poppell, amelia project 2

2008 Fulbright–Hays Seminars Abroad Program

Greece/Bulgaria

May 28, 2008 – July 8, 2008

Ancient Greece and It’s Influence on the Modern Day World

Amelia Poppell

Unit Topic: _Overview-History of Greece Grade level: World History

Stage 1 – Desired ResultsEstablished Goals:

Students will learn about key elements of ancient Greek civilization including government, mythology, sport, and architecture.

Understanding (s)Students will understand:

1. about the location, climate and terrain of Greece

2. to place the ancient Greek civilization in time

3. that the ancient Greek civilization occurred 'Before Christ'

4. that ancient Greece consisted of city states

Essential Question(s):

Who were the ancient Greeks?Where and when was ancient Greece?

Student objectives (outcomes):Students will know:

About the location, climate and terrain of Greece. To place the ancient Greek civilisation in time. That the ancient Greek civilization occurred ‘Before Christ’. That ancient Greece consisted of city states.

Students will be able to: Locate Greece on a map and ancient Greece on a time line. Discuss the climate and physical features of the Greek mainland

and islands. Recognize that ancient Greece is located BC and that more

recent periods in history are AD.

Stage 2 – Assessment EvidencePerformance Task(s): Other Evidence:

Students will make tourist Posters for display in the Media Center.

Students will complete a timeline and pictures will be displayed indicating that period of history.

Feedback from the display will be used to evaluate how effective the information was presented.

Stage 3 – Learning PlanLearning Activities:

Give students postcards, maps, and holiday brochures of modern Greece and ask them what the pictures tell us about the climate of Greece, the landscape and terrain, the buildings, etc. Record their responses on the board or flip chart.

Discuss with the students what ancient means and place the period of the ancient Greek Empire on the class time line. Discuss or recap on BC and AD and relate these two periods the students have already covered.

Locate mainland Greece and its islands on a map. Discuss the physical features and highlight the difficulty of travel, e.g. Would it be easiest to travel by sea or land? Relate this to the idea of city states, which were isolated from each other by the difficulties of communication.

Working in pairs, students can choose one of the five aspects of Greek life to research. For example, they may focus on the role of women in ancient Greek society, literature and drama, education, warfare, philosophers, the Parthenon, and so on. (Students in pairs should choose separate topics.) Have pairs create a list of little-known facts about their topics to share with the class. Individually, students can use their research to write essays on how ancient Greek life compares with, or has influenced, modern society.

Background Notes for the Teacher:

Time Line

Date EventB.C.Circa 300 Bronze Age beginsCirca 2200 Minoan Culture on Crete begins to

flourishCirca 1600-1450 Eruption of Thera volcano and

takeover of Minoan places by Mycenaean’s from the Greek mainland

Circa 1200-800 Greek Dar Ages. First Greek settlement on the coast of Asia Minor

Circa 850 Archaic period776 First Olympic Games750-700 Development of Greek alphabet.730 Rise of Corinth as leading city621 The statesman Draco makes the

first written laws in Athens594 Salon becomes leader of Athens546 Persian king Cyrus the Great

conquers Greek cities on Ionia508 Cleisthenes establishes Athenian

democracy500-300 Classical period490 Athenians defeat Persians in battle

of Marathon480 Greeks defeat Persians at Plataea

and Mycale, forever ending the Persian threat to Europe

461 Pericles leads Athens, until 429, Athens at war with Sparta until 451

451 Athens passes a law defining who is a citizen

447 Work begins on the ParthenonCirca 430 Hippocrates and Socrates active.

Pheidias sculpt statue of Zeus425-405 Playwrights Euripides,

Aristophanes, and Sophocles popular

404 Sparta wins Peloponnesian War and dissolves Athenian democracy

404-360 Plato active358 Work starts on the theater at

Epidauros

338 Philip II of Macedon conquers Athens

336 Philip II dies. His son Alexander “the Great”, becomes king and conquers Asia minor, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and parts of India

334 Alexander invades Persia323 Death of Alexander and break-up

of his empire (311) although Greek kings still rule Egypt and Syria

300-148 Hellenistic periodA.D.30 Rome makes Egypt a province and

dismantles the Ptolemaic kingdom, last of the independent Greek states

64 Seleucid kingdom ends

Overview of the History of Greece:

In 3000 B.C., the first people inhabited Greece. They built settlements along the shores of Greece so they could trade with other civilizations. The Greeks relied upon the Aegean Sea for trading their supplies. Traveling by sea exposed the Greeks to many different cultures. They were also exposed to the various western benefits, such as agriculture and metalwork.

