Good morning, Year 5!
Our new topic is Ancient Greece.
Parthenon temple on a bright day. Acropolis in Athens, Greece
About 2,500 years ago, Greece was one of the most important places in the ancient world. The Greeks were great thinkers, warriors, writers, actors, athletes, artists, architects and politicians.
In the summer term, try to read a variety of Greek myths and learn about the significant gods and goddesses inspiring these myths.
Please share what you have been reading in our Reading Blog.
Can you find out who the Greeks were and where they came from?
This website is a useful place to start. Make sure you use a child friendly search engine to do your research.
Please share your findings in the comment section below.
We look forward to reading your responses!
Mrs Avdiu & Ms Robertson
Here are some ancient Greek facts I found on the BBC website:
1) There were Greeks in Italy, Sicily, Turkey, North Africa, and as far west as France.
2)About 2,500 years ago, Greece was one of the most important places in the ancient world.
Why? Because the Greeks were great thinkers, warriors, writers, actors, athletes, artists, architects and politicians.
3)The Greeks called themselves Hellenes and their land was Hellas.
4)They sailed the sea to trade and find new lands.
Hello Mrs Avdiu & Ms Robertson this is what I found:
The Ancient Greeks used to call themselves Hellenes as there land was Hellas. Did you know the name Greeks was given to them by the Romans. They mainly lived in what is Greece now and the Greek islands. The first Greek civilisation was the Minoans and they came from the Greek island Crete. Afterwards in the Mycenaean civilisation they had there most famous battle which was the battle of Troy. After the Mycenaean age ended in 1100BC The Greeks entered a Dark age. It is known as a dark age because nobody really knows much about it, as all written language and art disappeared. Fun fact: did you know the first ever Olympic games started in Greece because they were also religious festivals In the honor of Zeus the king of the Gods.
Good morning Mrs Avdiu and Ms Robertson.
Here’s what I found when I was researching.
The Greeks called themselves Hellenes and their land was called Hellas. The name Greeks was actually given to them by the Romans. The Greeks lived in Greece and the Greek islands but interestingly they were also found in Italy, Sicily, Turkey, North Africa and West France.
The Minoans were the first Greek civilisation. They didn’t live on mainland Greece but lived on the island of Crete nearby . This happened between 2200BC and 1450BC.They were known as the Minoans after their king , Minos.
After the Minoans, the Mycenaean civilisation came and they lived on mainland Greece.They were great soldiers and bravely fought in the battle of Troy.The Mycenaean civilisation ended in about 1100BC and after this Greece entered a Dark Age.It is called this because nobody knows much about what happened.
The Greeks invented the famous Olympic Games which now almost every country in the world competes in.The Olympic Games began over 2,700 years in Olympia. The athletes competed for fame and to honour the Gods especially Zeus Winners were given a wreath of leaves and a hero’s welcome back home.
Some events in the first Olympics were:
*Naked Wrestling
*A race in full battle armour
Interestingly, archery was not included in the first Olympic Games.
Greeks also invented Greek Mythology which were stories they made up for their own entertainment and were performed by singers or story tellers.
Zeus was the king of the Gods and Lord of the Sky
Hera was his wife and she was the goddess of Women and Marriage.
Athena was goddess of wisdom and battle tactics.She was the child of Zeus and was born from his head.
Good afternoon Mrs Avdiu and Miss Robertson here are some facts I have found on Google about ancient Greece.
1) The proper name of Greece is Hellenic Republic.
2) Greece is in southeast Europe and it is near both Africa and Asia.
3) The history of Ancient Greece can be divided into three main periods: archaic period when the Greek government started to form and city/ states like Athens and Sparta started to rise. During this period the Greeks developed an interest in philosophy and theatre. Next we have the classical period when democracy was introduced in Athens. This city/state became very important for philosophy and arts. During this period Athens and Sparta were at war all the time in the Peloponnesian wars. Alexander the Great became powerful towards the end of this period and he conquered much of Europe and Western Asia. When Alexander the Great died the Hellenistic period started and Greece’s power declined slowly until it eventually got conquered by the Romans.
Hi everyone, I hope you are well.
The Ancient Greeks believed in many different gods including:
– Zeus, the king of all the gods.
– Poseidon, the god of the vast seas.
– Hera, the wife of Zeus, is the Queen of the gods and also the goddess of marriage.
– Ares, the god of war and fighting
– Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war. The greek city of Athens was named after her.
– Hades, the god of the underworld.
– Dionysus, the god of wine.
The Ancient Greeks also invented the Olympic Games which are still played to this very day. Ancient Greeks also had fabulous craftsmen, architects, athletes, actors and soldiers.
Great research Seb I actually learnt a lot from it thanks ??
I am so impressed with your research and the way you have summarised and listed the most important facts you have found – just like we used to do in school! I’m proud of you all 🙂
Thank you for sharing! Please could you comment on each other’s responses too? I think it would be lovely to talk to each other on here and perhaps compliment the research or ask questions?
Hi everyone these are my facts about Ancient Greece.
1.) The Ancient Greeks had lots of Gods with amazing names like Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Athena, Demeter, Dionysus, Eros, Hades, Hephaistos, Hera, Hermes, Hestia, Poseidon and Zeus.
2.)There were lots of mythical creatures that were thought to have lived in Ancient Greece such as Pegasus the winged horse, The Minotaur and the terrifying Hydra of Lerna!
3.) Ancient Greeks were known for there strong athletes, clever architects, imaginative storytellers, creative artists, fierce warriors and innovative politicians.
Without the Ancient Greeks the world we live in today would be very different.
Hi everyone,
I am looking at ‘The Usborne Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece’.
The Greek Civilisation lived c. 2500 bc until the Romans arrived.
They developped cities called ‘polis’ which is the origin of the word ‘politics’, and spread well beyond Greece. At the heart of every city, there was a square in which was a marketplace, as well as a meeting point for friends and business.
It was the ‘birthplace’ of democracy, and without the Greek we may not have literacy and phylosophy. They had very famous poets (like Homer) and philisophers (like Aristotle).
The ancient Greeks had dozens of different gods and goddesses, each in charge of a different aspect of life or death, as well as many spirits and some who were half gods.
The main ones were:
– Zeus: king of the gods
– Poseidon: the god of the sea
– Hera: protect of women and marriage
– Apollo: the god of the Sun
– Aphrodite: the goddess of love and beauty
– Hermes: the god of voyages
There is so much more!