Greek Mythology

Reference Material: Gods, Titans, and Beasts

Reference Material: Family Trees

Vocabulary Development

Part I - Introduction to Greek Mythology

Presentation: Introduction to Greek Mythology

ADD- Cleisthenes of Athens is the lawgiver credited with making the Athenian constitution rooted in democracy and established equal rights for all citizens in 507 BCE. Note at that this time, citizenship excluded women, slaves, foreigners, non-land owners, and men under 20.

ADD- Herodotus The Father of History

ADD- Thucydides The Father of Historiography

ADD- Aristotle Father of Western Philosophy, Father of Political Science. Politics

ADD- Democritus - Atomic Theory, First to theorize that everything in the physical world is made up of tiny fundamental particles called atoms.

ADD- Eratosthenes - First man to calculate the circumference of the Earth

ADD- Hipparchus - Father of Trigonometry

The introduction discusses the reasons why the Greeks should be studied including their many contributions to modern society. We will briefly discuss the modern geography as well as the geography of Greece around 450 BCE. We will discuss the Greek Wonders of the Ancient World, the Greek Gods and Titans, the influence of Mythology on the modern world.

Part II - Women in Greek Mythology

Presentation: Women in Greek Mythology

We will discuss the ways that Greek Mythology and other religions have treated women and how the stories set up the culture. We will begin with an introduction to the Fates, the Muses, the Amazons and then study Pandora.

Part III - Men in Greek Mythology

Presentation: Daedalus and Icarus

Presentation: Prometheus

Greek Heroes and Their Stories

A Few More Stories from Ancient Greece

    • Echo and Narcissus
      • Reference: Metamorphoses (8 CE) by Ovid - Book III Fable VI - Echo and Narcissus
    • Pygmalion and Galatea
      • Reference: Metamorphoses (8 CE) by Ovid - Book X Fable VII - Pygmalion's Statue
    • Hades and Persephone
    • Tantalus and Sisyphus
    • The Fall of Phaeton
      • Reference: Metamorphoses (8 CE) by Ovid - Book II Fable I - Phaëton Guides Apollo’s Chariot
    • Cupid and Psyche
    • Orpheus and Eurydice

The Iliad by Homer - The Story of the Trojan War

The Odyssey by Homer - Odysseus' Return From the Trojan War

Ancient Greek Government

King Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Rise of Macedon

Greek Military and Similar Military Units

Classic Greek Plays, Poetry and Epics

Visual Aids:

Source: Laura "Jenks" Jenkinson - https://greekmythcomix.wordpress.com/

Source: Simon E. Davies - https://www.facebook.com/HumanOdyssey

The Original Olympics

Best Olympians - http://www.penn.museum/sites/olympics/greatest.shtml

  • Stade/Stadion - A naked foot race of 185 approximately meters.
  • Diaulos - A naked foot race of two times the distance of the stadion. Had to travel around a post and back. Approximately 370 meters.
  • Dolichos - A naked foot race of 12 to 24 times the distance of the stadion. Approximately 1.5 to 3 miles.
  • Hoplitodromos - "The race of soldiers" (hoplites) is a 400m dash wearing a helmet, greaves, and bronze-covered wooden shield. A race in over 50 pounds of armor to simulate a soldier rush through the range of archers.
  • Pale - naked wrestling
  • Pankration - pan = all, kratos = strength - An old school one-on-one naked MMA event to submission. Wrestling, Boxing, Holds, and Choking OK. Biting and Eye Gouging are the only actions not allowed.
  • Pugme - naked boxing

Bareback Horse Racing

Pentathlon - (Discus, Javelin, Long Jump, Running, Wrestling)

Long Jump

Javelin for Distance, and Horse-Mounted Javelin throwing for accuracy at a target

Drop

Video: Why Is Herodotus called "The Father of History"? - Mark Robinson - TEDEd - December 11, 2017


Video: The Myth of Arachne - Iseult Gillespie - TEDEd - Feb 8, 2018


Creature: Hekatoncheires, God: Apollo, Story: Echo and Narcissus

Creature: Cerberus, God: Hermes, Story: Pygmalion and Galatea

Creature: Harpy, Goddess: Athena, Story: Hades and Persephone

Creature: Charybdis, Goddess: Artemis, Story: Orpheus and Eurydice

Creature: Cyclops, Goddess: Demeter, Story: The Fall of Phaethon

Creature: Siren, God: Ares, Story: Oedipus and the Riddle of the Sphinx