Around 2500 BC, different communities began to develop in Greece. Some of the most prominent ones were the Aegean’s, Achaeans, and the Pelasgians. Crete soon became the center of the Aegean civilization, also called the Minoans. The Achaeans built the capital at Mycenae. A powerful volcanic eruption in 1400 BC caused the destruction of the Minoan Thera, an island east of Crete. The destruction crushed the Minoans and the Mycenaean Greeks absorbed their culture. The Greek settlements soon transformed themselves into city-states, small states which were founded around the territory controlled by a single city. City-states are also called poleis. A king and the king’s council always ruled city-states. The city-states had political structures that were usually unstable because the kings acted like tyrants to the citizens. It is ironic that the Greeks are credited for most of the ideas of democracy. Democracy would rarely exist in ancient Greece, only for short periods of time in-between unstable governments.

City -states were soon growing larger in population. The city-states were beginning to transform into empires. Empires are big nations that control many different city-states and they have one ruler. The many different empires soon had rivalries going on between them. The first war took place around 1200 BC. This was a ten-year battle that mostly took place at the city of Troy. There is a myth that says armed Greek invaders hid in a giant wooden horse. When the horse was taken into Troy the invaders stormed the city and left it in ruins. Homer, a very famous poet, wrote an epic about the hero Odysseus who was a major part of the destruction of Troy.

The Persian wars began in 490 BC. Darius the Great of Thrace led an invasion into Greece. The Greek defensive army crushed the invaders at Marathon, under a commander named Miltiades. Later in the year 480 BC, the Persians launched another attack led by Xerxes. Unfortunately for Greece this attack left the city of Athens in ruins.

The Peloponnesian wars took place in 461 BC. The first of these wars were between Athens and Sparta. Athens won this war and they decided to make a truce with Sparta. Athens lost the second Peloponnesian war to Sparta. The thirty tyrants, a group of aristocratic Spartans, took control of Athens.

There were many famous people in the history of Greece. Socrates was one of them. Socrates was a famous philosopher in 399 BC. He objected to some tyrants because he thought they were unfair citizens. He was tried and executed for these reasons. In 386 BC Plato, a famous pupil of Socrates founded his philosophical academy. In 359 BC Philip II, became the king of Macedon. Thebes, Athens, and Sparta were three major competing powers in Greece at this time. Philip 2 took control of the entire Greek peninsula, and in 336 BC he was assassinated. His son Alexander the Great took control of the kingdom. Alexander took Egypt and conquered the entire Persian Empire. Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BC. His empire was divided into three regions: Ptolemaic Egypt, Antigonid Macedonia, and Seluced Syria. After Alexander the Great1s death, the three kingdoms constantly feuded with each other. This time period was known as the Hellenistic Age. Finally in 197 BC a vicious battle took place at Kynoskephalai. King Philip V lost to Roman forces. The mighty Roman Empire destroyed the Greek warriors. After Rome overtook the Greeks, they tried to incorporate the Greek culture into their own culture.

Unit Topic: _Ancient Olympic Games Grade level: World History

Stage 1 – Desired ResultsEstablished Goals:Students will have:

1. Knowledge and understanding of the legacy of ancient Greece.2. Knowledge and understanding of selected myths, gods, and

goddesses, and their impact on literature.3. Knowledge of measurement and distance in the Olympic Games,

and the style of architecture for columns.4. Knowledge and understanding of the importance of scientific

knowledge in the modern world,


1. Where did the Olympic Games come from?

2. Why were they held at Olympia?

3. Were there other contests like the Olympics?

4. Who could compete in the Olympics?

5. Were women allowed at the Olympics?

6. How were the athletes trained?

7. What prizes did Olympic victors get?

8. Who were the Olympic judges?9. What was the penalty for

cheating?

10. Where did the marathon come from

11. When did the ancient games begin and when did they end?


What influence did the Ancient Olympic games have on the modern day Olympics?

How did the Ancient Olympic games contribute to modern day Olympics?


When the first Olympic games began.Where in Greece the Olympic games were held.Why did they have Olympic Games?Identify appropriate sources for finding out about the ancient Greeks.Make inferences about the Olympic games from a variety of sources.Select sources to show why the Olympic games were important to the ancient Greeks.

Students will be able to:

Describe the differences in the modern Olympics and the Ancient Greek Olympics.Locate Ancient Olympia in Greece.Describe the activities that took place in the Ancient Greek Olympics.Identify appropriate sources for finding out about the ancient Greeks.Make inferences about the Olympic games from a variety of sources.Select sources to show why the Olympic games were important to the ancient Greeks.

Stage 2 – Assessment EvidencePerformance Task(s):

Identify appropriate sources for finding out about the ancient Greeks.

Make inferences about the Olympic games from a variety of sources.

Select sources to show why the Olympic games were important to the ancient Greeks.

Other Evidence:

Were the ancient games better than they are today? Are the modern games more sexist? More political? Have we strayed from the ancient Olympic ideal?


List the activities that took place during the Ancient Olympic games. Compare those activities with the modern Olympic games.

Describe the modern marathon and how it developed from the Ancient Olympic games.

Describe how the Modern Olympics games and the city in which they were held.

When was the Olympic torch introduced and why?

