Reconsidering the Ancient Greeks

Our free summer resource for 2024 is intended to enhance your subject knowledge about Ancient Greece.

The first article looks at an individual Greek, Pytheas. Often Greece is taught largely as an insular place of city states, but the reality is that Greece was heavily involved in trade and they were great sailors. It is possible to forge links with British history, as Pytheas may well have been the first person to sail completely around the British Isles in 325 B.C.

The second article provides an updated view on a topic taught in practically all primary schools – Sparta. The traditional method is to compare Athens with Sparta, often depicting them as based on opposing values. In this article, Stephen Hodkinson, a former professor of ancient history at the University of Nottingham, challenges this interpretation of Sparta, and in doing so provides many insights into Spartan life and actions.

The hope is that schools may read these articles and see opportunities to add something or amend an activity to provide this broader perspective. We hope that you enjoy reading these articles and have a well-deserved rest over the summer period.

If you find this useful, you might also be interested in our curriculum plan on Ancient Greece and other related HA resources on the topic.

This resource is free and available exclusively to HA members – find out about membership here.