Ancient Greece PDF

Ancient
Greece
Ancient Greece Sean Stewart Price, Scholastic Teaching Resources
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by Sean Stewart Price
S C H O L A S T I C
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DEDICATION
This book is for my mom, Dorothy Pricethe best teacher of them all.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to thank Deborah Boedeker at the Center for Hellenic Studies in
Washington, D.C., for kindly answering so many questions. I would also like
to thank Scholastics Virginia Dooley, who patiently waited for the
manuscript, and Sarah Longhi, who greatly improved it. Finally, Id like to
thank my wife, Debra Muller Price, who is always my first and best editor.
Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the designated reproducible pages from this book for classroom
use. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of
the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
Edited by Jeanne Rosenblatt
Cover design by Norma Ortiz

Cover photo by John Verde, Photo Researchers, Inc.
Interior design by Sydney Wright
Map design by James McMahon (page 9)
Interior illustrations by Mona Mark
ISBN 0-439-05919-4
Copyright 2000 by Sean Stewart Price. All rights reserved.

Printed in the U.S.A.
Contents
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INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
1. MASTER OF THE ANCIENT SEAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

The Geography of Ancient Greece
Finding Your Way Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Getting the Lay of the Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
2. GIVING BIRTH TO HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

History, Philosophy, and the Oral Tradition
Greeks on Greece . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Remembering Homer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Mapping Greeces Past . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
3. DAILY LIFE IN ANCIENT GREECE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Clothing, Food, Games, Fables, and Religion
Fifth Century B.C. Fashion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Greek Treats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Dog Eat Dog: Polis Board Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Aesops Fables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Gods and Goddesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
4. A CLOSER LOOK: GREEK LANGUAGE, ART, AND SCIENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Vocabulary, Drama, Art and Architecture, and Science
Its All Greek to Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Antigone: An adaptation of the play by Sophocles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Making Masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Pythagoras I: Creating a Builders Triangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Pythagoras II: The Theorem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
5. A CLOSER LOOK: ATHENS VERSUS SPARTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Democracy, Social Order, and Justice
Whos the Winner? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Go Tell the Spartans! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Murder in Athens! Part I: Athenian Justice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
Murder in Athens! Parts II and III:
The Scene of the Crime and the Trial of Daphne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Trial Props: The Waterclock and the Ballot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
Introduction
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w Welcome to Ancient Greece w
w Ancient Greece is not some obscure place in the pastit is all around us. w
If you turn on the TV and watch a drama, you are enjoying an art form invented by the
Greeks more than 2,500 years ago. If you pick up a book, each page contains Greek words
and concepts. If you visit a doctor, its likely that he or she took an oath based on one
written by Hippocrates, the greatest healer in the ancient world. Visit Washington, D.C.,
and youll be struck by the Greek architectural influence on the White House and the
Lincoln Memorial. While youre there, you can thank the Greeks for developing ideals of
free speech and democracy. But you dont really have to go anywhere to appreciate Greece.
On any cloudless night you can look up and be dazzled by the 88 constellations, most of
which have names derived from Greek mythology.
Our debt to ancient Greece is enormous. The few things that the Greeks didnt invent or
pioneer they greatly improved upon. They knew that they were special and that the eyes of
history (another Greek innovation) were upon them. Future ages will wonder at us, the
politician Pericles boasted of Athens, the greatest of the Greek cities, as the present age
wonders at us now.
w Why study ancient Greece? w

Ancient Greece is often called the cornerstone of Western civilization. The examples above
give just a hint of the extent to which American culture has been influenced by ancient
Greece. Yet an American plopped down in ancient Greece would quickly suffer culture
shock. Ancient Greek society was based on agriculture and the use of slaves. It was heavily
male-dominateda society that institutionalized the exclusion of women, foreigners, and
people with disabilities from positions of power. The Greeks did not even call themselves
Greeks; that word comes from their Latin name. Lumped all together as a people, they
called themselves Hellas. As individuals, they were (and are today) Hellenes.
We dont study ancient Greece just because it has given us cool ideas and traditions or
because some of its customs seem strange and outdated. Instead, we study ancient Greece,
as journalist Peter France put it, because this astonishing people, small in numbers, politi-
cally disorganized, poverty-stricken, technologically underdeveloped, suddenly discovered,
in their remote corner of the Mediterranean, in a burst of light, how to live. Indeed, study-
ing this culture with our students can become an epic journey with more peaks and valleys
than the mountainous Greek countryside.
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w About this book w
The materials in this resource invite students to appreciate and learn about ancient
Greece its geography, its history, its culture, and its impact on modern life. Each chapter
opens with background information on a specific aspect of ancient Greece and is followed
by related activities that help students understand key ideas presented in the chapter. The
first chapter aims to give students an understanding of where Greece is located and how
the ancient civilization developed there. The subsequent chapters highlight details of Greek
culture and everyday life: how people dressed, what they ate, how they entertained them-
selves, what they thought about, and how they ran their governments.
As you lead students through their study of ancient Greece, be sure to use the enclosed
fold-out map, which shows the extent of Greeces political domain around 500 B.C. Point
out to the class that Greek colonies stretched from the coast of Spain to the Black Sea. Also
encourage the class to explore some of the Internet sites described in the Net Links sec-
tions of this book and visit your school or local library to obtain some of the books and
videos listed in the Library Links sections.
A WARNING ABOUT WEB SITES

Many Web sites about ancient civilizations contain material or links to material that some
parents might find objectionable. Before asking your students to investigate a Web site, be
sure you have checked it out yourself and determined that it is appropriate.
Web addresses also may change or disappear. If an address doesnt take you where you
want to go, retype it using only the domain (e.g., www.scholastic.com) and navigate from
the home page to the desired pages by clicking on topics. Or use a search engine to search
for key words in the address or Web-site topic.
The Lincoln Memorial The Parthenon

Washington, D.C. Athens, Greece
5
CHAPTER 1
Master
of the
Ancient Seas
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The Geography of Ancient Greece
M odern Greece is about the size of Alabama. You can see from the map on page 9 that most
of its land lies at the tip of Europes Balkan Peninsula. The rest of the country is made up of hun-
dreds of islands that lie scattered throughout four bodies of water: the Aegean Sea, the Ionian
Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Sea of Crete.
Although Greece is small in size, its mild climate attracts millions of tourists each year. Most rain-
fall comes during the winter months, when temperatures seldom dip below freezing. The sum-
mers are hot and dry. That forecast has not changed much since Greek culture first emerged,
around 2000 B.C.
Most of the great city-states of ancient Greece, such as Athens, Sparta, and Corinth, existed with-
in the borders of modern Greece. But in ancient timesespecially during Greeces Golden Age
in the 5th century B.C.Greek colonies stretched from the Iberian Peninsula to the Black Sea. The
map on page 7 shows the breadth of the Greek territories around 550 B.C.
Two geographic facts help explain why the ancient Greeks spread themselves out over such a
broad area. First, their homeland is extremely mountainous and rocky, with most of the farmland
relegated to a few fertile valleys and strips along the seacoast. Second, nearly all of Greece was no
more than one or two days travel from the sea. As a result, the sea became Greeces lifeline and,
ultimately, its source of power and greatness. The Greeks traded their abundant supplies of lime-
stone, clay pottery, and olives for grain, linen, and papyrus from other Mediterranean peoples.
Because the winter months brought shipwrecking storms, most trading took place between April
and October.
Athens in particular profited from the necessity for trade. The people there made it easy for foreign-
ers to sail into their seaport of Piraeus loaded down with valuable cargo. The wealth generated by
this booming trade helped fund the Golden Age of Greece.
6
Profit relied on safe trade, and safe trade relied on seamen who
knew where they were going. The Greeks did not invent maps. But LIBRARY LINKS
they did come up with ideas to make maps more useful, such as The Penguin Historical Atlas of
latitude and longitude. The philosopher and astronomer Anaximander Ancient Greece by Robert
drew the first known map of the world in the 6th century B.C. Morkot is a superb resource
Claudius Ptolemy, the last of the great Greek mapmakers, com- for ancient Greek geography
and history. The reading level
piled an eight-volume Geography around A.D. 150. It exhaustively
may be high for younger stu-
mapped more than 8,000 specific places in the known world and
dents, but the maps are excel-
remained influential throughout the Middle Ages.
lent and informative.
The sea helped to shape Greeces culture. Its greatest mythological
heroes, such as Jason and Odysseus, spent much of their lives on
ships. Many great Greek thinkers, like Anaximander and Ptolemy,
did not live in Athens or other mainland cities. They lived in far-
flung placesAnaximander and Ptolemy lived in Miletus and
Alexandria, respectivelybut they were Greeks nonetheless. Their
influence spread throughout the Mediterranean due to the traffic
of slow, stubby trading ships that made Greece first a superpower
and later the cultural heart of the Mediterranean.
GAUL
EUROPE Black Sea
TH
RA
CE Byzantium
A
ITALY ONI
D
CE
PERSIAN
MA Troy ASIA EMPIRE
GREECE Agean
Sea MINOR
Miletus
Ionian
Carthage Sea Athens
Syracuse Olympia
AFRICA Sparta Sea of
Crete Tyre
CRETE
Mediterranean Sea
Alexandria
Areas of Greek Settlement
Greek Trade Route EGYPT
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Finding Your Way Around
w Latitude and Longitude w
The ancient Greeks invented the mapping system we know today as latitude and longitude. The system
developed gradually, starting around the 4th century B.C. Over the next four centuries, astronomers and
mapmakers developed their ideas and made the system more exact. Around A.D. 100, latitude and longi-
tude lines were finally laid out at regular, mathematically spaced intervals more or less as they are today. In
modern times, latitude and longitude have become the framework for almost all maps. They are also used
for high-tech direction-finding satellites that can tell travelers instantly where they are.
MATERIALS
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Finding Your Way Around (page 9)

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HERES HOW

1 Distribute a copy of page 9 to each student.
2 Review the information about latitude and longitude described below.

3 After they have finished the activity sheet, have students figure out the latitude and longitude of their
hometown by looking at a state map.

Latitude: This measures distance north or south of the equator. The equator is an imaginary line that
circles the globe halfway between the North and South poles. Latitude lines are called parallels, because
they run parallel to (never meet) the equator. The equator is at 0 latitude. Latitude increases as you go
north (N) and south (S) of the equatorto 90N at the North Pole and 90S at the South Pole.
Longitude: This measures distance east or west of the prime meridian. The prime meridian is an imaginary
line that runs from pole to pole and passes through Greenwich, England. All longitude lines are called
meridians, and they all meet at the poles. The prime meridian is at 0 longitude. Longitude increases as
you travel east (E) and west (W) until you reach the 180 meridian, which is in the Pacific Ocean.
Explain to students that latitude and longitude lines on a map form a grid that allows you to find any spot
on earth. Remind them that both latitude and longitude are measured in degrees and that latitude is always
given first. For instance, we would say that New Orleans is located at 30N, 90W. Finally, point out that to
make a location more exact, a degree can be divided into 60 minutes (60).
ANSWER KEY Finding Your Way Around (page 9)

1. parallels; 2. meridians; 3. equator; 4. prime meridian; 5. Crete; 6. Ionian Sea; 7. Peloponnesus, or the Peloponnesian Peninsula;
8. island of Lesbos; 9. island of Rhodes; 10. Athens
8
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Finding Your Way Around

Youll need to look at the maps below and review what youve learned about latitude and
longitude to answer these questions.
1 What is another name for lines of latitude? 6 What body of water would you be in at
37N, 20E?
2 What is another name for lines of 7 What body of land would you be on at
longitude? 38N, 22E?
3 Latitude measures distance from what 8 If you were on a northbound ship at

imaginary line on the globe? 39N, 26E, what body of land would you
probably be sailing toward?
4 Longitude measures distance from what

imaginary line on the globe? 9 What island lies closest to 36N, 28E?
5 If you were standing at 35N, 25E, where 10 What can be found at 38N, 2338E?
would you be?
Greece and Its Neighbors
Lines of Longitude
Lines of Latitude
9
Getting the Lay of the Land
w Physical Geography w
Although Greece is small in size, it is made up of several kinds of landforms. This activity not only
will acquaint students with Greeces geography, but it will also introduce them to a variety of different
physical features.
MATERIALS
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Getting the Lay of the Land (page 11)

dictionary or social studies textbook glossary
maps of modern Greece and western Turkey
[A physical map would be the most helpful, but having several different kinds of maps will make it
easier for students to find the names of certain physical features.]
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HERES HOW

1 Have students use a dictionary or social studies textbook glossary to look up the meaning of the 12
geographic terms listed on page 11. To aid your visual learners, encourage students to draw a symbol for
the geographic term next to their definitions.
2 Challenge the class to use a physical map from an atlas, encyclopedia, or the Internet to find an example
of each of the physical features in present-day Greece or western Turkey.
3 Finally, have students label the blank map with specific place-names of the physical features they have
located (e.g., the Gulf of Messini). Since there are a number of physical features that appear repeatedly
(e.g., capes and islands), you may want to invite students, individually or in groups, to find as many
features as they can in a given time period. Encourage students to use multiple resources, and allow
teams to divide up the work. Boost the excitement level by assigning point values to each physical
feature and then have the students tally up their scores at the end of the period.
4 As a follow-up activity or as an extra challenge for students who may finish early, ask the following
questions:
R What is the highest mountain in Greece? How tall is it? What was its significance to the ancient
Greeks? (Mount Olympus; 9,570 feet; Ancient Greeks believed it was the home of the Olympian gods.)
R Can you find at least five of these features on a map of the United States? (Answers may vary.)
10
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Getting the Lay of the Land

Imagine that you are an experienced mapmaker. It is your job to locate on the physical
map below an example of each of the following landforms or physical features. Begin by
finding a definition for each of these terms:
Geographic terms:
archipelago
bay
cape
gulf
isthmus
lake
mountain range
peninsula
river
sea
strait
valley
Physical Features: Modern Greece

Using other maps of MACEDONIA BULGARIA
Greece and its neighbors,
find the names of places ALBANIA
that are examples of the
12 geographic terms
listed above. Label these TURKEY
place-names on this GREECE

map. Add the geographic
term if it is not part of
the name. One example
has been done for you.
Rhodes
(island)
11
CHAPTER 2
Giving Birth
to History
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History, Philosophy, and
the Oral Tradition
D uring the fifth century B.C., two Greeks, Herodotus and Thucydides, invented what we think of
today as historical writing. Herodotus lively, though sometimes fanciful, account of Greeces wars
with Persia earned him the nickname the Father of History. Thucydides wrote a more serious,
and more factual, record of the later wars between Athens and Sparta.
Other civilizations in the Middle East made important advances in historical writing. But the
works of Herodotus and Thucydides caused a turning point in the recording of history. For the first
time, writers were not trying to praise a king, pass on a religion, or honor an ancestor. Both men
investigated what had happened at a given place and time, and then they recorded itwith some
lapses in accuracyfor future generations.
The works of Herodotus, Thucydides, and later historians helped to preserve accounts of much of
Greeces rich and turbulent past. Ancient Greek historians took it for granted that the epic poet
Homer was part of that past. All ancient Greeks were raised hearing and reading tales from the
blind poets Iliad and Odyssey. However, experts today are not sure if Homer was really one poet or
many. Debates also rage over whether the Iliad and the Odyssey reflect any real historic events.
Even so, the works attributed to Homer became the cornerstone of Greek society. Most Greek
religious beliefs were based on the two epic poems; schoolboys were taught to read using them.
Such schooling gave freeborn men like Herodotus and Thucydides a good shot at literacy. But
most other social groupswomen, slaves, freed slaves, and foreignershad to rely primarily
on oral communication.
12
Ancient literary works like the Iliad and the Odyssey were originally passed down from generation
to generation by word of mouth. But word of mouth in ancient days was not what it is now in the
modern era of paper and pencil. In ancient societies, it was the job of poets not only to create
new works but also to preserve older compositions in their heads. In fact, poetry was used to tell
stories largely because the rhymes and rhythms helped poets to better remember the words.
An experienced reciter, or storyteller, could memorize thousands of words after hearing them just
once or twice. Even so, modern experts believe that ancient poets did not remember everything
they heard exactly word-for-word. Instead, they caught the gist and sometimes added or sub-
tracted passages to suit their purpose. They recited their works before large crowds, usually
accompanied by music.
The oral tradition remained strong throughout the six major periods of ancient Greek history and
long after. Since Europes Renaissance, the written word has become the chief means of mass
communication, and the oral tradition has declined. Along with it have gone the need and the
ability to memorize long literary works after hearing them. Books and writing (and other record-
ing devises) have done us immeasurable good, but they have also severed a link we once had
with the ancient way of life.
13
Greeks on Greece
w Primary Sources: Quotations w
Ancient Greek poets, historians, and philosophers were often long winded. They spoke at length about a
variety of different topics. This activity will introduce students to some of their views on life, loyalty, and the
world of Greek politics. The list of quotations on pages 15 and 16 is designed to show how ancient Greeks
saw themselves and their world.
MATERIALS
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Greeks on Greece (pages 15 and 16)
HERES HOW

1 Ask students to think about what these quotes say about the Greeks. Lead a discussion about how life in
ancient Greece is similar to and different from our own lives. Use each quote as a point of departure for
discussions on different aspects of Greek life. For example, lead a discussion about the Plutrarch quota-
tion on family: How many students agree? How many disagree? How would students imagine decision-
making power in their future families to be handled?
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VARIATIONS

Select one or more quotations as a prompt for journal writing.

