Grade 6 History: Legacy

Who Were The Ancient Greeks?The earliest Greek civilizations thrived nearly

4,000 years ago. Yet, their culture still impacts our lives today,

in the Arts, in Philosophy, and in Science, Math, Literature and Politics.

Ancient Greece was split into many different states, each one was ruled in its own way.

Where Is Greece?Greece is a small country in south east

Europe.It has an area of mainland, which is very

mountainous, and hundreds of small islands dotted around in the Aegean and Ionian seas.

The largest island is Crete which is in the Mediterranean Sea.

The highest mountain in Greece is Mount Olympus (9,754 ft.), seat of the Gods of Greek mythology.

The largest city and capital of Greece is Athens, with a population of over three million.

Legacy Of Ancient Greeks- How Ancient Greece influenced modern day culture The influence of the Ancient Greeks are

still felt by us today. The major impact in our lives in the Arts and Sciences can be seen in both the past and present day.

Trial by JuryGreek MythsDemocracy The word ‘democracy’ is Greek. It means

‘government by the people’. We have a form of democracy in Britain, and this is a legacy of the Athenians and their assemblies and councils.

Legacy Of Ancient Greeks- How Ancient Greece influenced modern day cultureAgriculture- irrigation, animal

domesticationMetallurgy- Mining, smelting, metal-work,

castingCeramicsGlass Making

KeywordsPolis- city stateCapital- the head of a columnEntablature- the upper part consisting of

cornice, frieze, and architrave.Cornice- the top projecting part of the

entablature.Agora- open place where people gatheredBarter system- exchanging one good for

another without the use of money

KeywordsAristocracy- government, the nobilityArchitrave- a decorative band around the

top of the columnsFrieze- decorative band around building tops

and roomsPediment- a triangular gable on the Greek

buildings

Legacy Of Ancient Greeks- How Ancient Greece influenced modern day cultureMarathon Pheidippides ran from Athens to Sparta to

ask for help against the Persians just before the Battle of the Marathon (490 BC).

Building Styles (Architecture) Throughout the world, buildings have been

constructed in the style of Ancient Greece. The British Museum is an example of this.

Architecture and SculptureThe Parthenon (temple to Athena

Parthenos), which occupied the highest point on the rocky outcrop, was magnificent and the smallest temple, dedicated to Athena Nike( Victory), was exquisite.

The Propylaea ( gateway to the Acropolis) was built almost like a temple and the Erechtheum, with its columns in the form of young girls, added more beauty to the site.

Architecture and SculptureReligion was very important to the

Greeks, so temples were the largest and the most beautiful public buildings.

They were rectangular in shape and built of marble or limestone with wooden roofs covered in terracotta tiles.

The most obvious features of temple architecture were the columns which supported the roof. Three kinds of columns were used in Greek temples: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.

Architecture and SculptureThe section that rested on top of the columns

was made up of two parts, the architrave and the frieze.

The triangular part of the temple above the frieze is called the pediment.

Ancient temples were brightly coloured- in reds, blues and yellows.

British Museum, London

- Pediment, cornice, entablature-

Royal Institute, London

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

-Cornice,frieze, columns-

Legacy Of Ancient Greeks- How Ancient Greece influenced modern day cultureThe first alphabet with vowels The Ancient Greeks played an important part

in the development of the alphabet. The first two letters of the Greek alphabet – alpha and beta – have given us the word ‘alphabet’.

Sports and the Ancient Greece OlympicsAncient Greeks loved sport and most cities in

Ancient Greece had public gathered to train and relax.

The Greeks believed that a healthy body was very important.

Most men and boys practiced sports every day because they enjoyed them and wanted to keep fit.

Sport was a good preparation for war too.The Greek armies had to be fit enough to

march long distances, carrying all their heavy equipment, and then begin the fight with the enemy.

Sports and the Ancient Greece OlympicsThe Greeks had four national sports

festivals, where athletes from different city states competed against one another.

The most important of all sports contests was the Olympic Games.

These were played in Olympia, every four years, in honour of Zeus.

On the first day of the Olympics, sacrifices of grain, wine, and lambs were made to Zeus.

Olympic GamesGreece is the home country of the Olympic

Games.Olympia, a Greek city, was known to be a

very important centre of athletics.The Olympic Games, held every four years,

were so important in Greek life that they were used as the basis for the Greek calendar.

OlympicsStarted in 776 BCReligious festivals always accompanied

sports or games.Started in honour of Zeus.Altis - temple of Zeus- one of the seven

wonders of ancient world.Inside Altis, there is a 13 metre high ivory

and gold statue of Zeus.

OlympicsAncient Olympics held in August and lasted

for five days.Heralds( messengers /announcers) traveled

all over the Greek world to notify every city-state of the exact date, to offer an invitation to the athletes, and announce a truce.

Huge fire lighted in an open part of the temple of Hera (Zeus’ wife) to summon the athletes to Olympia.

It was lit using a special dish to concentrate the rays of the sun onto dry grass.

OlympicsParticipants came one month early to train.Judges had to make sure that the competitors

were Greek citizens. Foreigners and slaves could not compete.

Women were forbidden from competition and married women could not attend as spectators.

OlympicsWomen had their own festival at Olympia

which was called Heraia, in honour of Hera. It consisted of only foot races.

From Elis to Olympia, all merchants , food sellers and craftsmen came to sell.

Most important event was the 200 metres foot race or stade.

Runners made a dramatic entrance to the stadium through a long tunnel.

OlympicsThe winners became a national hero in

Greece and the Olympiad was named after him.

Names of the Olympic winners were known throughout Greece.

Victors were given a state reception when they returned to their cities.

Sculptures were carved of them, poets wrote about them etc.

Legacy of the Ancient GreeksTheatre: Almost every Greek city had a

theatre because plays were a main part of many religious festivals.

the Greeks enjoyed singing and dancing. At first, theatres were only used for festivals.The theatres were built on hillsides in the

open air and could often hold more than 18,000 spectators.

Legacy of the Ancient GreeksThe theatres were open air and built in a

semi-circular shape with rows of tiered stone seating around it.

The shape of the theatres gave everyone in the audience excellent viewing and also meant they could hear the actors well too.

In the centre of the theatre was a circular dancing floor (orchestra), with an altar for sacrifices dedicated to Dionysus.

The stage was a raised area within this circle.

Legacy of the Ancient GreeksAll the actors were men.They wore large masks that exaggerated facial

features and emotions.The mouth hole was large to help amplify the

voices.Greek plays were either comedies or tragedies.Tragedies were often about the past, whereas

comedies tended to be about current and everyday life.

Actors in comedies wore bright colours. The plays were either spoken or sung in

rhyme.