Ancient Greeks presentation-year 4

1. ANCIENT GREEKS
Year 2018/2019
CEIP EL PEÑASCAL (SEGOVIA)

2. Education
• The Greeks loved to learn! They believed that learning was one of the best ways you could spend your time. They
didn’t see going to school as a chore at all. They looked forward to the chance to improve their minds.
• Formal education was usually only for the sons of wealthy Greek families. Women, slaves, and the children of poor
families were not given a formal education.
• In all the Greek city-states, except for Sparta, the purpose of education was to produce good citizens. Children were
trained in music, art, literature, science, math, and politics. In Athens, for example, boys were taught at home until they
were about six years old. Then boys went to school, where they learned to read and write. They learned to play a
musical instrument, usually the flute or the lyre. They learned the poetry of Homer. They learned how to debate and
how to give a persuasive speech. They studied science and math.
• Throughout their education, Greeks studied music and dance. They enjoyed music and believed that it made
life more pleasant. It was common for educated Greeks to play several instruments.

3. THE GREEK
ALPHABET
• The earliest Greek writing is about dancing and
enjoying life.
• They wrote their names on pottery to show that it
belonged to them. They wrote poems and stories,
sometimes on vases. They wrote offerings to the
gods. Sometimes they wrote riddles and jokes!
• It was originally written (and read) from right to
left.
• Greek was originally written with only capital
letters.
• Visit this website to listen to the sounds of the
Greek letters.

4. Greek Games
• Just like children of today, children in ancient Greece
enjoyed playing a variety of games.
• A popular game was ostrakinda, a game in which a
shell was painted black one side. The black side was
“night,” and the unpainted side was “day.” Children
divided into two teams, one for “night” and one for
“day.” The shell was thrown and the team whose
color came up had to chase the other team. Juggling
was also encouraged among children as a way to
improve their motor skills.
• Another popular game was morra. In this game, two
players made a fist behind their backs, and then,
when a signal was given, they extend their hands,
showing a certain number of fingers. The first player
to call out the correct number of fingers was the
winner!

5. Greek toys
• Kids also had toys. They played with rattles and
little clay animals. One of the animals was a horse
on 4 wheels that could be pulled around on a
string. The Greek kids played with yo-yos! They
had dolls and other action figures made out of
cloth and clay. They had lots of toys.

6. GREEK CLOTHES
Ancient Greek clothes were simple. Women
made clothes out of wool for winter wear, and
used linen as their summer fabric. They dyed
tunics and cloaks in bright colors. They bleached
some material to a bright white. Clothes were
decorated with geometric designs. Some were
decorated to represent their city-state. Some
clothes were left plain.

7. GREEK FOOD
• They ate a variety of delicious dishes, some of
which are still around today. Most Greeks were
farmers and they ate the food that they grew.
Since Greece had a mild climate, they were able to
grow many different fruits and vegetables as long
as they got enough rain.
• Vegetables were a huge part of the Greek diet.
Most Greeks ate a diet that was almost
vegetarian.Perhaps the most important food to
the ancient (and modern) Greeks was the olive.

8. GREEK GODS AND
GODDESSES
• The gods were a bit like humans, but they lived forever and were much more
powerful. They felt human emotions, like love, anger and jealousy, and they did
not always behave themselves.
• The Greeks thought the gods lived high above Mount Olympus, in a palace in
the clouds. From here, they kept an eye on life below. From time to time, they
would interfere in what was going on. They could send storms if they were
angry and decide who was victorious in wars. Sometimes they even played
tricks on humans too.

9. ZEUS
He was the ruler of all the gods, the
god of the sky.
He was powerful and had many
children.
He was Hera' s husband.
His symbols were the lightning and
an eagle.