Make a Venn diagram on the chalkboard or a large sheet of paper on which you record students views
versus ancient Greek views. Students may want to create their own diagrams on notebook paper. Discuss
differences and similarities in points of view.
Use the quotations as a departure point for researching specific topics. For example, students might
investigate the following:
R Who was considered a citizen in ancient Greece?
R Greek society was divided into what social classes?
R Who had the most power and prestige, and who had the least? (Students can develop a diagram to
provide a visual format for showing the social ranking and privileges of the different groups.)
Invite students to choose an ancient Greek persona (of any age, gender, or social status) and compose a
response to one of the quotations based on the characters imagined experience. For example, students
might write from the point of view of an Athenian woman who wants to participate in a trial, or a slave
who wants to study philosophy with Socrates.
14
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Greeks on Greece
ds
The Go
ds are L
ife in Athe
The go Our cons
titution is ns
men
near to in the han called a d
emocracy
over ds not of a
to watch Here each minority b because p
ut of the w ower is
f individual
deeds o affairs but is intereste
d not only
hole peop
le. . . .
a nd in the affa
justice not say th irs of the s
tate as we
in his own
ss. at a man w
kindline d, man who ho takes n
o interest
ll. . . . We
do
Hesio business h
minds his
own busin in politics is
poet ere at all. ess; we sa a
y that he h
Pericles as no
, Athenian
politician
Life in Sparta
In other cities whenever someone displays cowardice, he merely
gets the name of coward; yet the cowardif he wants togoes out
in public, and sits down, and takes exercise in the same place as the
brave man. But at Sparta everyone would be ashamed to be associ-
ated with a coward. . . . When sides are being picked for a ball game,
that sort of man is often left out with no position assigned. And in
dances he is banished to the insulting places. Moreover, in the
streets he is required to give way, as well as give up his seat, even to
younger men. The girls in his family he has to support at home, and
he must explain to them why they cannot get husbands. He must
endure having a household with no wife, and at the same time pay
a fine for this. Xenophon, historian and soldier
Family
In a virtu
ous house
every activ hold
Politics
ity is perfo
husband a rmed by
a t affairs y
ou ment with
nd wife in
agree- Life in Athens
In gre
p lease al
l neverthele
each othe
r, but it is More nder
l wo
can n ot ss clear th ages wil t age
the man w a t it is Future en
parties. an ho is in ch the pres
, Atheni has the po arge and at us as .
S o l o n
er wer of dec s at us now itician
lawmak ision. wo nder
es, pol
Plutarch
, historian Pericl
and philos
opher
15
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Greeks on Greece (cont.)
Life for Girls

Young wom
en, in my op
tence know inion, have
n to mortals the sweetes
innocence a in their father t exis-
lways keeps s homes, fo
when [they] children safe r their
reach pubert and happy.
are thrust o y and can u B ut
ut and sold nderstand,
and from [th a way from [th [t h e y]
eir] parents eir] ancestr
homes, oth . S ome go to s a l g ods
ers to foreig trange men
some to ho ners, some s
stile. to joyless h
ouses,
Sophocle
s, playwrigh
t
History
With regard to my factual reporting of the events of the war, I have
made it a principle not to write down the first story that came my
way and not even to be guided by my own general impressions.
Either I was present myself at the events which I have described, or
else I have heard of them from eyewitnesses whose reports I have
checked with as much thoroughness as possible.
Thucydides, historian
Life for Boys

Mother a
nd nurse a
vs.
Greeks ks
vying with nd father
the other and tutor
about the are ee
Non-Gr
of the chil improvem
d as soon ent
understan as ever he o t
d what is b is able to , if asked
he obeys,
well and g
eing said
to him. . . All men best ways of
. If the
ened by th o od; if not, choose ld
reats and
blows, like
he is straig
ht- dering life, wou
bent or wa o r n.
rped wood a piece of their ow
. choose tus, histori
an
o d o
Protago
ras, philos Her
opher
Philosophy
I am a lover of knowledge,
and men are my teachers.
Socrates, philosopher
16
Remembering Homer
w Oral Tradition and the Iliad w
Ever play the game Rumor? Well, the ancient Greeks, who were better attuned to oral discourse, could
probably beat anyone alive today.
Before You Start
Be sure to read the introduction to this chapter and share information on Greek oral tradition with your
students. To add an authentic flavor to this activity, encourage one of your students to dress up in Greek
clothing (see pages 28 and 29) and recite the nearly 200-word passage adapted from the Iliad on the next
page. Instruct the young actor to make his or her performance as dramatic as possible.
MATERIALS
Remembering Homer (page 19)
f
HERES HOW

1 Draw on background knowledge: Ask students if they have ever heard of the poet Homer, or of the Iliad or
the Odyssey. Clarify any misconceptions and describe each poem briefly. You might show students books
of the two poems to emphasize their length and the amount of text that was generated and passed on
across centuries.
R Point out that these epic poems were first transmitted from one person to another at a time when
few people could read or write. Ask students how they think that was possible. Discuss with them
the importance of the oral tradition to ancient societies.
2 Play the game Rumor as a warm-up to give students a sense of the challenge of listening, remembering,
and retelling information: Divide the class into four or five groups so that the students in each group are
sitting or standing next to each other. Whisper William Blakes line Tiger, Tiger burning bright/In the
forests of the night (or some other memorable phrase) to one of the students in each group. Then have
that student whisper the message he or she heard to the next student, and so on, until every member of
the group has heard the message. Have the last person write down what he or she heard. How close did
each group get to the phrase it started off with?
3 Pass out copies of page 19, and have students read the introduction. Then read the adapted passage
from the Iliad (next page) twice. After the first reading, ask students if there is anything about it that
needs to be clarified. It may be helpful, for example, to locate Troy, the site of most of the battles
between the Greeks and Trojans, and Sparta, home to King Menelaus and his wife, Helen, whose abduc-
tion by the Trojan prince Paris sparked the great war.
4 After a second reading, ask students to write down as closely as possible what they heard. Do not let
them begin writing until after the passage has been read twice. Tell students that they should not try to
17
repeat the passage word for word. Instead, they should try to get the major ideas and important phrases.
5 Finally, read the passage through again and have students compare their written version with the origi-
nal. You may also want to post each students effort on the wall along with a copy of the original passage.
Who came the closest? How many details were they able to relay? How much do they think they would be
able to remember tomorrow? How about next week? In Greek, this passage is rhyming poetry (the rhymes
have been lost in translation). Would students have had an easier time remembering rhyme?
6 Close with a discussion that considers why people today might have more difficulty remembering the
spoken word than people did in ancient times. Lead a discussion about how our communication has
changed over the centuries.
The Burial of Hector, a passage adapted from Homers Iliad

The people of Troy gathered around Hectors pyre just as young Dawn with her rose-
red fingers shone again. They put out the last of the fires with their glistening wine, and
then they collected the white bones of Hector. All his brothers and comrades mourned,
with warm tears streaming down their cheeks. The bones were wrapped round and
round in soft purple cloths and placed in a gold chest. The Trojans quickly lowered the
chest into a deep, hollow grave, and over it they piled huge stones that were tightly
packed. They then quickly heaped a mound over his grave and posted sentries for fear
that the Greeks would launch an attack before the time agreed. And once theyd built
the mound, they turned back home to Troy. Gathering once again, they shared a grand
funeral feast in Hectors honor, held in the house of Priam, king by Zeuss will. And so
they buried Hector, breaker of horses.
NET LINKS
To find out more about Homer and his works, go to http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/iliad.html to
access the text of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
18
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Remembering Homer
Introduction
As Homers Iliad begins, the Greeks have been attacking the city of Troy for ten years. The
Trojans have held them off, led by the bravest of their princes, Hector. But Hector is killed
by the Greek warrior Achilles. In a generous gesture, the Greeks agree to a truce so that the
Trojans can mourn Hectors death. They burn Hectors body in a huge fire, called a pyre,
and hold traditional ceremonies to honor the gods.
Directions
The passage you will hear from the Iliad describes Hectors burial. Listen carefully to the
entire passage twice, then try to write down as much of it as you can remember. Youre
taking in this story as the ancient Greeks would haveby listening rather than reading.
19
Mapping Greeces Past
w Chronology of Historical Events w
and Geographic Locations
Ancient Greece has a long history of dynamic cultural innovation and political change. By sorting out
some of the more important people, places, and events, students will gain a better appreciation of the
Greeks tumultuous past.
MATERIALS
f
five copies of Famous People and Events (pages 23 and 24)

five copies of the Famous People and Events: Ancient Greece map (page 25)
scissors
tape or glue
textbooks and other resources (such as other nonfiction texts or Internet sites) on Greek history
f
HERES HOW

1 Label each of the five maps you copied from page 24 with one of the following headings:
Early Greece, 2000 to 800 B.C. Hellenistic Greece, early 336 to 146 B.C.
Archaic Greece, 800 to 500 B.C. Roman Greece, 146 B.C. to A.D. 340
Classical Greece, 500 to 300 B.C.
2 Divide the class into five groups and assign each group (or allow each group to select) a major era of
Greek history from the periods listed above. Provide each group with a map of Greece, labeled appropri-
ately, as well as a copy of Famous People and Events (page 23). (For large classes, you may need to divide the
class into more than five groups and make extra copies of pages 23 and 24. In this case, groups may have
to double up on time periods, so that two groups, for instance, may be working on Archaic Greece at the
same time.)
3 Instruct each group to (a) use reference sources to find out which events on the list occurred during the
era of Greek history assigned to the group; (b) determine the dates and locations of these events; and (c)
complete the Famous People and Events: Ancient Greece map, following the directions on page 25.*
4 To make the job simpler, encourage each group to divide up the events to research among the group
members.
5 After they have completed the exercise, have students choose one of the topics from their selected era and
write a brief report (one or two paragraphs). Finally, have them read their reports to the rest of the class.
* Note: For most of the events listed in the exercise, students do not need to have a precise date in order to determine whether or not it
belongs on their map. A few events occurred throughout the Greek-speaking world (such as the spread of ironworking) and are impossible to
pinpoint. In those cases, have students place their icon somewhere on the Greek mainland (see directions, page 25).
20
ANSWER KEY
f
Famous People and Events, pages 23 and 24
Early Greece, 2000 to 800 B.C.
(7) Cretan culture begins. (Time: about 2000 B.C.; Place: Crete)
(11) Mycenaean culture begins. (Time: about 1500 B.C.; Place: Greek mainland)
(3) Dorians invade Greece and destroy Mycenaean culture. (Time: about 1200 B.C.; Place: Greek mainland)
(25) Troy is destroyed during the Trojan War. (Time: about 1184 B.C.; Place: Troy, on the west coast of
modern-day Turkey)
(17) Greeks begin to colonize the Ionian coast. (Time: about 1100 B.C.; Place: western coast of modern-
day Turkey)
(5) Iron becomes widely used throughout Greece. (Time: about 950 B.C.; Place: Greek mainland)
Archaic Greece, 800 to 500 B.C.
(6) The Iliad and the Odyssey are composed (centuries later, they are recorded in writing). (Time: about
800 B.C.; Place: Greek mainland)
(19) The first Olympic games are held. (Time: 776 B.C.; Place: Olympia)
(12) Greek colonies spread throughout the Mediterranean and Black seas. (Time: about 750 B.C.;
Places: Mediterranean and Black seas)
(9) Spartans conquer the Messenians, enslave them, and call them Helots. (Time: 730710 B.C.;
Place: Sparta and adjoining areas)
(30) Solon reforms Athens laws and society. (Time: 594593 B.C.; Place: Athens)
(10) Cleisthenes makes sweeping democratic reforms in Athens. (Time: 510 B.C.; Place: Athens)
Classical Greece, 500 to 336 B.C.
(2) Pericles is born in Athens. (Time: 490 B.C.; Place: Athens)
(16) First Persian invasion of Greece is stopped by Greek victory at Marathon. (Time: 490 B.C.;
Place: Marathon, near Athens)
(22) Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, is born on the island of Cos, off the coast of modern-day
Turkey. (Time: 460 B.C.; Place: Cos)
(14) Athens finally surrenders to Sparta after fighting two bloody wars. (Time: 404 B.C.;
Place: Athens or Sparta)
21
(24) Socrates is executed by Athenians. (Time: 399 B.C.;
Place: Athens) LIBRARY LINKS
The Time Frame series by the
(28) Sparta is defeated by Thebes and loses its status as most editors at Time-Life Books
powerful Greek city-state. (Time: 371 B.C.; Place: Sparta or Thebes) provides an excellent intro-
duction to Greece during its
Hellenistic Greece, early 336 to 146 B.C. archaic and classical eras.
Look especially for Time Frame
(29) Alexander the Great of Macedonia takes power and begins 600400 B.C.: A Soaring Spirit.
conquests throughout the Mediterranean. (Time: 336 B.C.; Another great resource is
Place: Macedonia) Eyewitness Books: Ancient
Greece by Anne Pearson. It
(18) Aristotle founds his school of philosophy at Athens. covers just about everything
(Time: 335 B.C.; Place: Athens) briefly and with wonderful
(15) Euclid, great mathematician, opens a school and begins illustrations.

teaching in Alexandria, Egypt. (Time: about 300 B.C.;
Place: Alexandria)
(23) Archimedes of Syracuse, a great engineer and inventor, is born. (Time: 287 B.C.; Place: Syracuse)
(26) The Colossus of Rhodes is built. (Time: 280 B.C.; Place: Rhodes)
(4) Eratosthenes, a great astronomer and mapmaker, is born in Cyrene. (Time: 276 B.C.; Place: Cyrene, in
northern Africa)
Roman Greece, 146 B.C. to A.D. 340
(8) Romans conquer Greece. (Time: 147146 B.C.; Place: Greek mainland)
(27) Romans crush Athenian revolt. (Time: 88 B.C.; Place: Athens)
(20) Plutarch, great historian, is born in Chaeronea. (Time: A.D. 47; Place: Chaeronea, near Thebes)
(1) Claudius Ptolemy, a Greek astronomer living in Alexandria, Egypt, collects and puts together
extensive maps of the known world. (Time: about A.D. 150; Place: Alexandria)
(13) Romans make Byzantium their capital and rename it Constantinople. (Time: A.D. 331;
Place: Constantinople, now Istanbul)
(21) Rome splits into eastern and western empires for the last time. (Time: A.D. 340;
Place: Constantinople, now Istanbul)
22
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Famous People and Events Era: ________

Directions
Find the dates and locations for any of the following events which occurred during the era
of Greek history written above. When your group has discovered the time and place for
each event in your assigned era, create a map that highlights these events with the Famous
People and Events: Ancient Greece map.
Time Location
1. ______ _______________ Claudius Ptolemy, a Greek astronomer living in Alexandria,

Egypt, collects and puts together extensive maps of the

known world.
2. ______ _______________ Pericles is born in Athens.
3. ______ _______________ Dorians invade Greece and destroy Mycenaean culture.
4. ______ _______________ Eratosthenes, a great astronomer and mapmaker, is born.
5. ______ _______________ Iron becomes widely used throughout Greece.
6. ______ _______________ The Iliad and the Odyssey are composed (centuries later,
they are recorded in writing).
7. ______ _______________ Cretan culture begins.
8. ______ _______________ Romans conquer Greece.
9. ______ _______________ Spartans conquer the Messenians, enslave them, and call
them Helots.
10. ______ _______________ Cleisthenes makes sweeping democratic reforms in Athens.
11. ______ _______________ Mycenaean culture begins.
12. ______ _______________ Greek colonies spread throughout the Mediterranean and
Black seas.
13. ______ _______________ Romans make Byzantium their capital and rename it
Constantinople.
14. ______ _______________ Athens finally surrenders to Sparta after fighting two
bloody wars.
23
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Famous People and Events (cont.)