Background information:

Today, the Olympic Games are the world’s largest pageant of athletic skill and competitive spirit. They are also displays of nationalism, commerce and politics. These two opposing elements of the Olympics are not a modern invention. The conflict between the Olympic movement’s high ideals and the commercialism or political acts which accompany the Games has been noted since ancient time.

The ancient Olympics were rather different from the modern Games. There were fewer events, and only free men who spoke Greek could compete, instead of athletes from any country. Also, the games were always held at Olympia instead of moving around to different sites every time.

Concerned about the civil strife that was threatening his people, King Iphitos consulted Pythia, the Oracle at Delphi, for help. She advised him to hold the games in honor of the gods and to gather the leaders in the region and invite them to sign a peace declaration. They couldn’t compete in the games if they were at war.

The ancient Olympic Games were primarily a part of the religious festival in honor of Zeus, the father of the Greek gods and goddesses. For more than a thousand years, this festival we held beginning in 776 BC. During the festival, the different peoples of Greek race forgot their quarrels. The first day was for the sacrifices and lebations to Zeus and Hestia at the tomb of Pelops.

The second day took place the chariot races and the pentathlon, a competition of five events, wrestling, long jump, running, discus and javelin.

The third day was given up to a procession and the official sacrifices on the altar of Zeus. In the stadium took place foot-races and armed-races.

The fourth day was for boxing and wrestling.

The fifth day the festival ended with a procession of the victors who were given a crown made of a branch of the olive-tree. Their statues were erected in the Altis. Altis was a scared grove and part of the Hieron (Sanctuary) in Ancient Olympia.

The Greeks that came to the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia shared the same religious beliefs and spoke the same language. The athletes were all male citizens of the city-states from every corner of the Greek world, coming from as far away as Iberia (Spain) in the west and the Black Sea (Turkey) in the east.

The sanctuary was named in antiquity after Mt. Olympus, the highest mountain in the mainland Greece. In Greek mythology, Mr. Olympus was the home of the greatest of the Greek gods and goddesses.

In ancient Olympic Games began in the year 776 BC, when Koroibos, a cook from the nearby city of Elis, won the stadion race, a foot race 600 feet long. According to some literary traditions, this was the only athletic event of the games for the first 13 Olympic festivals or until 724 BC. From 776 BC, the Games were held in Olympia every four years for almost 12 centuries.

Although the ancient Games were staged in Olympia, Greece, from 776 BC through 393 AD, it took 1503 years for the Olympics to return. The first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece in 1896. The man responsible for its rebirth was a Frenchman named Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who presented the idea in 1894. His original thought was to unveil the modern Games in 1900 in his native Paris, but delegates from 34 countries were so enthralled with the concept that they convinced him to move the Games up to 1896 and have Athens serve as the first host.

The marathon was not an event of the ancient Olympic Games. The marathon is a modern event that was first introduced in the Modern Olympic Games in 1896, in Athens, a race from Marathon northeast of Athens to the Olympic Stadium, a distance of 40 kilometers.

The race commemorates the run of Pheidippides, an ancient “day-runner” who carried the news o the Persian landing at Marathon in 490 BC to Sparta, a distance of 149 miles, in order to enlist help for the battle. According to the fifth century BC ancient Greek historian Herodotus, Pheidippides delivered the news to the Spartans the next day.

The distance of the modern marathon was standardized as 26 miles 385 yards or 42.195 km in 1908 when the Olympic Games were held in London. The distance was exact measurement between Windsor Castle, the start of the race, and the finish line inside White City Stadium.

The idea of the Olympic torch or Olympic Flame was first inaugurated in the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. There was no torch relay in the ancient Olympic Games. There were known, however, torch relays in other ancient

Greek athletic festivals including those held at Athens. The modern Olympic torch relay was first instituted at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

Unit Topic: ___Greek gods__ Grade level: _World History___

Stage 1 – Desired ResultsEstablished Goals:Students will deduce information about Greek beliefs and religious practices.Students will compare the beliefs of the ancient Greeks with those of other cultures.

Understanding (s)Students will:

a. Develop skills needed to respond to inferential and critical questions regarding reading materials.

b. Develop an understanding of and appreciation for Greek mythology through reading and discussion of Greek myths.

c. Create original illustrations of the gods, goddesses, and creatures of Greek mythology.

d. Use research techniques to advance their knowledge of specified gods and goddesses.

e. Respond to evaluative test questions pertaining to the Greek Mythology unit with 85% accuracy.


What meanings did myths about gods, goddesses, and heroes have for the ancient Greeks?

What meaning do the Greek myths have for us today?

Student objectives (outcomes):

Students will know: how to deduce information about Greek beliefs and religious

practices from pictures of buildings about the beliefs of the ancient Greeks how to compare the beliefs of the ancient Greeks with those of

other cultures

Students will be able to: make observations and inferences from pictures and plans of

buildings answer questions showing understanding of myths and legends show that they can connect one or more Greek gods with their

symbols and areas of responsibility by completing the grid show that they know the main points in the story of one Greek

god Answer questions and show that they understand that Greek

gods had some human characteristics and that they helped the Greeks to explain the world around them.


