Greek Culture

• History
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 1

The Time of Greeks and Romans

Greek Culture

What is this lesson about?

There are still many things in our everyday lives that come from the Ancient Greeks. Maybe you have heard of Pythagoras in your Maths class, or been to a play written by an Ancient Greek. Or maybe you noticed a fancy building with columns or just watched the Olympic Games on TV. All these things come from the Ancient Greeks.

What you can explain /  do after this lesson

• that the Greeks created literature, that is still read today
• that the Greeks developed scientific and architectural ideas that are still used today
• how Greek culture spread beyond Greece in the time of Hellenism
• where the Olympic Games come from

Word Duty

Columns: round straight stone constructions that can carry the roof of a temple or similar building

Olympic Games: games that were held every four years at Olympia, to honour Zeus

Mythology: stories of the gods and demi-gods

Pillars: round straight stone constructions that can carry the roof of a temple or similar building

Philosophers: people who make a living just by thinking and talking about all sorts of things

Comedies: Greek theatre plays that ridicule politics or philosophy

Tragedies: Greek theatre plays that are about people and the gods. Normally they do not end well

KEY WORDS

Culture

This lesson is about Greek culture. Which of these eight words can be classified as 'culture' ?

science

climate

sports

entertainment

landscape

architecture

stories

religion

Every country has its own culture. What is typical for these country's culture?

Now it's time for some text.

Here you find the hotspots with audio versions of this text.

Use earphones if you want to listen to the text.

Intro, greek games, p 62

Greek architecture,  p 63 / 64

Greek theatricals,  p 64

Living with the gods, p 65

Mythology,  p 63

Scholars and scientists,  p 65

1a. Read "Greek Games"
When did the first Olympic Games take place?

1. 776 BC
2. 776 AD
3. 677 BC
4. 567 AD

1b. We call the games Olympic Games because they were held at Olympia.
But why were they held there?

1. In Olympia there was a big temple for Zeus
2. Olympia was the home of the gods
3. Olympia was in a central location. Everybody could get there
4. In fact, the city was named after the Games that were held there every 4 years

1c. Why were the Olympic Games only held once every four years?

1. that was the will of the gods
2. not all citizens were able to travel to Olympia every year
3. it took the Olympians three years to organise the Games
4. because there were three other Pan-Hellenic games, so four in total

1d. By just reading the text, what would you say "Pan Hellenic" means?

1. Games in honour of the Greek god Pan
2. games for all the Greeks
3. greek paralympic games
4. Olympic Games, but not in Olympia

Zeus

Hera

Apollo

Hades

Poseidon

Ares

Athena

Hephaistos

2. Read "Mythology". Make the correct connections. You need to find information on internet.

God of the sea

God of war

king of the gods

goddess of wisdom

god of music + the sun

goddess 

of matrimony

god of metallurgy and fire

god of the under

world 

spear and shield

thunder

bolt

trident

sun

anvil

peacock

owl

three headed dog

A. __________kept the temple upright.

B. __________, band of sculpture along the temple. Used to show stories and  honour the gods.

C. ___________, the triangular at the  

top of the temple.

D. ___________ with  steps so that people could get up on the plateau.

3. Read "Greek architecture". You must also use internet to find informormation to do this task.

 First: drag the four words (left) to their correct place in the text (right).

The green boxes with letters A, B, C, D represent the text lines A, B, C, D in the yellow box.

Second: drag the green boxes to the correct Roman numerals I, II, III, IV. 

A

B

C

D

Frieze

Pillars

Plateau

Tympanum

4. Read "Greek theatricals".

What two types of theatre plays did the Ancient Greeks have?

1. comedies and mythology
2. dramas and tragedies
3. comedies and horror
4. comedies and tragedies

5. Study the source. It is a panoramic view of the
theatre of Epidaurus. This sources shows that:

1. both comedies and tragedies were performed here
2. Greek architects used a mountain site for a theatre.
3. visitors could not see the stage very well if they were seated in the middle rows.
4. actors had to speak up otherwise they would not be heard.

comedies

tragedies

Then

Now

6. Today these two genres are still used, but the meaning has changed a little over time. Make the correct combinatons.

plays that make people laugh

plays about people and the gods

plays that ridicule politics or philosophy

 plays that tell a sad story

7. The fact that Athenian citizens could disagree with
philosophers shows that:

1. citizens of Athens were not highly educated.
2. philosophers were seen as people who did not contribute to the polis.
3. there were great divisions between the Greeks in the poleis.
4. Athenian citizens could form their own opinion on subjects that mattered to them.

8. Read "Living with the gods".

a.

What were the gods like, according to the Greeks?

8b.
How much of Greek life was influenced by the gods, according to them?

1. they only interfered in wars, like the Trojan War
2. the gods influenced every part of daily life
3. the gods did not influence daily life at all
4. how much the gods influenced daily life depended on the offerings

8c.
If someone was pretty, what did this mean according to the Greeks?

1. If you were pretty, it showed the gods liked you.
2. If you were pretty, it showed the gods were jealous of you.
3. If you were pretty, it showed you liked the gods
4. If you were pretty, it showed the gods were in a good mood.

9. The Greeks believed that gods were powerful beings. They could interact with you without you knowing it. Do you think it was important for the Greeks to honour their gods? Explain your answer.

name

year

achievement

10. Read Scholars and scientists.

Put the right name, the time they lived and what they accomplished underneath the right pictures.

Relation in triangles

Aristotle

275-194 BC

Pythagoras

Discovered buoyancy

Archimedes

287-212 BC

Eratosthenes

Modern logic

c. 530 BC

Calculated circum-ference  Earth

384-322 BC

11. Which Greek scholars thought about maths and medicine?

1. Archimedes and Pythagoras
2. Eratosthenes and Pythagoras
3. Hippocrates and Euripides
4. Pythagoras and Hippocrates

Which new words did you learn?

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