Time Location
15. ______ _______________ Euclid, a great mathematician, opens a school and begins
teaching.
16. ______ _______________ First Persian invasion of Greece is stopped by Greek victory
at Marathon.
17. ______ _______________ Greeks begin to colonize the Ionian coast.

18. ______ _______________ Aristotle founds his school of philosophy at Athens.
19. ______ _______________ The first Olympic games are held.
20. ______ _______________ Plutarch, a great historian, is born.
21. ______ _______________ Rome splits into eastern and western empires for the last
time.
22. ______ _______________ Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, is born on the island
of Cos.
23. ______ _______________ Archimedes of Syracuse, a great engineer and inventor, is

born.
24. ______ _______________ Socrates is executed by Athenians.
25. ______ _______________ Troy is destroyed during the Trojan War.
26. ______ _______________ The Colossus of Rhodes is built.
27. ______ _______________ Romans crush Athenian revolt.
28. ______ _______________ Sparta is defeated by Thebes and loses its status as most
powerful Greek city-state.
29. ______ _______________ Alexander the Great of Macedonia takes power and begins
conquests throughout the Mediterranean and into Asia
Minor.
30.______ _______________ Solon reforms Athens laws and society.
24
Famous People and Events:
Ancient Greece Map Key
Era: __________________ famous person and/or event
Black Sea 1
EUROPE
2
GREECE ASIA MINOR
Mediterranean Sea
4
AFRICA
5
Directions:
1. Label the map title above with the era of ancient Greece you have studied.
2. On the map, write in the names of the places where the six events from this era occurred. (Use 6
the Location information from the Famous People and Events pages and another map to help you.)
3. Fill in the Map Key with the six events from this era: describe the six events, writing on the
lines next to each box (16). (Use the information from the Famous People and Events pages to
help you.)
4. In each box in the Map Key, draw an icon (a simple picture or symbol) to represent the event.
For example, a spear might stand for a victory.
5. Draw each icon on the map near its correct location.
6. Use colored pencils or fine-tip markers to add color and definition to your map. For example,
if you find the areas where Greeks settled during the era you researched, you might shade in
these areas. (Add to the Map Keywith an explanationany extra colors or symbols you use.
This will help others better understand your map.)
25
CHAPTER 3
Daily Life in
Ancient Greece
f
f
Clothing, Food, Games, Fables,
and Religion
M
any modern people see themselves as being part of a family. Ancient Greeks saw them-
selves as part of a household. The household included not only immediate family members, but
also distant relatives, slaves, and other dependents all living under the same roof. The head of the
household was the oldest male.
Men were able to leave the house and do business, exercise, gossip, and so forth. A respectable
woman past the age of puberty had no such liberty. Her job was to run the household (of course,
female slaves did much of the labor). Except for religious festivals, weddings, and funerals, mar-
ried women were expected to stay indoors. When they did leave, they had to be accompanied by
slaves or other women.
As much as 25 percent of all children born died in infancy. Those who survivedboth boys and
girlsspent a lot of time with their mother and slaves. When they became teenagers, boys were
expected to go to school to learn rhetoric, music, and literature. Girls were taught how to spin
wool and manage the household by their mothers and were considered available for marriage
after their twelfth birthday. Most marriages were arranged.
There was no division between church and state for the ancient Greeks. Religion was such an
intimate part of daily life that the Greeks did not have a word for it. Gods and goddesses were in
their homes, their food, their fun, their deaths. The afterlife was believed to be grim for everyone,
good or bad (though it was worse for the bad). As a result, Greeks prayed and sacrificed for help in
this life, not the hereafter.
Greeks seldom did anything without first consulting the gods through seers and oracles. Seers
supposedly could predict the future by looking at the innards of sacrificial animals or by observ-
ing the flight of birds. The Oracle at Delphi, sacred to Apollo, was the most prestigious oracle and
famous for her tricky predictions. According to legend, one king asked if he should go to war
against the Persians. The oracle replied, You will destroy a great kingdom. So he went to war and
26
destroyed a great kingdomhis own.
Use the activities that follow to highlight the similarities and differences between the life of
ancient Greeks and our life today. How did the Greeks day-to-day lives shape their worldview
and ours?
LIBRARY LINKS
A&E/History Channel have created several entertaining videos on ancient Greek
life. Look for In Search of History: Greek Gods at your library. It can also be ordered at
www.history.com
NET LINKS
The University of Pennsylvania provides one of the best overviews of daily life in ancient
Greece: http://www.penn.museum/sites/Greek_World/Index.html
27
Fifth Century B.C. Fashion
w Ancient Greek Clothing w
The chiton (KY-ton) was one of the most popularbut by no means the onlyform of Greek dress for both
men and women. A chiton was usually made of wool, but a cotton sheet will do for your students.
MATERIALS
f
Greek Fashion: Fifth Century B.C. (page 29)

measuring tape
large pieces of fabric, such as old bedsheets (see measurement information below)
safety pins (about 58 per student)
thin strips of fabric (about 3 feet long) or belts
scissors
needle and thread (optional)
brooches (optional)
f
HERES HOW

1 Have students each bring in (or ask for donations of) large pieces of fabric, such as bedsheets.*
2 Show some models of ancient Greek dress from around the 5th century B.C.
3 Ask students to comment on the types of clothing ancient Greeks wore. Does the chiton look comfortable?
Practical? Discuss why Greeks might have worn such an outfit. What practical purposes did it serve? How
would it have been useful for doing manual labor? Would it have helped them cope with the warm Greek
climate? Students may notice that chitons were worn by both men and women and differed in length. Men
might also have draped a rectangular cloth, called a himation, over their shoulders for decorative emphasis.
4 Distribute copies of Greek Fashion: Fifth Century B.C. and walk students through the steps of constructing a
chiton. (You may want to model constructing one with a student volunteer first.) When students make
their chitons, it will be easiest for them to measure and fasten materials in pairs.
5 Use the chitons when your students give oral reports or presentations on ancient Greek subjects, perform
Antigone (pages 4754), and enact the trial from Murder in Athens (pages 7179).
*Note: Most bed sheets will not provide enough material to make an authentic chiton. If your class is using bedsheets, simply
make the width of the chiton (Measurement A on page 27) equal to the length of the sheet. This variation will still provide plenty of
material for a good-looking garment.
28
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Greek Fashion: Fifth Century B.C.

Heres how to make a chiton (KY-ton) and look like an ancient Greek:
1 Stretch your arms out so that they are straight and level with your shoulders (see the
illustration below). Have a partner measure the length between your fingertips
(Measurement A). For girls, have your partner measure the length from your ankle to the
base of your neck (Measurement B). For boys, have your partner measure from your
kneecap to the base of your neck (Measurement B). Measurement A
2 Your piece of cloth should be twice as wide
as Measurement A. So if you are 36 inches
from fingertip to fingertip, the cloth should
Measurement B
be twice as wide, or 72 inches. However, do
not double Measurement B. If you are 45
inches from neck to ankles (or kneecaps),
make sure the cloth is exactly that long.
Trim the material as necessary. pin or sew
together the
3 Fold the cloth over so that it matches open ends
Measurement A. Pin or sew up the length of
the chiton. You should end up with a tube of
fasten cloth
cloth that reaches from fingertip to fingertip
and from your neck to your ankles (for
girls) or kneecaps (for boys).
4 Step inside the tube and lift the garment up to
your shoulders. At the top opening, use pins
or brooches at four or five places to form a
neckline and loose sleeves, leaving plenty of
room for your head and arms to poke through.
5 Now that youve secured the chiton, tie a strip
of fabric or put a belt around the waist. Pull
the excess part up over the belt.
If you want to accessorize, girls can try gold earrings and bracelets and decorative hair bands,
while boys can try a brimless cap, called a pilos, or a long rectangular piece of fabric worn
over both shoulders (or over one shoulder to leave the fighting arm free), called a himation.
29
Greek Treats
w Ancient Greek Cuisine w
Tastes have changed since the times of ancient Greece. Somebody holding a fancy dinner party in Greece
during the 3rd century B.C. might have served up fried grasshoppers as an appetizer. The recipe is easy: Put
the (presumably live) grasshoppers in a covered pan coated with olive oil and lightly brown them.
Whether they were eating grasshoppers or not, Greeks knew how to live it up at a meal. A large feast, called
a symposium, was a great chance for menand only mento get together to talk, drink wine, and eat deli-
cacies, such as eel. But the day-to-day Greek diet was pretty monotonous by modern standards, made up
primarily of bread and supplemented mostly by fruits and vegetables. Meat was rarely eaten, except at reli-
gious festivals, though fish was fairly common. Figs, nuts, and olives were plentiful. Olive oil was a staple
cooking ingredient for almost any meal.
MATERIALS
f
Greek Treats (page 31)
f
HERES HOW

1 Have students make a list of the types of food they ate for dinner within the last week. See if they can
identify any patterns among their choices of food. They should be able to identify common foods that
most students in class eat.
2 List on the board some of the following ingredients ancient Greeks would have had available to them:
eggs; olives; figs; nuts; grapes; apples; pears; cheese and milk (sheep and goat products); salt; olive oil;
vinegar; fish (including eel and anchovies); pork; honey; barley; wheat (imported from other countries);
and wild herbs and spices, such as garlic, leeks, dill, and fennel. Discuss what kinds of dishes students
can imagine making from these ingredients.
3 Remind the class that modern food preparation and storage techniques would not have been used. To
store food, fruits were often dried, and meats and fish were often salted or pickled.
4 If possible, in class prepare some of the traditional Greek recipes found in Greek Treats (note that these are
not ancient recipes, but some elements of preparation and/or ingredients may have been passed down
from ancient times). Distribute copies of page 31 so that students can become familiar with all the neces-
sary ingredients. If you cannot prepare the recipes in class, ask student volunteers to make a dish at
home under adult supervision. After sampling the results, discuss how these dishes compare with most
modern foods.
5 Discuss the staple diet of the Greeks and compare it with students diets.
LIBRARY LINKS
Food and Feasts in Ancient Greece by Imogen Dawson provides the best introduction to
Greek cuisine and dining. It is nicely illustrated and is written for young teenagers.
30
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Greek Treats
Imagine that you are a world-class chef. Try preparing the following traditional Greek
recipes. Today these foods are enjoyed all around the world.
Yogurt With Honey and Almonds

Ingredients Materials
1/4 cup chopped almonds measuring cup
1/4 cup honey mixing bowl
21/2 cups yogurt large spoon u THE u
SPARTAN WAY
Directions
The Spartans, who

1 Measure ingredients and put them in mixing bowl. delighted in doing
things the hard way,
2 Stir them until well mixed and leave for 10 minutes. made their staple food
a famously bad dish
called black broth.
The exact recipe is lost
Stuffed Fig Leaves

to history. But the
Ingredients Materials ingredients to this
wicked-tasting stuff
1 to 2 dozen fig leaves mixing bowl supposedly included
11/2 cups flour large sauce pan pork (including fat),
1/4 teaspoon salt teaspoon vinegar, and salt.
Spartans enjoyed
4 tablespoons shortening tablespoon
watching visitors taste
2 eggs measuring cup it and spit it out.
1/4 cup milk a clean work surface
1 tablespoon honey glass dish with a cover or aluminum foil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Directions
1 Mix flour, salt, and shortening. Then add the remaining ingredients (except for the fig
leaves) until they form a dough.
2 Boil water in the saucepan. Put fig leaves into boiling water for about one minute and
then remove.
3 Lay out the fig leaves on a clean surface. Put a tablespoon of dough at the stem end of
the fig leaves and roll them up, tucking in the sides as you go.
4 Place stuffed leaves in covered glass dish, pour in a cup of hot water, and let simmer in
the oven for 30 to 40 minutes at 300F.
31
Dog Eat Dog:
Polis Board Game
w Ancient Greek Games w
Polis was the word that Greeks used for their main unit of government. But it was also the name of a popu-
lar board game that was similar to chess. (It frequently went by the name Petteia, or pebbles.) The 16 pieces
used to play the game were called dogs. The rules that have been passed down to us from both Greek and
Roman authors are sketchy and may be incomplete. However, given what we know, it is possible to con-
struct a challenging board game. Similar games are still played in North Africa and Asia.
Background
The polis, or city-state, was the basic political unit of ancient Greece, the way countries are for us today.
We are not sure of the origins of the names of this game and its pieces. At least one historian has speculat-
ed that the games name comes from the way Greeks fought. A group of armored hoplites, or soldiers, from
the same polis would march into battle in lockstep. Their Greek enemies marched out to meet them in the
same way. Each soldiers polis made him strong and secure. Without the mutual support of the polis, an
individual would be defenseless.
MATERIALS
f
Polis Game Board (page 34)one copy per pair of players,

8 pennies and 8 nickels to serve as opposing dogs (you can also use buttons, bottle caps, pebbles, or
other small objects, as long as each pair of players has 8 of one type and 8 of another)
f
HERES HOW

1 Discuss the importance of the polis to the ancient Greeks and the theory behind the name of this inter-
esting board game.
2 Divide your class into pairs, pass out a set of materials to each twosome, and review the rules of the
game. As part of your discussion, draw on the board the five grids shown on the next page. These should
help the class better understand the rules.
3 After the students have enjoyed playing a game or two, discuss some strategy moves they learned after
playing several rounds. Like chess, this strategy game teaches kids to think critically, problem-solve, and
plan ahead.
LIBRARY LINKS
An out-of-print book titled A History of Board Games Other Than Chess, by H.J.R.
Murray, provides a great introduction to the board games of ancient civilizations.
32

Rule 1: Each side lines up its dogs along opposite Rule 2: On a turn, a player may move his or her dog
sides of the game board. an unlimited number of spaces in any direction
(except diagonally). A player must stop moving
when his or her dog is blocked by any other dog.