Students will select a topic and be able to discuss:

information about Greek beliefs and religious practices from pictures of buildings

the beliefs of the ancient Greeks

the beliefs of the ancient Greeks with those of other cultures


Ask students to locate Mount Olympus on a map. Introduce it as the home of the gods and recap or introduce myths and legends. Ask each student to read a story about a different Greek god and complete a three-column grid with the column headings: 'Name of the god', 'Symbol of the god', and 'The aspect of the world the god is responsible for'. Ask each student to feed back the main points of their story to the rest of the class who listen and complete their grid for each of the

gods.

Through reading, class discussion, and note-taking, the student will record the Family Tree of the gods and goddesses and the realms over which they rule.

Background Information for the teacher:

In their effort to understand their environment and the forces of nature, the Ancient Greeks invented stories to account for the things that went on in their lives. These tales, known as myths, were spread around by travelers. They were about gods who controlled the elements of nature. The myths told tales about powerful Olympian gods, sea gods, woodland gods, sky gods, underwater gods, half-gods, human heroes, courageous or romantic adventures, betrayals, battles, wanderings, and so on.

Greek Gods:

1. Zeus was the most powerful of the gods. Should he have to bring order, he would hurl a thunderbolt. Zeus shared his powers and ruled with other great gods.

2. Hera was the wife of Zeus, and thus, the Queen. Hera was the goddess of marriage, children, and the home

3. Poseidon, the lord of the sea, was the brother of Zeus 4. Hades, another brother of Zeus, was lord of the dead. 5. Ares, Zeus' son, was the god of war. He tall and handsome but cruel and

vain. Ares could not bear to suffer pain. 6. Hephaestus, god of fire, often made metal tools and weapons to aid the gods

and some fortunate mortals. 7. Hermes was Zeus' son and the messenger of the gods. Hermes was noted

for his pranks as well as for his speed. 8. Apollo was Zeus' son and god of the sun, light and music. 9. Artemis was goddess of the hunt 10.Dionysus was the god of wine. 11.Athena, for whom Athens was named, was the goddess of wisdom. 12.Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty 13.Eros was the god of love. He had a bow and arrow to shoot people and make

them fall in love. 14.Dionysus was the god of life, hospitality, and wild things

15.Pan was half man, half goat, and the god of all nature. He was also the protector of shepherds and their flocks

16.Hercules was another of Zeus' sons. He was half man, half god, and very strong.

17.Centaur was half man, half horse, and tried to steal Hercules' wife. 18.Pegasus was a winged horse 19.Cerberus was the three-headed dog that guards the entrance to the

underworld. 20.The Muses were daughters of Zeus. They made such beautiful music with

their singing that it brought joy to everyone who heard them.

Bold Greek Name = Main God or Goddess

Greek Name Roman Name

Role in Mythology

Aphrodite Venus Goddess of beauty and sexual desire (Roman mythology: Goddess of gardens and fields)

Apollo Apollo God of prophecy, medicine, and archery (late Greek/Roman mythology: God of sun)

Ares Mars God of war

Artemis Diana Goddess of hunt ( late Greek/Roman mythology: Goddess of moon)

Asclepius Aesculapius God of medicine

Athena Minerva Goddess of arts and crafts, and war; Helper of heroes (late Greek/Roman mythology: Goddess of

wisdom)

Cronus Saturn God of the sky; Ruler of the Titans (Roman mythology: God of agriculture)

Demeter Ceres Goddess of grain

Dionysus Bacchus God of wine and vegetation

Eros Cupid God of love

Gaea Terra Mother Earth

Hephaestus Vulcan God of fire; Blacksmith of the gods

Hera Juno Goddess of marriage and childbirth; Protector of married women; Queen of the gods

Hermes Mercury Messenger of the gods; Protector of travelers, thieves, and merchants

Hestia Vesta Guardian of the home

Hypnos Somnus God of sleep

Hades Pluto God of the underworld; Lord of the dead

Poseidon Neptune God of the sea and earthquakes

Rhea Ops Wife of Cronus/Saturn; Mother Goddess

Uranus Uranus God of the sky; Father of the Titans

Zeus Jupiter Ruler of the Gods

The gods and goddesses with bold Greek names were the most important gods. They were known as the 'Twelve Olympians'.

The Ancient Greeks believed in many gods and goddesses who watched over them and controlled the world. The gods had many human characteristics- they were sometimes angry, or sad, or happy. But they were also immortal and all powerful and had to be honored and respected. The most important gods were the 12 Olympians.

The Greeks built beautiful, elaborate temples for the gods, where sacrifices and offerings were made. Wealthy people took animals to the temple to be sacrificed to the gods. Poor people couldn't afford to take live animals so they took pastry ones instead.

