Greece

The primary curriculum singles out the Ancient Greek civilisation for particular attention. Why are the Ancient Greeks so important? How far does their legacy affect our world today? In this section you will find podcasts, articles and resources to help develop your knowledge of this ancient civilisation.

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  • A European Study: Ancient Greece

    Article

    Ancient Olympic Games and other lessons available on this site: Ancient Greek Government is one of the most popular lessons this website - it's good for citizenship too. Olympic GamesTheseus and the MinotaurAncient Greek Government at KS2Archimedes and the Kings CrownArchimedes and the Syracusan WarAncient Greek Ideas: ScienceThe IliadAncient Greek...

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  • A cultural legacy: the theatre of ancient Greece

    Article

    Sometimes it is not easy to understand how the different units of the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum were selected, but this is not true for the Ancient Greek unit. Since the renaissance period, knowledge of ‘the classics’ has been a central element for an educated man or woman. Ancient...

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  • Ancient Greece: Birthplace of the Olympics - Teacher Briefing

    Article

    Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated. Editorial note: Below is a one-page outline of a wonderful briefing replete with visual and textual sources and teaching ideas from The Cambridge Schools  Classics Project (CSC P). The outline below consists of the full introduction...

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  • Ancient Greece: topic pack

    Multipage Article

    A Topic Pack on Ancient Greece, with sections on Ancient Greek Society, Wars in Ancient Greece, and How do we know about the Ancient Greeks?

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  • Ancient Greeks: The Olympics' War Games - Teaching through Drama

    Article

    Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated. When I was a boy the Greek Olympics was one of the perennials of the primary history curriculum, alongside the Battle of Hastings and the execution of Charles I. I have memories of an old text...

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  • Archimedes and the Kings Crown

    Article

    Cross-curricular History and Science in the Literacy Hour Problem-solving in science through story-telling: how did Archimedes work out much gold there was in the king's crown? Archimedes is an excellent subject. Indeed, Archimedes offers an excellent cross-curricular lesson opportunity, as he covers science, mathematics and a range of other subjects,...

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  • Archimedes and the Syracusan War

    Article

    Cross-curricular History and Science in the Literacy Hour Archimedes and how his weapons worked Archimedes is an excellent subject. Indeed, Archimedes offers an excellent cross-curricular lesson opportunity, as he covers science, mathematics and a range of other areas, including cunning plans to defeat enemy armies and navies. The previous week...

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  • Citizenship in Ancient Greece: case study

    Article

    This was a ten-week Ancient Greece unit, taught to a Year 6 mixed ability class of 34 children. There was a strong citizenship strand running through the whole programme, particularly the strands of political literacy and critical enquiry (see below). Citizenship values and concepts, with teaching/learning activities in italics Appreciation...

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  • Curriculum plan: Ancient Greece

    Multipage Article

    Welcome to our new look curriculum plans. Log in below to access the unit. Before you delve into our plan on Ancient Greece with author Andrew Wrenn, take a look at this short film from Steve Mastin, outlining our approach to curriculum plans and what to look for in a...

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  • Film: Primary History at greater depth

    Article

    This primary workshop took place at at the Historical Association Annual Conference, Chester, May 2019. In this session, Stuart explored the principles of how working at greater depth can be applied into history units of work to allow the most able of learners to excel and fully reach their potential in history...

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  • HA Podcasted History: Ancient Persia

    Multipage Article

    In this series of podcasts Professor Thomas Harrison of the University of Liverpool examines the Persian Empire, life in ancient Persian society and the Greek-Persian War.

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  • Hollywood vs. Homer

    Article

    You don't need a degree in film studies or Classics to enjoy the Hollywood blockbuster: Troy. Or to enjoy Brad Pitt, for that matter! But the question my teacher friend asked me, after two hours and forty minutes of being with Brad in a warm, dark place, was a great...

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  • How an atlas and a very old map can help us make sense of the ancient Greeks

    Article

    The ancient Greeks were a maritime people – they travelled and traded vast distances by sea, but rarely left sight of land. They were also a very divided nation. Separate city states fiercely guarded their independence, only uniting [sometimes!] to fight against a common enemy like the Persians. The Greeks all...

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  • Investigating the ancient Olympic games: A Case Study

    Article

    Please note: this article pre-dates the 2014 National Curriculum and some content may be outdated. In a 10-week unit on Ancient Greece, we gave the fourth lesson over to the ancient Olympic Games. The class was a delight: 32 enthusiastic Year 6 children in an urban county primary school. We knew...

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  • My favourite monument: The Acropolis, Athens, Greece

    Article

    About 3,200 years old, the Acropolis of Athens supports the most stunning and complete collection of ancient Greek structures that still exist. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987, it remains a mostly intact classical collection that fascinates those who study and visit it. I have always been intrigued...

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  • Podcast Series: Ancient Greek Myths and Legends

    Multipage Article

    In this podcast Dr Fiona Hobden of the University of Liverpool looks at what Greek myths and legends can tell us about how the early ancient Greeks saw their world.

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  • Podcast Series: Women in Ancient Greece & Rome

    Multipage Article

    In this series of podcasts Dr Richard Hawley of Royal Holloway, University of London looks at the history of women in Ancient Greece and Rome.

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  • Podcast: Ancient Greece & Rome - Similarities and Differences

    Multipage Article

    In this podcast Dr Ursula Rothe & Dr Colin Andrews of the Open University discuss how social, moral and religious life in Rome differed from that of ancient Greece.

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  • Podcast: Ancient Greek Drama

    Multipage Article

    In this podcast Dr Fiona Hobden of the University of Liverpool discusses what Greek tragedy and comedy tell us about the society of Ancient Greece and what has been the legacy of the great writers of this period.

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  • Polychronicon 149: Interpreting the Persian Wars

    Article

    Truth-loving Persians do not dwell upon The trivial skirmish fought near Marathon. So begins Robert Graves' poem, The Persian Version. The conceit of the poem is to invert the standard narrative of the Persian war of the early fifth century BC - a narrative drawn from Greek sources such as...

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