} captured

} not captured

Rule 3: To capture an opponents dog, a player must Rule 4: To capture two or more of an opponents
surround the opponents dog on two sides. A player dogs at once, a player must surround a line of his
can surround an opponents dog either in the front or her opponents dogs at both ends. Two stars are
and back or on both sides, but not diagonally. In this captured in this example.
example, two circles have captured a star. The circles
below, however, have not captured the star.

Rule 5: The first player to take all of his or her oppo-
nents dogs wins. A player may also win by cornering his
or her opponents remaining dogs so they cannot move,
as shown above: The star is cornered and defeated.
33
34

p
Polis Game Boardp
The ancient Greeks loved to play
games. After reading the rules
below, try playing a game or two of
Polis with a partner.
Rules
l. Each side lines up its dogs
along opposite sides of the
game board. The player with
the smaller dogs goes first.
2. On a turn, you may move your
dog an unlimited number of
spaces in any direction, except
diagonally (like a rook in chess).
You must stop moving when your
dog is blocked by any other dog.
3. To capture an opponents dog,
you must surround it on two
sides. You can surround your
opponents dog either in the
front and back or on both sides,
but not diagonally.
4. To capture two or more of your
opponents dogs at once, you
must surround a line of your
opponents dogs at both ends.
5. You win the game by taking all
of your opponents dogs. You can
also win by blocking your oppo-
nents dogs so they cannot move.

Aesops Fables
w The Origin and Structure of Fables w
Aesop is the best known of all fable-tellers, but we know very little about his life. He is believed to have
been a Greek slave who lived around the middle of the 6th century B.C. After Aesop died, newly created
fables were attributed to him, so it is not clear how many of Aesops fables Aesop actually composed.
What we do know is that the fablea brief story that teaches somethingremains a great way to impart
ethical lessons. The original fables did not have a moral attached to the end since a good fable has many
interpretations. However, it has become traditional to state the moral at the end of each fable.
MATERIALS
f
Unfinished Fables (page 37)

lined paper
f
HERES HOW

1 Explain who Aesop was and describe a fable. Then read the first fable, below, including the moral at the
end, as an example.
2 Read the next three fables without reading the accompanying morals. After you read each one, have
students suggest their own morals. Write their suggestions on the chalkboard. How do their morals
compare to the one traditionally given?
3 Pass out copies of page 37. Explain to students that they will complete each modern-day fable in their
own words. They can write as much or as little as they want. Encourage them to be as funny and original
as possible. However, their fable must have a point, and they should be able to explain its moral.
4 Invite students to come up with their own fables. Aesop often used animals as his main characters
because they were familiar to ancient Greeks. However, students should feel free to use modern objects,
such as cars and TVs. They should also try to give the fable a twist, so that the ending is unexpected.
Again, the fable can be long or short, but either way it should have a clear point that students can explain.
Aesops Fables
quququququququququququququququququq
I. There was a shepherd who was fond of playing practical jokes. He would drive his flock some
distance from the village and then shout to his neighbors for help, saying that wolves had attacked
his sheep. Two or three times the townsfolk came rushing out in alarmand then returned home
with the shepherd laughing at them, for there was no wolf. Eventually, however, some wolves actu-
ally came and threatened the mans flock. The shepherd called to his neighbors for help, but they
thought he was up to his usual tricks and did not respond. The shepherd lost all of his sheep.
Moral: People quickly disbelieve somebody who raises false alarms.
35
II. On a hot, thirsty summers day, a lion and a boar came to drink at a small spring. They started
quarreling over which one would take the first drink. Pretty soon they were both fighting for their
lives. But stopping for a moment to take a breath, they looked around and saw some vultures wait-
ing to eat the loser of their battle. That made them stop fighting. It is better for us to be friends,
they said, than to be eaten by vultures and crows.
Moral: Bitterness and fighting cause danger for those who dont have the sense to get along.
III. A fox poked fun at a lioness because she had only one lion cub. Only one, she replied, but
a lion.
Moral: It is quality, not quantity, that counts.
IV. A tortoise asked an eagle to teach it to fly. The eagle pointed out that tortoises do not have
the proper bodies for flying. But the tortoise was determined and kept asking. So the eagle took
the tortoise in his talons, flew up very high, and let the tortoise go. The tortoise fell on some
rocks and was killed.
Moral: Sometimes envy makes people disregard wise advice.
NET LINKS
Art students at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst created charming traditional
and modern illustrations for Aesops fables: http://www.umass.edu/aesop/
36
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Unfinished Fables
Below are some partially written modern fables. Finish each one and include your own
moral at the end. (Hint: If youre having trouble getting started, you might begin with the
moral and then finish the story in a way that fits your moral.)
1. One day, a computer said to a mouse pad, You are nothing without me! I have all the
circuits, all the software. I am the reason that you exist. Ah, said the mouse pad, but . . .
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Moral: _______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
2. Three bees were hovering around a flower one spring day when a woman walked by. The
first bee flew away in fear. The second bee, believing that the woman did not notice him,
decided to sit still and see what happened. The third bee . . .
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Moral: _______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
3. One day an auto mechanic was working on a car that had broken down. The mechanic
was puzzled because he could not figure out what the problem was. He tried everything he
knew, and still the car would not run. Finally, he threw up his arms in frustration, saying to
the car, How do I make you work again? The car replied . . .
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Moral: _______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
37
Gods and Goddesses
w Ancient Greek Religion w
This exercise is designed to acquaint your students with some of the gods and goddesses worshipped by
the ancient Greeks.
MATERIALS
f
Gods and Goddesses (page 39) scissors

Gods and Goddesses Flash Cards (pages 4044) tape or glue
f
HERES HOW

1 Familiarize your students with the role of gods and goddesses in the daily life of ancient Greece; see Daily
Life in Ancient Greece on page 26.
2 Make a class set of copies of page 39. You will need to make enough copies of pages 4044 so that each
student or pair of students can have a set of cards. Copying these flash cards onto thicker paper or card
stock will make them more durable. [Tip: When the cards have been assembled, laminate them to create
a permanent set.]
3 Distribute the sets of flash card pages to your students and have them cut out the cards. To assemble
each card, students should fold along the middle line and either tape or glue the two sides of the cards
together.
4 Allow time for the class to study the characteristics of each god. Here are three suggestions:
R Have students look at the name side and then turn the card over to discover the attributes each god
possesses. Then have them reverse the process, looking at the attributes and trying to guess the
gods name.
R Play a game of 20 Questions in which you or a student select a god or goddess and have students
ask yes-or-no questions (about gender, powers, duties, weapons, and so on) to figure out the identi-
ty of the chosen deity.
R Create a family-tree mural on a bulletin board to show the relationships among the gods and
goddesses. Have each student or pair of students contribute a drawing of a god or goddess to the
class mural. (You may need to model the symbols and organization for a family tree first.)
5 Once students are familiar with the names and attributes of the gods and goddesses, distribute page 38
and challenge students to answer the questions without referring to the flash cards. Cut off the answer
box at the bottom to make the assignment more challenging.
6 Finally, lead a discussion about the Greek gods. What does the class think of the Olympians behavior?
How do ancient Greek ideas about religion differ from modern views?
ANSWER KEY Gods and Goddesses (page 38) 1. Poseidon; 2. Aphrodite; 3. Hera; 4. Ares; 5. Demeter; 6. Hestia; 7. Athena;
8. Hephaestus; 9. Artemis; 10. Brothers; Bonus question: Cronus and Rhea
38
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Gods and Goddesses

Study the information on your flash cards and then answer the questions below.
1 Greek sailors in a storm-tossed ship probably would have prayed to .
2 The goddess of love was .
3 had a stormy marriage with Zeus.
4 Before battle, a soldier would probably have prayed to .

5 Farmers at harvest time would have prayed to .
6 Orphans and homeless children prayed to for help.
7 Philosophers prayed to for wisdom.

8 Blacksmiths prayed to for greater skill.
9 Hunters who killed more than they could eat were believed to be punished by
.
10 Zeus and Hades are related to each other as .
Bonus question
and were Titans and were

the parents of many Olympian gods.
Answer Box
Athena Cronus and Rhea Aphrodite Demeter Poseidon
Artemis Hera Hestia Hephaestus Ares
39
Gods and Goddesses Flash Cards
Cut along the dotted lines ( ). Fold along the solid line ( ).
Parents: Cronus (CROH-nus) and Rhea (REE-uh)

Married to: Hera
Home: Mount Olympus
Title: All-powerful king of the gods, with special duties as god
of the sky.
Weapon of Choice: Thunderbolt and lightning
Zeus
Sacred Symbols: Oak tree and eagle

Powers: Punishing crime, avenging wrong, protecting faithful
(zoos)
worshippers, and controlling all good and evil with justice

Pastimes: Breaking up fights between other gods, bickering
with his wife, and wooing mortal women and goddesses
Background: He was a superior leader of the Olympian gods.
He helped them to win a long, fierce war over the Titan gods,
who were the Olympians parents and relatives.

Married to: Zeus
Home: Mount Olympus
Title: Queen of the gods; also goddess of women and
motherhood
Weapon of Choice: Prophesy and trickery
Hera
Sacred Symbols: None

(HEER-uh)
Powers: Commanding the winds and watching over women and

mothers
Pastimes: Punishing the women wooed by Zeus, as well as
their children, plotting against Zeus, and helping her favorite
mortals
Background: This goddess feuded with her unfaithful husband,
Zeus. She liked to favor certain mortals and helped them behind
Zeuss back. He generally disapproved of such favoritism.

Married to: Amphitrite (am-fih-TRY-tee), a minor goddess
Home: Mount Olympus and all the waters of the earth
Poseidon
Title: God of the seas and navigation

Weapon of Choice: Trident (could cause storms, floods, and
earthquakes to occur; springs to flow; and rivers to dry up)
(poh-SY-duhn)
Sacred Symbols: Pine tree and horse

Powers: Causing or calming earthquakes, storms, and other
natural disasters
Pastimes: Inventing animals such as the horse and dolphin,
feuding with Athena over control of Athens, and extending his
domain with floods and storms.
Background: This god was moody and jealous of his more
powerful brother, Zeus, chief god. He could reward a coastal
city for decades with calm seas, favorable winds, and plentiful
fishing. Then, for no reason, he would hurl a hurricane at it.
40

Married to: Persephone (per-SEF-oh-nee), daughter of Zeus
and Demeter
Home: the Underworld
Title: King of the dead
Hades
Weapon of Choice: Cap of invisibility

(HAY-deez)
Powers: Bringing about death and ruling the Underworld

Pastimes: Helping people to die; listening to mourners weep;
riding around in his golden chariot, pulled by four black horses
Background: This god ruled the dead, who were believed to be
mere shadows of their former selves on Earth. Those who had
been good in life existed in the Underworld without discomfort.
Wicked people were punished. But no one could leave this gods
dark realm. Instead of worshipping him, the Greeks struck the
ground with their hands and cursed whenever they used his name.
Parents: Zeus and Metis (MEE-tis), a minor goddess

Married to: Single
Home: Mount Olympus
Title: Goddess of wisdom and all intellectual activities
Athena
Weapon of Choice: Lance and shield

Sacred Symbols: Owl and olive tree
(uh-THEE-nuh)
Powers: Giving men wisdom and protecting Athens

Pastimes: Helping people invent useful items, like the plough,
the spinning wheel, and the sail; and assisting Greek heroes,
such as Odysseus
Background: This cunning goddess could change into different
shapes and disguises. She inherited these traits from her mother
Metis, who was swallowed by Zeus when she was pregnant.
Zeus could not prevent this goddess birth, however: She gave
him a splitting headache and was born from his head.
Parents: None
Married to: Hephaestus
Aphrodite
Home: Mount Olympus

Title: Goddess of love and beauty
Weapon of Choice: None
Sacred Symbols: Dove, apple, myrtle, and rose
(af-roh-DY-tee)
Powers: Making both gods and mortals fall in love with

whomever she chose
Pastimes: Finding lovers among both gods and mortals (she
especially liked Ares)
Background: This goddess was born from sea foam created by
the blood of Uranus, slain father of the Titans. Wherever she
walked, flowers bloomed and birds sang. She possessed a magic
girdle that gave the wearer infinite grace and made everyone fall
in love with him or her.
41
Parents: Zeus and Hera

Married to: Single
Home: Mount Olympus
Title: God of war
Weapon of Choice: Spear
Sacred Symbols: Spear and flaming torch
Ares
Powers: Waging war

(AIR-eez)
Pastimes: Provoking conflict wherever possible and hanging

out in Sparta and Thebes, cities where he was specially wor-
shipped
Background: The other Olympian gods hated this god. He was
a cold-blooded thug who enjoyed killing for its own sake. Only
three gods would talk to him: Hades, whose kingdom of the
dead was enlarged by his wars; Aphrodite, who was swayed by
his good looks and fascinated by his cruelty; and Eris, his sister,
the goddess of discord.
Parents: Zeus and Hera

Hephaestus
Married to: Aphrodite

Home: Mount Olympus, though he spent most of his time at his
blacksmith forge in the crater of Mt. Aetna, a volcano in Sicily
Title: God of blacksmiths and craftsmen
Weapon of Choice: None, but he made all the weapons and
(hee-FEHS-tus)
armor of the gods

Sacred Symbols: Blacksmiths hammer and tongs
Powers: Creating magical, useful, and beautiful objects
Pastimes: Helping mortals to build things and giving black-
smiths magical powers
Background: This god was remarkably ugly. Because of this, he
was rejected by his mother, Hera, who threw him out of heaven,
breaking both his legs. He took revenge by building a beautiful
chair that closed around her and wouldnt let her go. He finally
released her only after she promised to accept him as a god.
Parents: Zeus and Leto (LEE-toh), a minor goddess

Married to: Single (Artemis twin)
Home: Mount Olympus
Title: Sun god; also the god of medicine, music, poetry, dance,
Apollo
mathematics, herdsmen, and prophecy

Weapon of Choice: Bow and arrow
(uh-PAH-loh)
Sacred Symbols: Laurel tree and the number seven

Powers: Making the sun rise, promoting learning, and healing
people
Pastimes: Driving his fiery sun chariot across the daytime sky
and wooing mortal women and goddesses
Background: This god embodied the Greek ideal: he was
young, beautiful, wise, just, and moderate. He also created the
Oracle at Delphi, where a priestess would make prophecies
about the future.
42
Parents: Zeus and Leto (LEE-toh), a minor goddess

Married to: Single (Apollos twin)
Home: Mount Olympus
Title: Goddess of the moon and the hunt
Artemis
Weapon of Choice: Bow and arrow
Sacred Symbols: Lion, bear, wolf, and many wild birds
(AHR-tuh-mihs)
Powers: Protecting cities, wild animals, and women

Pastimes: Driving her silver chariot across the nighttime sky
and running through the forest, followed by beautiful nymphs,
called dryads (DRY-udz)
Background: This goddess punished hunters who killed more
than they could eat (they would be thrown from their horses
and eaten by wolves or they might get lost and starve or freeze
to death). Fiercely independent, she rejected all suitors and
never married.