The Greeks also had altars in their homes. Sometimes, worshipers poured a whole jar of wine over the altar. More often, they drank most of the wine themselves and left only a tiny drop for the gods.

The 12 Olympians were believed to live in great luxury on Mount Olympus. At 8,750 feet high, it is the highest Mountain in Greece. It is visible from far down in the south, and from the sea.

The origin of the Olympic games is based on a myth of Pelops. Pelops was a son of Tantalus who had been favored by the gods. Tantalus invited all the gods to dine with him. His son Pelops was his greatest treasure, so he sacrificed him to the gods. The Olympian gods hated this act and threw Tantalus into the underworld. The gods brought Pelops back alive, and Poseidon gave him a team of magical horses.

Oenomaus was a king of a town near Olympia. He had a beautiful daughter named Hippodameia. Whoever could beat Oenomaus in a chariot race would have her hand, but whoever lost would lose his head. Hippodameia fell in love with Pelops, so she told the stable boy to fix her father's chariot. The stable boy put wax pins in the wheels in place of the wooden ones. During the race the two were neck to neck, but the wax pins gave way, and Oenomaus died. Pelops and Hippodameia got married and threw the stable boy out to sea. Pelops held a huge funeral feast for Oenomaus and held athletic contests in his honor. The games have been repeated every four years since.

In the year of the games, Spondorophoroi, or messengers were sent to invite city-states throughout Greece to the games. The games were usually held in June or July, and lasted five days. Only honorable men of Greek language and descent were allowed to enter the games. But Greek colonists in Caul, Sicily, Italy, Spain, Africa, Asia Minor and the Black Sea Coasts were all able to participate. Women were forbidden to watch, perhaps because the athletes competed completely naked. Some people think it is because the garments they would have worn would not have allowed them to move freely. One story describes how a mother disguised herself as a man to watch her son compete in his event. When her son won, she jumped up in happiness, and the others saw through her disguise.

The Games tested manly skills and strength and many were of military origin. The first day of the Olympics was reserved for sacrifices to the gods. On the second day, foot-races were held. The most respected event was the foot-race of about 220 yards. On other days, wrestling, boxing and the pancratium, a combination of the two, were staged. Horse racing was restricted to the wealthy because horses were expensive to purchase. The pentathlon tested all-around strength. The pentathlon included five events: a 200-yard (180 meters) sprint, the long jump, wrestling, javelin and discus. The Olympics closed with a running race with contestants dressed in armor. The games also featured music, oratory and theatrical performances.

The Olympic Games were very important to the Greeks for their goal in life was to be the best. Competition was tough, and although many people

assume it is because the Greeks enjoyed the sport, Greek motives were not always pure. Winners of the Olympic Games were only given an olive wreath, but they became very popular in their own city-state. Winners were looked upon as stars; they were invited to luxurious parties; they could marry the girl of their dreams; and they were sometimes freed from taxation. The winners were not only viewed as stars, but so were their cities. If a city-state's athletes won many victories, it showed that its men were strong in battle. Training and special diets a competitor needed took money, and wealth was necessary in war.

The games dated from 776 BC., and reached their height in the 4th and 5th centuries BC. In AD 393, they were ended by Christian Byzantine emperor Theodosius I. It was not until 1896 that the modern Olympics were staged again, and they have been repeated every four years with the exception of 1916 (World War I), 1940 and 1944 (World War II).

In the very first Olympic Games, only the foot-race was held. As time went on, more events were added to the competition. Historians have speculated that the games in 776 BC were not the first games held, but the first organized games which served as a peace agreement between the city-states of Elis and Pisa.

Unit Topic: _Greek Government Grade level: _World History_


Students will learn about key elements of ancient Greek civilization including government, mythology, sport, and architecture.

Understanding (s)Students will understand:1. Learn about key elements of

ancient Greek civilization, including government, mythology, philosophy, sports, art, and architecture; and

2. Understand the influence of ancient Greece in the world today.


How did the ancient Greek civilization influence today’s world?


1. the influence of government, mythology and philosophy on today’s world

2. how sports, art, and architecture contributed to our society


Compare aspects of ancient Greek civilization and society today. Compare different interpretations of events and give reasons for the differences. Select and combine information to produce extended description of aspects of life in ancient Greece.


Students will be divided into six groups (government, mythology, etc.) and will prepare a power point presentation to demonstrate the influences on today’s world.


Explain that a great civilization thrived in Greece between 800 and 323 B.C., during a time in history called the classical Greek period. The ancient Greeks developed new ideas for government, science, philosophy, religion, and art. The center of ancient Greek culture was the city-state of Athens. Although wars between Athens and the city-state Sparta would eventually weaken Greek civilization, its influence is visible today.

Divide students into groups. Each group researches a part of Greek government to present a topic for the class. They may use magazines, newspapers, or pictures from the Internet to create an overview of Greek government.

Working in partners, students will write and perform a script in which a reporter interviews a member of the Council of 500 about ancient Athenian democracy. To develop their scripts, students will research political life in ancient Greece, focusing on the role of direct democracy.

