens was considered to be cultured and intellectual. Athens had a very strong navy but was also known for so much more than their military strength.
Athenian society was built on democratic values. They valued education greatly, and children learned reading, writing, and math. Promoting childhood education was considered advanced for this time.
The Spartan army was very strong and is considered legendary to this day. It was very advanced in terms of tactical movement and organization. The Spartan government was an oligarchy, meaning that it was ruled by a very small group of people.
The culture was dominated by the value of militaristic success. Of course, there was other work to be done besides going to war. People still needed to eat. The agricultural work was done by helots. Helots were essentially serfs, owned by the Spartan government for agricultural labor.
4. The Olympics
The Olympics was a religious festival celebrating Zeus
The first written records of the ancient Olympic Games date to 776 B.C., when a cook named Coroebus won the only event—a 192-meter footrace called the stade (the origin of the modern “stadium”)—to become the first Olympic champion.
However, it is generally believed that the Games had been going on for many years by that time. Legend has it that Heracles (the Roman Hercules), son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene, founded the Games, which by the end of the 6th century B.C had become the most famous of all Greek sporting festivals.
The ancient Olympics were held every four years between August 6 and September 19 during a religious festival honouring Zeus.
Olympia
The Games were named for their location at Olympia, a sacred site located near the western coast of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece
The Games were held at Olympia every four years and people travelled from all over the Greek world to compete and watch.
To do: Create an advertisement for The Olympia Olympics 600BCE
What are the benefits of attending the Olympics?
People need to know that it is a celebration of Zeus
They also need to know about some of the sports
And about the possibilities for wine, meat and song
Olympic Fun Facts
The altar at Olympia was built on the site where Zeus had thrown a thunderbolt
The Olympic truce ended all conflict during the games so that athletes could travel safely.
Women were not allowed to compete in the Olympics
Ancient Olympians performed nude
Activity 4: Explain the important role that Mythology and the Gods played in all aspects of the Olympics in Ancient Greece
Construct an informative presentation that includes relevant annotated maps, sketches, and photos.
This response must use historical sources to answer the following questions.
Who was eligible to compete in the Olympics?
Who wasn’t eligible to compete at the Olympics?
What was the ‘sacred truce’?
What were the athletes competing for?
What did the Olympics mean to the average Greek person?
Explain the role of the Gods in the Olympics celebration
Describe the importance of the celebrations that accompanied the Olympics
Fun facts: The Sacred Truce
A truce is an agreement between enemies or opponents to stop fighting or arguing for a certain time.
The truce, besides protecting Olympia from invasion, forbade any individual or government to interfere with anyone traveling to and from the Olympics.
Task: Greek Gods social media profile
Greek Gods as Instagram influencers.
The Greek gods have finally decided to get with the times and create Instagram accounts.
But they will need social media managers and they need your help.
Select ONE Greek god and create FOUR posts for your god depicting their daily life.
You must include the god’s name, title and two images of their activities
Each image must include a caption and hashtag from the god’s point of view.
You will have to read myths online to gain an understanding of your God/ess.
In your posts, you must address the following:
Title - Introduce your God/Goddess/Creature. Tell us a little bit about them.
Graphics - Use images to introduce and describe your god/goddess/character(s). Please make sure they fit the description given in mythology. Double check your images.
Story - In your God's own words, let them tell their story. Include at least ONE myth about them and their role in the myth, including the other characters in the myth. Read several myths about this god/goddess/character(s) and choose the most revealing tale to present.
Background - Provide a history about the god/goddess/character(s). For example, you should know who his/her/their parents are, whether he/she is married, where he/she/it is from, etc.
For example, you should know who their parents are, whether they are married, where they are from, etc.
Symbols: With what object(s) and/or animals is this god/goddess/character associated?
Power: What their powers and responsibilities, special skills, talents, traits?
Flaws: What are their weaknesses? Are there areas that may cause them trouble?
Personal stories: In the words of your character, they must retell at least ONE myth about them and their role in the myth, including the other characters in the myth.