Married to: Single
Home: Mount Olympus
Demeter
Title: Goddess of the harvest

(dee-MEE-tuhr)
Powers: Controlling all harvests

Pastimes: Wandering the earth disguised as an old lady; she
rewarded cities that were kind to her with good crops and pun-
ishing those that were cruel by destroying their harvests
Background: Her happiness brought good crops and prosperity;
her anger caused bad crops and starvation. Her daughter,
Persephone, was kidnapped by Hades and forced to be his wife.
During the six months of the year Persephone remained with
him, this goddess made the earth barren. During the six months
Persephone visited her mother, the Earth blossomed again.
Parents: Zeus and Maia (MY-uh), a minor goddess

Married to: Single
Home: Mount Olympus
Title: Messenger of gods; also, god of dreams, commerce,
Hermes
treaties, travelers, inventions, science, arts, and oratory

Weapon of Choice: None (he carried a messengers staff with
a white ribbon that marked him as neutral in any conflict)
(HER-meez)
Sacred Symbols: The number four

Powers: Traveling anywhere instantly
Pastimes: Delivering messages for the gods and escorting all
dead people to the Underworld
Background: This witty and cunning god invented sandals as
well as a new musical instrument, the lyre. He also stole a herd
of cattle from his half-brother, Apollo.
43

Married to: Single (older sister of Zeus, Hera, Poseidon,
Hades, and Demeter)
Home: Mount Olympus
Title: Goddess of the hearth and marriage
Hestia

(HEHS-tee-uh)

Powers: Protecting all orphan and homeless children and
watching over the home
Pastimes: Creating happiness among families and staying out of
the fights that other gods indulged in
Background: This goddess vowed never to marry in order to
settle a dispute between two courters, Apollo and Poseidon.
Parents: Zeus and Semele (SEM-uh-lee), a mortal

Married to: Single
Home: Mount Olympus
Dionysus
Title: God of wine and parties

Sacred Symbols: Grapes, ivy, and the rose
(dy-oh-NY-sus)
Powers: Bringing great joy and productivity or misery and

destruction to mortals
Pastimes: Attending the many parties and festivals held in his
honor by mortals.
Background: This god loved mortals perhaps more than any
of the other gods. He went far and wide teaching people how
to grow grapes and make wine, an important part of Greek
meals.
Parents: Uranus (YEW-ruh-nus) and Gaea (JEE-uh), the first

god and goddess (the sky and the earth)
The Titans
Married to: Each other

Home: Mount Orthys
Powers: Controlling the sea, sun, moon, harvests, justice,
planets, and memories
Background: Among this group of gods, there were six broth-
ers and five sisters. They were lead by their brother Cronus
and their sister Rhea, who were married to each other. Cronus
overthrew his father Uranus as chief god and killed him. Before
he died, Uranus predicted that the same would happen to
Cronus. Cronus tried to prevent this by eating all of his chil-
dren. But one of them, Zeus, was saved. Zeus eventually freed
his brothers and sisters by kicking Cronus in the belly, forcing
him to vomit them up. After that a great battle ensued, in which
Zeus and his siblings finally won.
44
CHAPTER 4
A Closer Look:
Greek Language,
Art, and Science
f
f
Vocabulary, Drama, Art and
Architecture, and Science

I t is impossible to calculate the impact of ancient Greece on modern learning, art, and science.
The lengthy list of English words on page 46 should provide you with a rough idea of the large
number of Greek words and ideas we have adopted.
Theater, for instance, is both a word and concept derived from the vocabulary of the ancient
Athenians, who took drama very seriously. The historian Plutarch said that they spent more on
their dramatic performances than they did on their entire defense budget. Prisoners were often let
out on bail so they could attend plays.
However, the Greeks handled theater much differently than we do today. Plays were put on only
twice a year at festivals honoring the god Dionysus. Each play was shown only once and then never
acted out again. (In the 4th century B.C. many favorite plays were finally revived.) Spectators often
sat through an entire day of shows, usually at least four plays. When the audience became cranky
and bored, they vented their frustration by pelting the actors (always men) with rocks and fruit.
The Greeks became famous not only for the plays that make great theater, but also for the theaters
where great plays were staged. Their genius for architecture and artistic decoration is the most
visible reminder of their legacy. Few modern buildings completely escape the influence of the
Greeks, and in ancient times, almost none did. Instead, kings and rulers around the Mediterranean
vied to build the biggest structures they could afford with the help of Greek architects, artisans,
and engineers. A handful of those structures became part of what is known today as the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World.
All the great Greek wonders today lie in ruins or have disappeared. Unfortunately, a lot of ancient
Greek learning and philosophy is in similar shape. We possess only fragments from the philosophi-
cal writings that came before Plato and Aristotle. Philosophers in ancient Greece pondered weighty
matters, but they were also practical scientists and mathematicians. One of the greatest of them was
Pythagoras, whose famous theorem is one of geometrys fundamental concepts.
45
Its All Greek to Me
w Word Origins w
All of the common English words below are taken from vocabulary and concepts that were originally Greek. In
some cases, such as athlete, the ancient Greeks simply gave a name to an everyday person, place, or thing.
But in other cases, such as atom and drama, they invented the idea that goes with the word.
MATERIALS
f
paper
list of words, below
dictionary that provides etymology (word origins)
f
HERES HOW

1 Divide your class into groups and assign each one a few words from the list below.
2 Ask students to use a dictionary to look up the modern definition of each word. The dictionary will indi-
cate its Greek root and explain whether the ancient Greeks had a different definition for that word.
3 Where it is applicable, have students write out the definition of the Greek Meaning Modern Meaning
Greek word (or its root) and compare it to the modern meaning. school
Dividing their paper into a t-chart with the categories Greek mean- academy
ing and Modern meaning can help students graphically compare geometry
the different meanings. Visual learners may benefit from drawing
cartoons of contrasting meanings in the margins, next to the definitions (note that drawing may not lend
itself to the more abstract definitions). Then lead the class in a discussion about the ways in which words
change meaning over time.
school melody metropolis

academy harmony democracy
geometry symphony aristocracy
physics chorus monarchy
atom theater despot
philosophy drama tyrant
astronomy comedy ostracism
star tragedy athlete
galaxy critic gymnasium
comet history stadium
poet politics architect
music
46
Antigone
w Ancient Greek Tragedy w
This play, the action of which follows Sophocles Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus, revolves around a
conflict between two characters named Antigone and Creon. Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus, the
former ruler of Thebes. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus discovers that he has unknowingly killed his father and
married his mother, Jocasta. Oedipus blinds himself in grief and shame and flees the city. Jocasta kills
herself.
Antigone has two brothers, Polynices and Eteocles, and a sister named Ismene. After Oedipus leaves
Thebes in disgrace, Polynices and Eteocles share power. The two quarrel, however, and Polynices leaves.
He returns with an army intent on taking and destroying Thebes. Eteocles defends the city, and in the
battle that follows, the two brothers kill each other. Polynices forces are defeated.
Creon (who is Jocastas brother and Antigones uncle) becomes the new ruler of Thebes. His first order, or
edict, forbids anyone to bury or mourn Polynices. This edict goes against established custom. Enemies
who fall in battle are supposed to be honored by their relatives, given the customary rites, and buried.
Antigone defies Creons edict. She believes the gods demand that the burial customs be observed. She also
wants to honor her fallen brother.
MATERIALS
f
Antigone (pages 4854)

Making Masks (page 55)
f
HERES HOW

1 Read the introduction above to your class.

2 Assign roles for your students to play. Then have each actor construct a mask, according to directions
from Making Masks on page 55. You may also want students to design a costume based on what they
learned about Greek fashion on page 29.
3 Have students read or perform this adaptation of Sophocles famous play Antigone. Lead them in a dis-
cussion about the play. Pose questions such as: In what ways are Antigones values similar to ours today?
How are they different? Was Creon wrong to expect obedience? Did he deserve his fate?
NET LINKS
The Perseus Project provides a complete translation of Sophocles Antigone:
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/text?lookup=soph.+ant.+1
47
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Antigone
w Adapted from the play by Sophocles w
This famous Greek play is all about revenge, sacrifice, and death.
Cast of Characters:
Antigone (an-TIG-uh-nee), Creons niece Haemon (HEE-mon), Creons son
Ismene (iz-MEE-nee), Antigones sister Tiresias (ty-REE-sih-us), a blind seer
Chorus of Theban Elders Messenger
Creon (CREE-on), leader of Thebes Eurydice (yew-RID-uh-see),
Watchman Creons wife and Haemons mother
All scenes are set in and around the wealthy dwelling of Creon of Thebes.
SCENE I
f
[Enter Antigone and Ismene]
Antigone: Ismene, my own sister by blood, Zeus has sent every evil possible to us, the
children of Oedipus (ED-uh-pus).
Ismene: Is there some new trouble, sister?
48
Antigone: Yes. Creon, the leader of Thebes, has decreed that no one can bury our brother
Polynices (pol-uh-NY-seez) because he led the attack against our city.
Ismene: But that decree flies in the face of Zeus himself. Everyone must be tended to and
buried as a way of honoring the gods. Creon is our uncle. Surely he will change his mind.
Antigone: I doubt it. He has said that it would be death for anyone who disobeys.
However, we must disobey, Sister, in order to fulfill our family obligations and to obey the
gods.
Ismene: You cant be serious!

Antigone: Im perfectly serious, but I can see by that look on your face that you wont help
me. Very well. Even if you begged me now, I would not let you share in this honor.
[Exit Antigone and Ismene]
SCENE II
f
[Enter Chorus]
Chorus: Our poor city has suffered greatly in recent months. A terrible war between
Oedipus two sons, Eteocles (ee-TEE-oh-kleez) and Polynices, has destroyed much. The
fighting began after the two brothers quarreled with each other. Polynices left, but he
returned shortly with an army bent on destroying or enslaving our beloved Thebes.
Eteocles and Polynices killed each other during the horrible battle that followed. The wise
and noble Creon, their uncle, has been our leader since.
[Enter Creon]
Creon: Gentlemen of ThebesI have decided to bury the body of noble Eteocles, who
fought for his people, with full honors. But his brother Polynices shall remain unburied.
His body shall be left outside the city to be consumed by dogs and birds. That disgrace is
the least we can repay him for attacking this city and trying to destroy us.
Chorus: Your word is law to us all, Creon. We will obey.

[Enter Watchman]
Watchman: I tremble to tell you, master, that someone has already sprinkled dust on the
body of Polynices to prepare it for burial.
49
Creon: What? Someone has helped that traitor to this city? Who would defy my order?
Watchman: I dont know. It happened quickly while the other watchmen and I were not
looking.
Chorus: This might be the work of the gods.
Creon: Quiet, you silly old fools. It is not the gods but some more earthly source. Was it
you, Watchman? Were you bribed by someone?
Watchman: Not I.
Creon: Then find me the people who did this, or you will suffer their fate.
[Exit Watchman]
SCENE III
f
[Enter Watchman with Antigone]
Watchman: This is the person who disobeyed your order, sir. We caught her while she was
trying to finish the job of burying the body.
Creon: This woman is engaged to my son! Are you sure?
Antigone: He tells the truth, Uncle. I was burying Polynices.
Creon: Then, Watchman, you are free to go. Why did you do this, Antigone? Did you not
understand my decree?
Antigone: I understood. But the gods have their own decrees, and I am bound to follow
them. Also, he was my brother. Love and duty compelled me to give him a proper burial.
Creon: You foolish girl. You have killed yourself.
Antigone: Death will be welcome since I live among so many cowards. Had I left my broth-
ers corpse alone, I would have had sorrow. But now I have none.
Chorus: She is a savage girl who is not bent by suffering.
[Enter Ismene]
50
Creon: And I suppose your sister Ismene helped you out?
Ismene: Yes, I did!
Antigone: No, she did not. I acted alone.
Creon: Your sister has proven that she is sympathetic to you. She will share your fate.
Ismene: Do what you want with me. I dont care. But why would you kill Antigone when
she is engaged to your own son?
Creon: I would be disgraced to have my son married to such a disobedient, disrespectful

woman. Guards, take them away.
[Exit Antigone and Ismene]
Chorus: The house of Oedipus is assailed by fate once more. When a family is shaken by
the gods, there is no misfortune that is missed for generations to come.
SCENE IV
f
Haemon: No wedding to Antigone is worth as much as the noble example you give, Father.
Creon: I am glad to hear you say that, son. You would not want to marry such a girl. A bad
relative is like a festering wound. And besides, we cannot appear to be giving in to the
wishes of a mere woman.
Chorus: Your words are wise, sir.
Haemon: However, I have heard, Father, that the people of Thebes secretly support
Antigone. They think she has behaved nobly and upheld her family duties. If you showed
mercy, they would almost surely support you.
Chorus: These are also wise words, sir.
Creon: Am I to be taught by this mere boy?
Haemon: Judge me by my actions, not by my age, Father.
Creon: And am I to be led by the people or am I to lead them?
51
Haemon: You ignore their wishes at your own peril.
Creon: You support Antigone, too, dont you? It is she you are thinking of.
Haemon: I am thinking of you both.
Creon: Ismene may live. But Antigone must perish for what she has done. She will be
walled up in a cave and left to die. Guards, carry out the order at once!
f
SCENE V
f
[Enter Tiresias]
Creon: Venerable Tiresias, what brings you here?
Tiresias: You have always listened to my prophecies in the past, and you have always
heeded them, have you not?
Creon: Yes, of course.
Tiresias: And they have always benefited our city, do you agree?
Creon: Yes, why do you ask?
Tiresias: Because fate is about to cut you down.
Creon: What? I shiver at your words!
Tiresias: None of our sacrifices are being accepted by the gods. No bird in its screeching
gives us favorable signs since they have been devouring the body of Polynices. Mark my
words, Creon. Everyone makes mistakes. But after a mistake has been made, a person is
no longer luckless or thoughtless if he tries to cure the ill he created.
Creon: Even you and your prophecies are against me! Did Antigone bribe you to say this?
What tricks are you up to?
Tiresias: You are being a fool!
Creon: You cannot scare me or buy me!
52
Tiresias: Very well, I will pronounce your sentence. You will not live even another day
before you see your own son dead. And there will be loud shrieks and moans from your
own house as the Furies of Hades catch you and destroy your family.
[Exit Tiresias]
Chorus: This seer has never been wrong before, sir.
Creon: I know and my heart is troubled. What should I do?
Chorus: You should accept good counsel and undo your wrongs quickly.
Creon: Come, guards, let us go and free Antigone from the cave and go bury the body of
Polynices.
[Exit Creon and the guards]
Chorus: May the gods wing them on their way.
SCENE VI
f
[Enter Messenger]
Chorus: Tell us, what news is there of Creon?
Messenger: Before today, I always believed Creon was a man to be envied. But now all is
gone. I do not think he is a living man but a walking corpse.
Chorus: What grief do you carry for us?
Messenger: Death. And the dead accuse the living. Haemon is deadkilled by his own
hand.
[Enter Eurydice]
Eurydice: What is this about my son?
Messenger: I attended your husband as we went to the place where the ghastly body of
Polynices lay. We quickly performed the correct rituals and buried the body. Next, we went
to the stone-lined cave where Antigone was buried alive. We opened up the cave to find
her hanging by the neck from a noose made out of her own clothes.
53
Eurydice: And what of Haemon?
Messenger: The boy gave no answer but looked at Creon and spat in his face. Then he
drew his sword and, before anyone could stop him, he plunged it into his side. Then he
grabbed Antigones body and died in that embrace.
[Exit Eurydice]
Chorus: The lady leaves without speaking. And here comes her husband now. Leave us,
Messenger, lest your presence disturb him further.
[Exit Messenger, following Eurydice; Enter Creon]
Creon: I have killed my son, and I lament for all my errors. What a dreadful learning! It was
a god who attacked me and stamped on my joy!
[Re-enter Messenger]
Messenger: Master, I come bearing even more bad news.
Creon: What disaster could possibly match this?
Messenger: Your wife has died from her own hand. Her last words were cursing you for
taking away her son.
Creon: Now I am completely lost. I will not see another sunrise. My boy! I did not mean to
hurt you. Now I have nothing to hold on to. Everything went wrong while it was in my
hands. It was as if a heavy fate I could not carry leapt upon me.
[Exit Creon]
Chorus: Judgment is the greater part of good fortune. You cannot disrespect the gods, for
the great words of a boastful person will be repaid with great blows. And this, as one
grows old, teaches judgement.
THE END
54
Making Masks
Greek drama relied on few props, but all characters wore costumes. In ancient Greece, actors covered their
head and face with masks that were often quite elaborate. For this production, your students can create
and use handheld masks.
MATERIALS
f
sturdy white paper