Background notes for the teacher:

Ancient Greece was divided up into many city-states. These city-states were also referred to as a polis, which makes up the English word, politics. These city-states made up ancient Greece from 800 BC to 300 BC each city state was capable of ruling itself, even though some were joined in alliance or some wishing to take over their neighbors.

The occurrence of the city-states has two main factors: geography and the refusal of kingship. Geography played a part in the rise of the city-states because Greece is full of different terrain, such as: mountains, valleys, and islands. Different people found ways to populate the area that they have lived in, as well as developed their own cults based on the twelve main Olympian gods. The second reason, refusal of kingship, contributed to the rise of the city states because some people who were in the aristocratic clan relied on their own power, not someone else’s and formed their own cities. Religious beliefs in the city-states were based around the main twelve

Olympian gods- Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Aphrodite, Demeter, Artemis, Apollo, Hestia, Hermes, Ares and Hephaestus. They also believed natural causes could be explained with myths about the major and minor gods of Olympus. Many polis's had roughly the same layout. The city-states consisted of a central square, called the agora. Inside the agora were shops and offices and public buildings. This was where some of the city's temples were located. The gymnasium was a sport center as well as a cultural center. The cultural center contained running tracks and places to bath. There was also a stadium for those competitive athletes, particularly foot racers. The theater was used for entertainment of others. Here in the theater there were dramatic plays. The rest of the city contained houses and privately owned stores.

Ancient Greece was divided up into many city-states. These city-states were also referred to as a polis, which makes up the English word, politics. These city-states made up ancient Greece from 800 BC to 300 BC. Each city state was capable of ruling itself, even though some were joined in alliance or some wishing to take over their neighbors. When you were a member of the polis you had more than a voice in the government. You would have to carry out military duties and obey the laws. The government in a polis has three main features: the Assembly, this consisted all, or almost all of the citizens. Then there was the Council, which prepared work for the Assembly, and the chief executive officers.

Before Athens had discovered democracy, there was monarchy. The Greek word, monarchy, means "ruled by one". Monarchy did not last long before Athens had discovered democracy, there was monarchy. The Greek word, monarchy, means and oligarchy took its place. Oligarchy, "ruled by few", existed in the 600’s and 500’s BC. Soon tyranny began. Tyranny was when one person took over and led the government in his own ways and only his. But this did not last long, either. Then came a new way of government that lasted through the centuries: democracy.

Democracy comes from the Greek word, demokratia, which means, "power by the people". Democracy emerged in Athens during the 500’s and 400’s BC. The purpose of democracy was to assure the middle class, that they had a voice in the government. The middle class people were the backbone of the army and the city of Athens did not want to lose their army in case of war. Democracy also benefited the poorer of Athens by giving them representation, because they made up the navy oarsmen, and Athens could not afford to lose them in case of an attack.

The citizen’s assembly contained 30,000 to 40,000 male citizens (the women had no rights). They met around forty times a year. In their meetings, they would debate on important issues and vote. They also changed the law, once

in a while, to fit their needs. The 500 people in the Council prepared the Assembly's schedule. Democracy is used in many countries and many people benefit from it as they did in ancient Greece.

Ancient Athens is considered to be the birthplace of democracy. All Athenian citizens were permitted to vote directly on laws, and 500 citizens were chosen at random each year to serve on the Council of 500, the city’s primary legislative body. This system worked well, as it empowered citizens and encouraged them to take an interest in the political affairs of their community. However, when democracy was adopted elsewhere, such as in the Roman Republic, representative democracy replaced the direct model used in ancient Athens. Representative democracy calls for citizens to vote for elected officials, who then make laws on their behalf. Although it has evolved over time, the ancient Greek legacy of democracy lives on today in the United States and other nations around the globe.

Unit Topic: ____The Parthenon__ Grade level: World History___


1. Provide for the study of culture and cultural diversity. 2. Provide for the study of people, places, and environments. 3. Provide for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of

citizenship in a democratic republic.


1. Develop the skills needed to understand how and why the Parthenon was built.

2. Why the Parthenon is one of the best examples of classical Greek architecture.


Describe the location of the Acropolis and the Parthenon. Explain the significance of this location for Athenians at the time of the construction of the temple.

What were the optical refinements used in the Parthenon? How did each one create an illusion that enhanced the gracefulness of the structure?


1. Describe the location, purpose, and significance of the Parthenon and the Acropolis.

2. Describe the form and function of the Parthenon and its major parts.


1. Explain the significance of the Parthenon and Acropolis.

2. Label the major parts of the Parthenon. 3.


Describe the location of the Acropolis and the Parthenon. Explain the significance of this location for Athenians at the time of the construction of the temple.

Explain why the Parthenon is on the best examples of classical Greek architecture.

What were the optical refinements used in the Parthenon? How did each one create an illusion that enhanced the gracefulness of the structure?


Group 1: Rooms What were the pronaos, naos (or cella), and opisthodomos? What was the purpose of each room? (The pronaos was the front

porch, the naos was the main room that held the statue of Athena, and the opisthodomos was the back room, used to hold offerings brought to the deity.)

What was unique about the dimensions and proportions of the naos? (The proportion between length and width was slightly greater than two to one.)

How was its length and height related to its purpose? (It was long and tall to hold a statue.)

What was unique about the columns around the pronaos? (They were Ionic, not Doric.)

What was the main material used to build the Parthenon? (marble) Until the Parthenon was built, what material had most temples been

made of? (wood)

Group 2: Columns and Capital How many columns were on each end of the Parthenon? (8 rather

than the usual 6) How many along the sides? (17) What was unique about this proportion? (Each side had twice-plus-

one the number of columns at each end.) What were some of the optical illusions used to make them appear

more graceful? (Each exterior column has a very slight bulge in the middle. Also, the upper diameter of each is slightly narrower than its base diameter. Columns slant inward.)

What was the peristyle? (the colonnade running around the naos and

supporting its roof) What were the capitals, abacus, and echinus? (A capital is the part at

the top of the column, the abacus is the upper portion of the capital, and the echinus is the lower portion of the capital.)

What is unique about the Doric capital? (The abacus is square and the echinus is rounded.)

Group 3: Base and Floor What are the crepidoma and the stylobate? (The crepidoma was the

stone base of the temple, with three levels or steps; the stylobate was the top level that formed the floor of the temple.)

What were they made of? (stone) What optical refinements were used? Why? (The three levels of the

crepidoma are slightly domed in the center because purely horizontal lines would have appeared to dip in the middle.)

Group 4: Friezes What are the entablature, the frieze, the triglyph, and metope? (The

entablature is the stretch of wall between the tops of the columns and the roof; the frieze is the horizontal band running along the wall, just under the cornice. There were two parts of the frieze: the triglyphs, or blocks with vertical grooves, and metopes, or rectangular areas.)

What were found in the metopes along the outer sides of the Parthenon? (stone carvings of legendary battles)

What was specifically depicted in the metopes on the north end? (the Trojan War)

What was found in the frieze along the four outside walls of the naos? (Sculpture depicting a religious procession—probably the Panathenaea procession—with horsemen, chariots, gods, and beasts)

Group 5:Roof What was the pediment? (the triangular space directly under the two

sides of the sloping roof at the ends of the Parthenon) What did archaeologists find at each pediment? (Sculptures of two

mythological scenes: The east end shows the birth of Athena; the west end shows Athena and Poseidon fighting over the name of the city.)

How were these sculptures decorated? (They were painted bright colors.)

What was the roof made of? (marble tiles)

Group 6: Purpose Why was the Parthenon used? (to honor the goddess Athena) Who was Athena? (patron goddess of Greece, goddess of wisdom,

war, the arts, industry, justice, and skill)

What were her symbols? (owl, olive tree, spear) How was she honored at the Parthenon? (A large statue of her stood

in the center of the Parthenon.) What was the sculpture of Athena made of? (gold and ivory) Who was the head sculptor of the Parthenon? (Pheidias) Which piece do scholars believe Pheidias sculpted? (Athena) Describe the Panathenaic Procession. (Every August, a procession in

honor of Athena began in the city and ended at the Parthenon.) Sketch an overview of the Acropolis, and label other important

monuments. (Sketch should include the Propylaea, temple to Athena Nike, and the Erechtheion.)

Group 7: History How long had the Acropolis been in use? (It had been the site of

temples and palaces for a thousand years.) What happened in 480 B.C.? (Persian invaders conquered the city of

Athens and ravaged the Acropolis temples.) When was the Parthenon built? (Between 447 and 438 B.C.) Who were the architects of the Parthenon? (Iktinos and Kallikrates)

How have other peoples used the Parthenon? (The Romans restored the interior, the Byzantines converted it to a church, the Catholics used it as a cathedral, and the Turks used it as a mosque.)

When was most of the damage done to the Parthenon? (In 1687, it was used to store gunpowder during the Venetian-Turkish war. An explosion destroyed much of the main room and the roof.)

Have each group create a report that answers the questions assigned. The first five groups should fill in, color, and label at least one of the photocopies of the Parthenon. All reports should also include one or two images or original drawings.

Build the ParthenonDivide the class into groups of three or four. Have each group construct a model of the Parthenon using salt-dough, modeling clay, or other lightweight material. The roof must be relatively lightweight so the model does not collapse.

Background notes for the teacher:

Work began on the Parthenon, built on the Acropolis, in 447 BC to replace an existing temple which was destroyed by the Persians in 480 BC and cost 469

silver talents to build. The work began under the orders of Pericles to show the wealth and exuberance of Athenian power. The name of the building most likely came from a cult statue of Athena Parthenos housed in the eastern room of the building. This magnificent structure was built of ivory and gold and was sculptured by the renowned sculptor Phidias. As with most buildings on the Acropolis it was dedicated to Athena to thank the Goddess for their success. The Parthenon was finally finished in 432 BC and was to show the world the dominance and power of Athens.