tape
scissors
colored markers
rulers or sticks about one foot long

[For each character in the play you will need one wooden ruler or stick and one piece of sturdy white paper.
In addition to the Chorus, there are eight characters. The Chorus can be as large or as small as needed.]
HERES HOW
f
1 Conduct a read-through of the play. Those students who do not volunteer for or have not been assigned
roles can be involved in the chorus. You also may want students to share a role so that more students
have a chance to participate in lead speaking parts.
2 On a blank piece of paper, have students (including chorus members) draw an oval large enough to cover
their faces. They may use markers to design a mask that they believe sums up their character. Be sure to
have students cut out eyeholes so that they can see where theyre going.
3 After students have cut out the faces that they drew, instruct them to tape
a ruler or stick to the back of their masks. A few inches should stick out
from the bottom of the mask for use as a handle.
4 Throughout the play, the actors should use the ruler or stick as a handle to
hold the mask over their faces. Make sure they speak loudly since the masks
will undoubtedly muffle their voices.
55
The Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is a group of truly impressive structures built between about 2600
and 200 B.C. Since the list was created by the ancient Greeks, it is not surprising that it included mostly
Greek structures. Five of the seven wonders owe their existence to the Greeks genius for architecture and
building.
MATERIALS
f
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (pages 57 and 58)
HERES HOW
1 Pass out copies of The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Have students use the map and an encyclopedia or
other resources to unscramble the names of the seven wonders. Then they can match each name to its
description. You might pose the follow-up questions (see #3 below) at the end of the exercise.
2 Develop a class list of The Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Students can research and report
briefly on one wonder they have selected and present reasons why it should be included on the list.
Then a class vote can be taken. Alternatively, each student or pair of students might develop an illustrat-
ed threefold pamphlet that describes in tour-guide fashion the seven modern wonders they have chosen.
3 Pose the following questions to generate discussion about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World:
R Which five wonders were built or designed by Greeks? (Numbers 37, pages 57 and 58)
R Why do you think ancient people decided that these creations were the seven greatest wonders of
their time? (Answers may vary. The ancient Greeks might have selected these structures because they were impressive,
complicated, and expensive projects that were unique in some way.)
NET LINKS
This excellent Web site gives a brief history of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World as well as some fanciful drawings of what they might have looked like:
http://www.unmuseum.org/wonders.htm
ANSWER KEY: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (pages 57 and 58)
Word Scramble
A. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus E. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
B. Colossus of Rhodes F. Pyramids at Giza
C. Hanging Gardens of Babylon G. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
D. Lighthouse of Alexandria
Matching
1. F; 2. C; 3. A; 4. E; 5. G; 6. B; 7. D
56
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

w Ancient Momuments w
Use the map below and an encyclopedia or other resource to help you unscramble the names of the
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Then match the name with the descriptive paragraph below.
Black Sea
EUROPE
Byzantium
ASIA MINOR
Seven Wonders GREECE Aegean
Sea Ephesus assus
TURKEY Euphrates
River
of the Olympia Ha
lica
rn
Sparta Athens Rhodes

Ancient World Cyprus Damascus
Crete
Jerusalem
Mediterranean Sea Babylon
AFRICA Alexandria
Giza
EGYPT Nile
River
Word Scramble Use the map to help you figure out the last word in each phrase: the location of the Wonder.
A. pleemt fo mirtsae ta hesepus
B. sucosols fo dehors
C. gihngan nsrdgae fo olbyabn
D.thligseouh fo iadxlerana
E. tuesta fo usze ta iyampol
F. mipadyrs ta izga
G.leuumasmo ta asharnsusical
Matching Write the letter for each Wonder from the Word Scramble next to the matching description below.
____ 1. Built in Egypt around 2600 B.C., these are the oldest of the seven wonders. They were
designed to be tombs for kings, but they became a popular tourist site for Greeks and Romans
thousands of years later. This is the only Wonder that can still be seen today.
____ 2. These were probably built between 605 and 562 B.C. by King Nebuchadnezzar II for one of
his many wives. Reportedly, he married a mountain princess and wanted her to feel at home.
However, very little is known about this green Wonder, including when or how it was destroyed.
____ 3. Built around 550 B.C. by Croesus, king of Lydia, this was one of the biggest and most
complicated temples ever made. It was constructed in a Greek city in what is today western Turkey.
In 356 B.C., the temple burned down, but it was quickly rebuilt. It was burned down several other
times before finally being destroyed by invading Goths in A.D. 262.
57
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (cont.)

____ 4. This was the most famous statue in the ancient world. Created by a Greek sculptor around
435 B.C., the 40-foot statue showed the chief Greek god sitting on a huge throne. His clothes were
made of gold and his flesh of ivory. Eventually, a massive fire destroyed the statue in A.D. 462.
____ 5. This giant marble tomb was built in what is now southwestern Turkey. Two famous Greek
architects designed it and four famous Greek sculptors helped decorate it. The structure was so
impressive that now all decorated tombs carry its name. It was damaged in an earthquake and then
torn down around A.D. 1500 by Christian crusaders who used the marble to build a fortress.
____ 6. This enormous bronze statue built on an island in the Aegean Sea was 120 feet tallabout
as big as the Statue of Liberty. And like the Statue of Liberty, it stood near a harbor and greeted
ships as they came and went. Created by a famous Greek sculptor around 282 B.C., it only survived
until 224 B.C., when an earthquake toppled it. People planned to rebuild the statue, but a soothsay-
er warned them against trying to reconstruct the structure. The metal eventually was sold for scrap a
few centuries later.
____ 7. This structure stood in an Egyptian harbor and had a practical functionto guide ships. It
was completed between 283 and 246 B.C. and was designed by a Greek architect. It was more than
400 feet tall (about one-third as high as the Empire State Building), making it the tallest structure in
the ancient world. It stood for several centuries but was badly damaged by earthquakes and poor
management. Around A.D. 1480, the Muslim ruler of Egypt tore it down completely and rebuilt it as
a fort.
Name the Wonder!
___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________
___________________ ___________________ ___________________

___________________ ___________________ ___________________
58
Pythagoras I: Creating a
Builders Triangle
w Ancient Greek Engineering w
The following two exercises focus on the Greek mathematician Pythagoras and the Pythagorean theorem.
Pythagoras famous theorem was based on a kind of right triangle well known to ancient builders and
craftspeople. It was used constantly to build houses, temples, and structures of all kinds. The Builders
Triangle had a special set of measurements: Its sides had 3, 4, and 5 equally spaced units, as shown on the
next page. Ancient builders could easily create such a triangle using a knotted loop of rope and some
stakes. The rope had 12 evenly spaced knots and the stakes were adjusted to create the 3-4-5 measure-
ments. Using it, builders made sure that corners and joints were at perfect 90-degree angles. Create your
own Builders Triangle for the class using these materials.

MATERIALS
f
pushpins and bulletin-board space (or geoboards)

spool of white string
felt-tip pens or markers
rulers
unlined paper
tape (optional)
f
HERES HOW

1 Provide each student with a piece of string that measures about 11/2 feet, a ruler, a pen or marker, paper,
and tape. Students will also need access to a bulletin board with pushpins or to a geoboard.
2 Model the directions that follow (numbers 35) for your students. You can make your demonstration easy
to see by changing the measurements below from inches to feet to create a giant triangle with a 12-foot
perimeter. Alternatively, you can use string, a transparent ruler, and water-based markers on a transparen-
cy for the overhead projector.
3 Line up your length of string with the inch marks on the ruler, making sure plenty of excess
string extends from both ends of the ruler. Take the pen and mark the string at the 0 mark
and every inch mark from 1 to 12. There should be 13 marks on your string altogether. Tie
both ends of the string together so that the first and last marks are joined in a knot. You
should now have a loop with 12 marks that are equidistant from one another.
4 Stick one of the pins into the bulletin board (you may also use tape to fasten the string). Take the loop
and hook it around the pin at one of the marksthe top of your triangle. Stick in the next pin 4 marks
below and hook the string around this pin. Follow the string 3 marks to the left or right and place your
last pin to form a base that is 3 marks long and a hypotenuse (the diagonal) that is 5 marks long. Wrap
59
the string around the three pins to form a triangle. Adjust the pins if necessary
to create a 3-4-5 pattern of marks. 5
3 a c
5 You now have a Builders Triangle. The angle that is opposite the hypotenuse,
the line with five marks, is a right angle. b
4
6 You can also demonstrate with the Builders Triangle how to make a right angle
from any straight line: Use your ruler to draw a long horizontal line on a piece of
paper. Tape the piece of paper onto your bulletin board. Place one pin at the far
left point of the line. Loop your Builders Triangle over that pin and then follow
the string straight across the line 4 marks. Place a pin at the fourth mark and loop
the string around it. Finally, bring the remaining length of the loop straight down
3 marks and place a pin at this third mark. The loop should be fully stretched out.
You should now have a right angle at the vertex where the 4-inch and the 3-inch
sides meet. The side with five units should run opposite this angle.
7 Encourage students to use their Builders Triangles to draw right angles for
other lines and experiment with this tool. Using a geoboard is the easiest
way to experiment accurately without using pins.
Who Was Pythagoras?

Pythagoras (pih-THAG-uhr-us) was born on the island of Samos about 570 B.C. He is one
of the most influentialand most mysteriousfigures in Greek history. Not only was he a
great mathematician and philosopher, he was also the founder of a small movement that
was half-religious and half-scientific. In later years the group became famous for its offbeat
rules and beliefs. Pythagoreans were secretive folk who refused to eat meat because they
believed human souls were reincarnated as animals. They also believed that all numbers
had their own personalitybeautiful or ugly, masculine or feminineand that all relation-
ships could be reduced to numbers. Pythagoras famous theorem was actually known to
the Babylonians and Egyptians at least 1,000 years before his time. However, Pythagoras is
believed to have been the first person to prove it was true. Because of the many myths and
legends surrounding Pythagoras, experts are not sure when he died. But his movement
which included both men and womenlived on for several hundred years.
LIBRARY LINKS
A nicely illustrated book called Technology in the Time of Ancient Greece by Judith Crosher
gives an overview of the know-how behind everything from Greek pottery to shipbuilding.
More advanced students should look for The Ancient Engineers by L. Sprague de Camp.
60
Pythagoras II: The Theorem
w Ancient Greek Math w
Many of your students may already be familiar with the Pythagorean theo-
rem. Adjust your lesson plan to reflect their level of understanding.
MATERIALS
f
The Pythagorean Theorem (pages 62 and 63)

calculator with a square root function
f
HERES HOW

1 Review the Ideas to Know section below with your students. If students have worked with the Builders
Triangle (pages 59 and 60), they will have a better understanding of the principles behind the theorem.
2 Pass out copies of The Pythagorean Theorem. Depending on the needs of your students, either talk them
through or have them work independently on the first portion of their activity sheet. This should help
solidify their understanding of the Pythagorean theorem.
3 Set aside time for students to answer independently all the questions that follow. They will need a
calculator to complete number 10 and the bonus question.
f
IDEAS TO KNOW

R Right triangle: Any triangle containing one 90 angle. The sides of the triangle are usually labeled
a, b, and c. (See example on page 62.)
R Hypotenuse: The side of a right triangle that is opposite the 90 angle. It is usually side c.
R Square: The amount of any number multiplied by itself. For example, the square of 4 is 16 because 4 X 4 =
16. The square of 4 is expressed as 42.
R Square root: The reverse of a square. The square root of 16 is 4 because 4 X 4 = 16. The square root of 16 is
expressed as 16.
R The Pythagorean theorem: For any right triangle, the length of the hypotenuse squared (c2) will equal the
squares of the other two sides added together (a2 + b2). Putting it all together, the theorem is expressed
as c2 = a2 + b2.
ANSWER KEY The Pythagorean Theorem (page 63)

1. 9; 2. 16; 3. 25; 4. 3; 5. 4; 6. 5; 7. 25; 8. 5; 9. 74; 10. 8.60
Bonus question
Use the commutative property, as shown below, to solve this problem:
42 - 32 = a2
16 - 9 = a2
5 = a2
5 = a
2.23 = a
61
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
The Pythagorean Theorem

To understand how the Pythagorean theorem works, read this information.
This is a drawing of a right triangle.

Notice that its sides (a, b, and c) are in 5
3 a c
the shape of a Builders Triangle.
They are 3, 4, and 5 units long. b
4
Using the measurements from this

triangle, the Pythagorean theorem
(c2 = a2 + b2) would read 52 = 32 + 42 . c2 = __
a c
With its sides squared, the triangle
would now look like this: b
2
a = __
b2 = __
Now follow these steps:
1. Count up the number of little boxes in the side a square, and write that number on the
blank to show a2.
2. Take your answer for a2, and write the letter a that many times in the empty boxes in
the side c square.
3. Repeat the steps above (numbers 1 and 2), using the side b square to find b2. Be sure
to fill the correct number of unmarked boxes in the side c square with the letter b.
What did you find?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
cal language: c2 = a2 + b2.

problem: The two smaller squares can be cut up and used to fill up the larger square exactly. Today we express the same thought using mathemati-
The 25 boxes in the side c square should be filled with either an a or b (9 a boxes plus 16 b boxes). This is how Pythagoras would have seen the
62
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
The Pythagorean Theorem (cont.)

Now use what you have learned about the Pythagorean theorem to answer the following
questions. You may need a calculator to complete number 10 and the bonus question.
1. What is 32?
______________________________
2. What is 42?
______________________________
3. What is 52?
______________________________ Pythagoras
4. What is the square root of 9? Work Space

______________________________
5. What is the square root of 16?

______________________________
6. What is the square root of 25?

______________________________
7. If c2 = 32 + 42, how much is c2?

______________________________
8. If c2 = 32 + 42, how much is c?

______________________________
9. If c2 = 52 + 72, how much is c2?

______________________________
10. If c2 = 52 + 72, how much is c?

______________________________
Bonus question
In the previous questions, you were solving to find the length of the hypotenuse, or c.
How would you solve to find a in the following equation: 4 2 = a2 + 32?
Answer:
63
CHAPTER 5
A Closer Look:
Athens
Versus Sparta
f
f
Democracy, Social Order,
and Justice
A thens and Sparta were the two most famous city-states in ancient Greece, and they were
separated by more than just rugged mountains and coastline. Boasting completely different soci-
eties, they carried on one of the greatest rivalries in history.
Athens was a prosperous, outgoing democracy that spread its influence and its policies as far as
possible. The Athenians direct democracy, in which even the humblest citizen could vote on
important issues, was considered rowdy by many other Greeks. Yet it helped make Athens pros-
perous and powerful. Of course, not everyone enjoyed freedom in Athens. Women were largely
expected to stay at home, and they had few rights. Some slaves lived comfortable lives, but many
lived much worse than any slaves in the Deep South before the Civil War. Nevertheless, Athens
was far ahead of its time in its system of justice and patronage of the arts. When we think of our
rich Greek heritage, we think of Athens.
The Spartans were, first and last, warriors. Their entire society was geared toward raising and
training soldiers, and their government was a tightly controlled oligarchy. All this made the
Spartans conservative and inward-looking. Spartan infants had to be examined by city elders
shortly after birth. If they were found to be physically defective, they were left on a mountainside
to die. At the age of seven, Spartan boys were taken from their mothers and put through rigorous
physical training. They had to exercise constantly and sleep outside in all types of weather. They
were given only one cloak to wear and they were deliberately underfed. Boys were expected to
make up for their lack of food by stealing. If they were caught, they were severely beaten. This hard
conditioning, as well as constant military drills, made Spartans the most feared land warriors in
Greece from about 600 B.C. to 371 B.C.
64
Ironically, Spartaone of Greeces most repressive city-statesallowed the greatest freedom for
its women. Women could own land, and they were expected to get out and exercise so that they
could bear healthy children. This small degree of freedom scandalized men from other Greek
city-states. If its possible, though, the Spartans treated their slaves even more harshly than the
Athenians. Called Helots, Spartan slaves were owned by the state and controlled by terror.
Young Spartan boys were encouraged to stalk and kill helotsespecially troublemakersto hone
their warrior skills.
During the Persian War that lasted roughly from 500 to 479 B.C., Athens and Sparta cooperated
with each other to help drive away the hated Persians. Once that threat was over though, the ten-
sions between them rose until it exploded into the Peloponnesian War in 431 B.C. After decades
of fighting, Athens finally lost the war in 404 B.C. Sparta stripped the Athenians of their power, but
allowed the city to survive. In time, Athens revived itself though it never achieved its former glory.
However, Sparta suffered a worse fate; when Sparta lost to Thebes in 371 B.C., the power and
influence of this city-state were shattered for good.
65
Whos the Winner?
w Cultural, Political, and Social Contrast: w
Athens and Sparta
A Venn diagram is a useful tool for helping students find out how daily life differed in Greeces two greatest
city-states, Athens and Sparta.
MATERIALS
f
Whos the Winner? (pages 67 and 68)
f
HERES HOW

1 Distribute a copy of Whos the Winner? to each student.

2 Instruct the class to compare the two lists containing information about Athens and Sparta. Then chal-
lenge students to put the categories in the appropriate place on the Venn diagram. Remind students that
they should not put a category in the both column unless the two sides match exactly.
3 Have students use the finished diagram and the map to answer the questions on the activity sheet.
NET LINKS
There are several good Web sites that can help students get acquainted with ancient Athens and Sparta.
Here are four of the best:
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/GREECE/GREECE.HTM
(Presents the best overall introduction to Athens and Sparta)
http://dido.dlib.indiana.edu/collections/dido/virtualtours.html (vVirtual tours of ancient times)
http://www.ancientsites.com/xi/places/home/index.rage?loc=Athens
(Presents daily life in Athens, including walking tours)
ANSWER KEY Whos the Winner? (page 68)

1. Language, chief god, most important literary works
2. Athensit had more trade with other places, while Sparta discouraged trade.
3. Athensthey lived in a democracy.
4. Spartathey were given freedom to do a wider range of activities.
5. Athenian boysthey were the only ones allowed to go to school.
6. Spartan boysmost of their activities were military in nature.
7. Because Sparta had Greeces most powerful army
8. Spartaslaves outnumbered citizens by a much larger number, and young boys had to help keep slaves in line.
9. Athensits main religious site was dedicated to the goddess of wisdom.
10. Athensit used silver coins instead of heavy lead bars.
11. Athensit had a powerful navy and relied heavily on trade.
66
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Whos the Winner?

Fill in the Venn diagram below using this information.
ATHENS SPARTA
Language: Greek Greek
Estimated free population 45,000 25,000
(adult males only):
Estimated population of 75,000 250,000
slaves:
Form of government: democracy oligarchy
Main form of money: silver coins called drachmas heavy iron bars called obols
Chief god: Zeus Zeus

Important religious site: the Parthenondedicated to shrines to the minor gods Fear,
Athena, the goddess of wisdom Laughter, and Death
Major exports: silver, olives, olive oil, wine, pottery the Spartans discouraged all trade
Major imports: slaves, timber, corn, iron, tin with foreigners
Best-known literary works: Homers Iliad and Odyssey Homers Iliad and Odyssey
Age when men become 18 30
full citizens:
Typical childhood going to school, exercising, learning exercising, learning military drills,
activities (boys): military drills, playing with friends stealing food to survive, hunting
and killing rebellious slaves, polic-
ing slaves to keep them in line
Typical childhood learning household duties exercising, athletic competitions,

activities (girls): learning household duties
Military strong point: Greeces most powerful navy Greeces most powerful army
ATHENS SPARTA
67
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Whos the Winner? (cont.)

Use the information in your diagram and on the map to
help you answer these questions.
1 What important things did Athens and Sparta share?

_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
2 Did Athens or Sparta have more contact with foreigners? Explain. ____________________
____________________________________________________________________________
3 In which city-state did adult males probably have more freedom? Explain. _____________
____________________________________________________________________________
4 In which city-state did young girls have more freedom? Explain. ______________________
____________________________________________________________________________
5 Which group of young people in the two city-states was the best educated? Explain. _____
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
6 Which group of young people in the two city-states received more training to fight and
kill? Explain. _________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
7 Why was such training important to that city-state? ________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
8 Which city-state do you think had more of a problem with slave revolts? Explain. _______
____________________________________________________________________________
9 Which city-state do you think put a greater emphasis on wisdom? Explain. _____________
____________________________________________________________________________
10 In which city-state was money more attractive and easier to use? Explain. ______________
____________________________________________________________________________
11 Which city-state do you think had more shipbuilders? Explain. _______________________
____________________________________________________________________________
68
Go Tell the Spartans
w Ancient Spartan Military Strategy w
Sparta was a military state that was famous for its secrecy. So it makes sense that one of the few surviving
bits of information about Sparta is a military code. The key to using the Spartan code was a scytale, or wood-
en staff. If the Spartans wanted to send a message, they wrapped a long, narrow piece of parchment around
the scytale and wrote the message in vertical columns. (See the drawing below.) When unraveled, the strip
of parchment looked like a string of unrelated letters. But when the parchment was sent to another Spartan
commander, it was wrapped around a scytale of identical width and was easily read.
MATERIALS
f
two (or more) scytales*

scissors
ruler
11x17 sheets of paper cut into long strips (about 1/2 inch wide)
f
HERES HOW

1 Show the students the scytale model youll use. Explain

briefly what it is and how to write a message on it.
2 Either pass out prepared slips of paper or have students

cut out their own. Pass around the scytales and have
students use them to write their names and full addresses
or brief messages. Remind them to write their messages
vertically, in rows.
3 While the scytales are making the rounds, provide students

with some background information about Sparta (see
next page and chapter introduction, page 64) and why
such a code would have been important to the Spartans.
4 When students have finished writing their messages, have them hand their strips of paper to the front of
the room. Mix the papers up and pass them out to the class at random. Then hand the scytales around
again and let students read their strips of paper. While that is going on, continue with your discussion
of Sparta.
*Note: You will need at least two or three scytales. They should be cylindrical and about six to eight inches long, and can be any
width (note that it is easier to write on a thicker cylinder). However, it is vital that they all be of identical lengths and widths so that
students can exchange messages. You can cut up an old broom handle or go to a local hardware store or lumberyard and have
dowels cut. For a less-expensive alternative, ask donations of empty paper-towel rolls. In a pinch, even pencils can serve as scytales
(students will simply have to write smaller). You will also need long, narrow strips of paper, as described in the materials list.
69
SPARTAN SECRECY

The Spartans were a famously conservative and tight-lipped bunch. Foreigners were closely watched and
thrown out of town from time to time, apparently to keep them from learning too much. The historian
Thucydides expressed repeated frustration with them as he wrote his history of the war between Sparta
and Athens. The secrecy with which their affairs are conducted meant that no one knew the numbers of
the Spartans, he explained.
The Spartans had a good reason to be secretive: They did not have very many citizen soldiers, or equals.
In part that is because Spartas land-inheritance rules discouraged large families. At the beginning of the
war between Sparta and Athens, Athens outnumbered Sparta by about 13,000 soldiers to 4,000. The
philosopher Aristotle said that by the time Spartas power fell apart in 371 B.C., the Spartans had a hard
time fielding just 1,000 equals, though Sparta still controlled enough land to support 30,000.
WHO WERE THE SPARTANS?

Military drilling and harsh conditioning earned the Spartans a fierce reputation around the Mediterranean.
If Spartans did not win a battle, they were expected to fight to the last man rather than surrender. That did
not always happen, but often it did. The most famous instance came in 480 B.C. at Thermopylae against
the Persians. There, a special monument was erected that read: Go tell the Spartans, you who read/We
took their orders and are dead.
LACONIC COMMENTS

Aside from their awesome army, Spartans were famous for coining snappy one-liners. Since Sparta is
located in a region called Laconia, these one-liners became known among ancient Greeks (and to us) as
Laconic comments. Some of them were amusing. One Spartan saw his son fighting recklessly and told him,
Either increase your strength or reduce your self-confidence. Another time, a Spartan king was asked if he
was keeping quiet because he was stupid or because he was at a loss for words. He replied: A stupid per-
son wouldnt be able to keep quiet.
Most Laconic comments were intended to be profound, and one of the best known came from a wife and
mother. As her son marched off to war, she supposedly said: Son, either with this or on this. The this
she referred to was his shield, which was the first thing that defeated soldiers threw away. (It was hard for a
fleeing soldier carrying a shield to gain speed and escape death or capture from the victors.) The mother in
this story was telling her son to come back carrying the shield in victory or to come back dead, laid out on
his shield.*
*Historians say that there are some problems with this quotes authenticity. First, Spartans were usually buried where they died, not returned
home. Second, the round shields used by Greek soldiers were not very useful as stretchers for carrying the wounded or dead. Even so, the quote
summarizes the attitude a good Spartan was supposed to have about war: victory or death.
70
Murder in Athens!
Part I: Athenian Justice
w Athenian Justice Compared With U.S. Justice w
The activity Murder in Athens! comes in three sections. The first is designed to acquaint students with the
Athenian justice system. The second allows them to re-create the events that led to an actual trial. And the
third is a re-creation of the trial itself, which took place some time between 450 and 411 B.C.
MATERIALS
f
Murder in Athens! Part I: Athenian Justice Versus U.S. Justice (page 73)
f
HERES HOW

1 Introduce your students to the information on Athenian democracy contained in the information below
and in the introduction to this chapter (page 64). Be sure to point out that Athens invented democracy,
which for the first time allowed ordinary people to make laws and see them carried out in the courts.
2 Distribute Murder in Athens! Part I: Athenian Justice Versus U.S. Justice and encourage students to read and
comment on the chart, which compares ancient Athenian and modern U.S. criminal justice systems.
3 Help students grasp the differences and similarities between the Athenian system of justice and the one
we use today. Pose the following questions to students to initiate a discussion or write the questions on
the board, discuss them, and have students write responses. Either way, their ability to compare and con-
trast the two justice systems will be vital for Murder in Athens! Part III: The Trial of Daphne.
Questions:
R Name at least three similarities you find between the ancient Athenian and modern U.S. justice
systems.
R What are the major differences? List three to five differences. Choose what you believe is the most
important difference and explain why this difference is important.
R Which system do you think is better? Explain and give examples.
LAND WITHOUT LAWYERS

There were no lawyers in ancient Greece. However, ordinary citizens facing a trial had several ways to
prepare for their day in court. The art of public speaking, or rhetoric, was a big part of every young mans
basic education, like math is today. That was vital because most trials hinged on the speeches given by the
prosecutor or the defense. Even so, most people needed help in finding the right words to say, so both
sides hired professional writers to compose their speeches to the jury.
71
THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Imagine seeing a crime show on TV where the trials are held outside. That was standard procedure for
murder trials in Athens, which were held in an outdoor court called the Areopagus. Why? In part because the
Greeks believed that any person or object responsible for shedding blood had been polluted. That pollu-
tion was considered to be as dangerous as a disease. No member of the court wanted to be under the
same roof as a murderer.
SOLON, THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

In 594 B.C., a prominent Athenian named Solon was given one year to reform Athens legal code. The city
was laboring under the harsh laws that punished almost all lawbreaking with the death penalty. Solon
lightened many punishments and increased citizen representation in the law courts. After he finished that
work, Solon left Athens for ten years because he was besieged by people either complaining about his new
laws or wanting him to make changes. Despite those complaints, the jury system that Solon created
remained largely in place for the next three centuries.
72
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Murder in Athens! Part I:

w Athenian Justice Versus U.S. Justice w
Use this chart to compare the criminal justice system of ancient Athens
with that of the United States today.
ATHENS UNITED STATES
Who decides the A jury A jury or, in some cases,
guilt or innocence of a judge
somebody accused of
a crime?
How big are the juries? 100 to 2,000 people Usually 12 people
Who can serve on a Adult male citizens (women, slaves, All adult citizens
jury? and children are excluded)
How are verdicts By a majority vote (a tie vote means the By a unanimous vote (if the vote is not
reached? accused person goes free) unanimous, the accused person is usually
retried with a different jury)
Who prosecutes If the victim of the crime is an adult A publicly paid lawyer called a district
accused criminals in male, then the victim himself prosecutes. attorney prosecutes.
court? If the victim is a woman or childor if
someone has been murderedthen
the closest male relative prosecutes.
Who handles the The person accused of the crime defends Accused individuals usually hire a lawyer
defense? himself if he is an adult male. If the to defend them, although they are allowed
accused is a woman or child, then the to defend themselves.
closest male relative handles the defense.
Who makes sure the A city official called a magistrate makes A judge with legal training makes sure the
trial is fair? sure that the trial is orderly. But he law is followed and that both sides pre-
cannot force the prosecutor or defense sent a fair case.
to follow laws governing trials.
How long do trials Usually less than one day Length varies; most usually last no longer
last? than a week or two
What are their trials Most trials revolve around two speech- The prosecution first tries to prove that
like? es, the first given by the prosecutor and the accused person is guilty by calling
the second by the defense. Both sides witnesses and presenting evidence. The
are allowed to call witnesses. However, defense then gets a chance to reply by
the opposition is not allowed to ques- calling its own witnesses and presenting
tion those witnesses. its own evidence. Both sides are allowed
to question the oppositions witnesses.
And both sides can make speeches at the
beginning and end of the trial.
73
Murder in Athens!
Part II: The Scene of the Crime
Part III: The Trial of Daphne
w Athenian Criminal Trial Simulation w
The goals of these two exercises are to teach students about Athens justice system as well as to develop
their writing and speaking skills. While this simulation is based on a real case (see Background, below),
remind students that an actual murder trial in Athens would have been slightly more complex (involving
preliminary hearings and witness testimony, for example). However, the case outlined below is very similar
in structure to other Athenian trials.
Background
Sometime between 450 and 411 B.C., an Athenian jury meeting at the Areopagus (air-ee-OP-uh-gus) heard a
murder trial about a woman accused of poisoning her husband and one of his friends. Antiphon, one of
Athens greatest legal speechwriters, wrote the address delivered by the prosecutor in that case. Antiphons
speech has been preserved, and it forms the basis for this mock trial. Unfortunately, no other information
about his caseincluding the jurys verdicthas survived. Daphne (daf-NEE) is a made-up name for a real
person, as are all but one of the names used in this mock trial.
MATERIALS
f
The materials for this trial can be as elaborate or as simple as you like. You can try to make the re-creation
as authentic as possible, using costumes patterned after the designs on page 27, a water clock, and solid
and hollow ballots for the jury (see projects described on page 80). Or you can have students act out the
murder scene and the trial with few or no props at all. No matter how you do it, you will need the following:
Murder in Athens! Parts I, II, and III (pages 73 and 7679)
a timepiece with a second hand
objects that jury members can use as ballots
HERES HOW
f
1 Distribute copies of Murder in Athens! Parts II and III to your students (they should already have a copy
of Part I). After the class has read both parts, spend some time discussing the case. Then explain to
students that they are going to put on a skit and mock trial based on this information.
2 Select a cast for your skit and mock trial. Work with students to decide how each part should be
produced. You might want to have students create a list of the costumes and props they will need
for both the skit and the trial. Then assign students to come up with each item.
3 Allow the students who are performing the skit some extra time to rehearse. The easiest way to handle
the skit is to have a narrator read the text of The Scene of the Crime while the players silently act out the
74
events. However, encourage students to be creative. The skit is designed to show other students what
events led up to the crime, so tell the actors to highlight details. For instance, the couples could be
bickering on their way to the feast to show that both relationships were rocky.
4 For the mock trial, the main responsibilities will fall on the two actors playing Milo and Leon (remember:
these roles can be played by either boys or girls). They can either write their own speeches orto be
more authentichave other students compose them. Greeks appearing in court would have memorized
their speeches, but that is not necessary for this mock trial.
5 Both speeches should be no more than about five minutes long. Each one should briefly summarize the
events that led up to the murder (the real jury would not have seen a skit) and explain why their side is
right and the other side is wrong. The writers should have some leeway in interpreting the facts. But
generally, they should stick to the facts of the case in their speeches. For the sake of accuracy, you may
want to review the speeches before they are delivered.
6 The agenda for The Trial of Daphne is as follows:

I. Prosecution speech
II. Defense speech
III. Jury vote
IV. Verdict announced by magistrate
7 After the trial, ask jury members why they voted the way they did. Take a show of hands from all the
students to see how they would have voted. Have them explain the reasons for their decision. Also,
discuss what students think about the Athenian justice system. Is this a fair way to run a murder trial?
Are there any advantages to the way it would have been handled in a modern U.S. criminal court?
THE DEATH PENALTY

Athenian citizens found guilty of intentional murder faced the death penalty. It was administered in
either of two forms: the first was drinking poisonous hemlock and the second was a type of strangulation
or crucifixion.
LIBRARY LINKS
To read excerpts from Antiphons actual speech, check out No. 76 in the book
Womens Life in Greece and Rome: A Source Book in Translation by Mary R. Lefkowitz
and Maureen B. Fant. For more general information on Athens during the Golden
Age, look for What Was Life Like at the Dawn of Democracy? by the editors of
Time-Life Books.
75
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Murder in Athens! Part II:

w The Scene of the Crime w
In many plays it is the job of the narrator to set the scene for the events that follow. Read
what the narrator below has to say.
Cast of Characters:
Timotheos (tim-AH-thay-ows) and Philoneos (fil-OH-ne-ows), two citizens
of Athens who die under suspicious circumstances
Daphne (daf-NEE), Timotheos wife
Themis (THEM-is), a slave and Philoneos girlfriend

Four Guards, two carry off Themis to her execution and two arrest Daphne
(Note: All the names in the case, except that of Philoneos, have been lost
to history. The rest are made-up names of real people.)
How It Happened:
Narrator: The two victims, Timotheos and Philoneos, were friends who both planned to
make trips to far away cities. They decided to have a good-bye feast together with Daphne,
Timotheos wife, and Themis, Philoneos slave and girlfriend. Timotheos and Daphne had
been having marital trouble, and Philoneous and Themis had not been getting along well
either. So before the feast, both women agreed that they needed to do something to save
their relationships. They decided to give the men a love potion, a special powder that, if con-
sumed, was believed to make someone fall head-over-heels in love. After Daphne obtained
the potion in Athens, Themis slipped it into the mens drinks at dinner. Unfortunately, the
potion turned out to be poisonous. Themis gave a bigger dose to Philoneos, her boyfriend,
and he dropped dead immediately. Timotheos, who had a smaller dose, became ill and finally
died after three weeks of intense suffering. Since Themis was a slave, she had no rights and
was quickly executed for her part in killing two men. Daphne insisted that she thought the
poison was truly a love potion. Since she was the wife of a citizen, she had to be put on
trial. . . . Your class will play the part of the jury. If you find her guilty, she will be executed.
76
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Murder in Athens! Part III:

w The Trial of Daphne w
This murder trial, which took place nearly 2,500 years ago, does not seem all that different
from one that you might read about today. What do you think?
Cast of Characters:
Milo (MEE-loh), prosecutor. He is Timotheos son (by his first marriage),
Daphnes step-son, and Leons half-brother.
Leon (LAY-own), Daphnes defender. He is Timotheos and Daphnes son and
Milos half brother.

Magistrate, the person who makes sure that both sides get a just trial and who
keeps order in the court.
Members of the jury, the people who will decide Daphnes guilt or innocence.
Timekeeper, the person who monitors the water clock and lets the magistrate
know when time is up.
Vote counters, the people who count the votes and report the results to the
magistrate, who announces the verdict.
Introduction
The facts below are based on an actual murder trial that took place in Athens between 450
and 411 B.C. Just like the real trial, the outcome of this mock trial will hinge on the speech-
es given by the prosecutor (Milo) and the defense (Leon). Those speeches will be based on
information supplied in The Scene of the Crime and in the Key Facts section, below.
Key Facts in the Trial of Daphne

R Both Timotheos and Philoneos died after their drinks were spiked with a poisonous love
potion supplied by Daphne.
R Daphne does not deny supplying the poison that killed the two men. But she does deny
knowing that it was poisonous. She says that she believed it was a true love potion.
R The person who sold Daphne the love potion cannot be found.
R Love potions are a commonly sold item in Athens, so it is not unusual that a wife would
give one to her husband.
77
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Murder in Athens! Part III (cont.)

R Daphne has refused to allow her slaves to be questioned by the authorities about buy-
ing the love potion. (Under Athenian law, all slaves who witnessed a crime had to be
questioned under torture. Many people believed that only a slave who was tortured
would tell the truth.)
R Milo says that his dying father claimed that he was deliberately poisoned by Daphne.
However, nobody else heard Timotheos say that.
R Milo also says that on a previous occasion, Timotheos caught Daphne preparing a love
potion that was actually poison. Again, no other person can confirm Milos story.
Instructions
The following tips are designed to help both sides prepare their speeches. Remember,
they are only suggestions. If other arguments are used, make sure they follow the facts of
the case outlined in The Scene of the Crime and in the Key Facts section.
Ten Tips for Milo (Daphnes prosecutor)

R Point out what a good man Timotheos was, how much you loved him as a father, and
how much he suffered before his death.
R Explain how much grief you have gone through because of losing your father.
R Point out how treacherous it is for a wife to kill her husband.
R Point out that Daphne was having marital trouble with Timotheos before she gave him
the poison.
R Point out that the person who supplied Daphne with the love potion cannot be found
now, which is suspicious.
R Point out that Daphne refused to let her slaves be questioned under torture (such ques-
tioning is customary in cases like this).
R Admit that you cannot prove conclusively that Daphne knew the love potion was poiso-
nous. However, the fact that she poisoned him during a time of marital difficulty is
extremely suspicious. It is hard to believe that his death was just a coincidence.
R Tell the jury that before he died, Timotheos told you that he believed that Daphne
deliberately poisoned him. Also, one time before, he had caught her trying to slip him
78
Name _________________________________________________ Date __________________
Murder in Athens! Part III (cont.)

a poisonous drink that she called a love potion.
R Undermine Leons credibility. Point out that he is defending his mother (Daphne) and
will probably say anything to save her.
R Point out that just because a murderer is clever and covers her trail does not mean that
she should be allowed to get away with the crime.
Ten Tips for Leon (Daphnes defender)

R Point out that you loved and honored Timotheos because he was your father. However,
unlike your half brother (Milo), you have accepted the fact that his death was accidental.
R Point out that Milo has no proof of his central chargethat Daphne knew she was giving
the two men poison.
R There are many different explanations for how the mens drinks could have been
poisoned. For instance, Themis could have acted on her own in slipping them poison.
Or, more likely, the person who sold the love potion to Daphne gave her poison.
R Just because somebody is having marital problems does not mean that they will resort
to murder.
R The fact that the person who sold the love potion to Daphne cannot be found proves
nothing. In fact, it makes sense that a person who sold an unknowing person poison
would try to hide.
R Undercut Milos credibility. For instance, he says that Timotheos told him that Daphne
deliberately poisoned him. But why didnt he share these thoughts with anyone else?
R Milo also says that Timotheos caught Daphne trying to poison him once before. But if
that were true, why would Timotheos stay married to her and continue to trust her?
R Daphne did not allow her slaves to be questioned because she did not want them tor-
tured. This shows what a caring person she is, not that she is trying to hide something.
R Point out that Daphne has suffered because of her husbands death and that this trial
has only increased her suffering.
R Remind the jury that if they convict Daphne she will be executed. If they later find out
that they are wrong, they will have been guilty of murder themselves.
79
Trial Props:
The Water Clock and the Ballot
w Ancient Inventions and Innovations w
Timing is Everything: The Water Clock
Since they didnt have modern timepieces, Athenians used a water clock, or klepsydra, to time the speeches
given by prosecutors and defendants. Use the following materials to make a class klepsydra for the mock trial.
MATERIALS
f
1-liter plastic liquid container (remove the lid or cap) timepiece with a second hand
bucket (must hold more fluid than plastic container) paper towels
scissors duct tape (optional)

leather punch or another small, pointed object pen or marker
(pens and pencils usually will not work)
HERES HOW
f
1 Punch a small hole in the base of the one-liter bottle. The opening should
be small enough so that a thumb or forefinger can stop the flow of water.
2 Fill the container up, covering the opening with your finger or duct tape.
3 Set the filled bottle above an empty bucket (see illustration), open the hole, and time the water as it
comes out. Be sure to put towels under the bottle and the bucketthe flow of water may be unpredictable.
4 It should take about four to six minutes for the water to drain out of the one-liter bottle. To get a precise
time, mark the water level before opening the hole and write the time it took to empty by the appropriate
level. Adjust the water level until you get the time you need. For this exercise, it is important only that
both the prosecutor and the defense get equal time.
The Verdict Is In: The Ballot

Each Athenian juror had two ballots (see drawings). One of the wheel-like ballots had a hollow hub (a
guilty vote) and the other had a solid one (a not-guilty vote). Putting one ballot in each hand, the juror cov-
ered up the two centers of each ballot with his thumb and forefinger to keep his vote secret. He would
deposit one in the container used to collect votes and put the other in a discard bin. Follow this suggestion
to make your own jury ballots:
Cut out two quarter-sized circles of stiff paper to make a set of one guilty
and one not-guilty ballot for each student jury member. Create the guilty
ballots by hole-punching the middle of the paper circles. Students can
cast their votes by dropping the appropriate ballot in an assigned ballot
box (or jar) and placing the other in a discard box.
80
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Acient Greece 2000 by Scholastic Inc. Illustration by Mona Mark

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Ancient

Edited by Jeanne Rosenblatt

Cover design by Norma Ortiz

Copyright 2000 by Sean Stewart Price. All rights reserved.

1. MASTER OF THE ANCIENT SEAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

2. GIVING BIRTH TO HISTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Remembering Homer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

3. DAILY LIFE IN ANCIENT GREECE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

4. A CLOSER LOOK: GREEK LANGUAGE, ART, AND SCIENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

5. A CLOSER LOOK: ATHENS VERSUS SPARTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

w Why study ancient Greece? w

A WARNING ABOUT WEB SITES

The Lincoln Memorial The Parthenon

Finding Your Way Around (page 9)

1 Distribute a copy of page 9 to each student.

2 Review the information about latitude and longitude described below.

ANSWER KEY Finding Your Way Around (page 9)

Finding Your Way Around

3 Latitude measures distance from what 8 If you were on a northbound ship at

4 Longitude measures distance from what

would you be?

Greece and Its Neighbors

Getting the Lay of the Land (page 11)

easier for students to find the names of certain physical features.]

Getting the Lay of the Land

Physical Features: Modern Greece

place-names on this GREECE

Greeks on Greece (pages 15 and 16)

Select one or more quotations as a prompt for journal writing.

Greeks on Greece (cont.)

Life for Girls

Life for Boys

Remembering Homer (page 19)

The Burial of Hector, a passage adapted from Homers Iliad

five copies of Famous People and Events (pages 23 and 24)

Famous People and Events, pages 23 and 24

Early Greece, 2000 to 800 B.C.

Archaic Greece, 800 to 500 B.C.

Classical Greece, 500 to 336 B.C.

(2) Pericles is born in Athens. (Time: 490 B.C.; Place: Athens)

(15) Euclid, great mathematician, opens a school and begins illustrations.

Roman Greece, 146 B.C. to A.D. 340

(27) Romans crush Athenian revolt. (Time: 88 B.C.; Place: Athens)

Famous People and Events Era: ________

1. ______ _______________ Claudius Ptolemy, a Greek astronomer living in Alexandria,

Egypt, collects and puts together extensive maps of the

2. ______ _______________ Pericles is born in Athens.

3. ______ _______________ Dorians invade Greece and destroy Mycenaean culture.

4. ______ _______________ Eratosthenes, a great astronomer and mapmaker, is born.

5. ______ _______________ Iron becomes widely used throughout Greece.

7. ______ _______________ Cretan culture begins.

8. ______ _______________ Romans conquer Greece.

10. ______ _______________ Cleisthenes makes sweeping democratic reforms in Athens.

11. ______ _______________ Mycenaean culture begins.

Famous People and Events (cont.)

17. ______ _______________ Greeks begin to colonize the Ionian coast.

19. ______ _______________ The first Olympic games are held.

20. ______ _______________ Plutarch, a great historian, is born.

23. ______ _______________ Archimedes of Syracuse, a great engineer and inventor, is

1. _________ Claudius Ptolemy, a Greek astronomer living in Alexandria,

2. _________ Pericles is born in Athens.

3. _________ Dorians invade Greece and destroy Mycenaean culture.

4. _________ Eratosthenes, a great astronomer and mapmaker, is born.

5. _________ Iron becomes widely used throughout Greece.

7. _________ Cretan culture begins.

8. _________ Romans conquer Greece.

10. _________ Cleisthenes makes sweeping democratic reforms in Athens.

11. _________ Mycenaean culture begins.

17. _________ Greeks begin to colonize the Ionian coast.

19. _________ The first Olympic games are held.

20. _________ Plutarch, a great historian, is born.

23. _________ Archimedes of Syracuse, a great engineer and inventor, is

24. _________ Socrates is executed by Athenians.

25. _________ Troy is destroyed during the Trojan War.

26. _________ The Colossus of Rhodes is built.

27. _________ Romans crush Athenian revolt.

30. _________ Solon reforms Athens laws and society.