The Parthenon had been kept in relatively good condition right up until the 19th century. During this time it had seen a number of changes. For nearly a thousand years the Parthenon was still used as a temple to Athena until as late as the 4th Century AD. By this time Athens had been turned into a province of the Roman Empire and had lost most of its former glory. Unfortunately sometime in the 5th Century the Parthenon was raided by a Roman Emperor and the statue of the cult image of Athena was stolen and taken to Constantinople where it was later destroyed during the crusades (around 1204 AD). After the looting by the Roman Emperors the building itself was still intact and was turned into a church in the 5th Century AD by the Christians. The Byzantine Christians converted the Parthenon in honor of Parthena Maria (Virgin Mary), or the Church of the Theotokos (Mother of God), which it remained for around 250 years.

1687 the Venetians, under Francesco Morosini, attacked the Ottomans in Athens. The Acropolis had been fortified by the Ottomans (as well as the Athenians over a century before). The building was also used as a gunpowder store and when the Parthenon took a direct hit from a mortar fired by the Venetians from the Hill of Philopappus, the gunpowder exploded and destroyed a large part of the building.

Columns- Ancient Greeks used three different types of columns in their architecture. The first columns ever made were constructed of carved wood. They were usually 4 times taller than the width of the column. They also consisted of a fluted shaft. Scientists believe that the Greeks might have been influenced by the Egyptian and near eastern tradition.

The Doric column was used in the 7th century BC. It is the oldest column out of all three types. It has no base and its capital consists mainly of a square slab resting on a rounded disk or cylinder. The Doric is also the widest column. In the sixth century the ionic column was introduced to Greece by the Asians. The ionic has a circular base and a spiral capital. Ionic columns were more elaborate and elegant than the Doric. The ionic was later supported by a more elaborate profiled base. In the Roman time of the 4th century the Corinthian column was used. Corinthian columns are the most

elaborate kind of column. Corinthian columns were made of many layers of carved acanthus leaves and volutes.

References

Books:

Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation. Aristotle Onassis Beyond His Myth. Benaki Museum, 2006.

Bowman, John. Frommer’s Greece, Wiley Publishing Co. 2008.

Clogg, Richard. A Concise History of Greece, Second Edition, Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Dubin, Marc. Eyewitness Travel Greece-Athens and the Mainland, DK Eyewitness Travel, 2007. www.dk.gr

Gouvoussis, G. Athens, Acropolis, Athens, Greece, 2007.

Gouvoussis, G. Greece in Colour, Athena, Greece, 2007.

Kokkinou, Sophia. The Most Famous Temples and Sanctuaries of Ancient Greece, Athens, Greece, 2007.

Ministry of Tourism. Athens, Greece, National Tourism Organization, November 2007. www.visitgreece.gr

Ministry of Tourism. Greek Gastronomy, Greek National Tourism Organization.

Ministry of Tourism. Greece Macedonia, National Tourism Organization, www.visitgreece.gr

Ministry of Tourism, Greek Tourism Posters, A Journey in Time through Art, Greek National Tourism Organization.

Hellenic Ministry of Culture. Museum of Byzantine Culture, Publie Par, 2006.

Wiggins, Grant, P. and Jay McTighe. Understanding by Design, ASCD, 2005.

Pamphlets:

American Consulate General Office. Welcome to Thessaloniki, February, 2007.

http://www.visitgreece.gr/

http://www.visitgreece.gr/

http://www.dk.gr/

European Commission. National Summary Sheets on Educational Systems in Europe and Ongoing Reforms, 2006 Edition. www.eurydice.org

Ministry of Culture. Dion, Archaeological Receipts Fund, 2007. www.tap.gr

Ministry of Culture. Pella, Archaeological Receipts Fund, 2007. www.tap.gr

Ministry of Culture. Vergina, Archaeological Receipts Fund, 2007. www.tap.gr

The Museum of Byzantine Culture Friends Association. Museum of Byzantine Culture, 2007. www.mbp.gr

U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress. Country Fact Sheet-Greece, May 2008.

Magazines:

Shugart, Diane. Royal Passage, pp 70-72, “The World of Greece Odyssey” Magazine. May/June 2008. www.odyssey.gr

Internet Resources as of September 2008:

www.archaeolink.com www.coreknowledge.org www.library.thinkquest.org www.school.discoveryeducation.com

http://www.school.discoveryeducation.com/

http://www.library.thinkquest.org/

http://www.coreknowledge.org/

http://www.archaeolink.com/

http://www.odyssey.gr/

http://www.mbp.gr/

http://www.tap.gr/

http://www.tap.gr/

http://www.tap.gr/

http://www.eurydice.org/

poppell, amelia project 2

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