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Greek life and culture

Who were the Ancient Greeks?

Greece is a country in Europe, but people have been living in that area for a very long time. The people who were living there thousands of years ago are called the Ancient Greeks , and a lot of things they did help to make up our society today. They even invented the Olympics!

The Greek Empire eventually became part of the Roman Empire , but their society had a huge impact on things we do today. We have learned a lot from Ancient Greek philosophy, language, theatre, medicine, government and more.

Top 10 facts

• The Ancient Greek Empire once included some of the countries we know today, such as Turkey and Syria.
• Some of our alphabet came from the one that the Ancient Greeks used.
• Greece was divided into city-states that each had their own laws and way of life, but all spoke the same language. Two of the best-known city states are Athens and Sparta .
• In Athens, Greek styles of art, architecture, philosophy and theatre were developed.
• Athens had a democratic government – this means that the people who lived there made decisions by voting, like we do in Britain.
• In Sparta, life was very different; all that was important was being able to defend Sparta in battle.
• The first Olympic games were held in 776 in the city-state Olympia.
• The Greeks used different kinds of columns in the stone buildings they made – Doric, Ionic and Corinthian.
• Religion was very important in Ancient Greece. The Greeky believed there were different gods and goddesses that were in charge of different parts of their lives, such as a god of the sea and a goddess of wisdom. Temples were built in their honour.
• Greece eventually became a part of the Roman Empire . The Romans conquered Athens in 146 BC.

Ancient Greece Timeline

• 1600-1150 BC The Mycenaean Age
• 1200-1000 BC The Greek Dark Ages, when there wasn’t really any building, learning, creating, or even governing happening in Greece
• 776 BC The first Olympic games were held in Olympia
• 750 BC The Greek alphabet was invented, and city-states began to be established

• 508 BC Democracy was invented by the Greeks – it began in Athens
• 490 BC The Battle of Marathon took place, and the Greeks defeated the Persians
• 480-323 BC The Classical Period
• 480 BC The Greeks defeated the Persians again at the Battle of Salamis
• 472 BC People started going to the theatre in Athens
• 432 BC The Pantheon was completed in Athens
• 431-404 BC The Peloponnesian War took place between Sparta and Athens

• 323-146 BC The Hellenistic period
• 146 BC Rome conquered Athens
• 31 BC The Romans took control of the Ptolemaic Kingdom in the Battle of Actuim, which Alexander the Great had set up in 322 BC – the capital was Alexandria in Egypt; it marked the end of what had been a large Greek society, and it also marked the beginning of the Roman Empire
• 395 AD The last Ancient Greek Olympic games were held

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Did you know?

• Our alphabet was developed using some of the alphabet that the Ancient Greeks used. In fact, the first two letters in the Greek alphabet were ‘alpha’ and ‘beta’, which is where we get the word ‘alphabet’ from!
• Ancient Greece was made up of city-states – these were cities that had made their own laws. The Greek word for city-state is ‘ polis ’. We get the word ‘policeman’ from ‘polis’ – it means ‘man of the city’.
• The first Olympic games were held in 776 BC, and then every four years after that in honour of the god Zeus. Some of the events are the same as you’ll see in the modern Olympic Games, such as throwing the javelin and wrestling, but some were different – like chariot racing. Winners would get a crown of olive branches instead of a gold medal.
• Each city-state held a games event – the one called the Olympics was held in the city-state of Olympia.
• carrying water in from a fountain in town
• keeping perfume in
• storing make-up
• keeping and cooling wine
• storing food
• The Greeks liked painting pictures on their pots , and sometimes they’d make pictures of what the pot would be used for. For instance, on little pots that children would use, there might be pictures of toys.
• Greek homes had many different rooms, all built around a courtyard in the middle. Men and women kept to different parts of the house – men had their own dining room where they’d invite their friends, and women had a room in the back of the house where they’d work on spinning and weaving or meet their own friends.
• Many Greeks wore chitons , which were loose tunics that were draped and pinned around shoulders. Sometimes they had belts around them too. Women’s tunics were longer than the ones that men wore.
• Some of the words we say in English have parts of Greek words in them, such as television, hygiene, atmosphere and character.
• The Ancient Greeks were the first to have theatres , where people would put on plays. They could be funny (comedies) or sad (tragedies).
• If you wanted to find out everything that was happening in your city-state in Ancient Greece, the place to go was the agora . This was the marketplace, where people sold things, so everyone went there to buy food or meet friends.

Can you find the following in the gallery below?

• The Parthenon
• An illustration of what the Parthenon might have looked like when it was built
• The Acropolis today
• A map of city states in Greece
• The uniform Greek soldiers would have worn
• A Greek chiton, and how to wear it
• Jewellery and hair accessories from Ancient Greece
• A Greek lyre
• Double aulos
• Greek hairstyles
• The theatre at Delphi
• A Greek temple
• The theatre at Larissa
• An ancient stadium
• A greek amphora
• Three types of Greek pillars: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian

The Ancient Greek Empire was very large, and included the modern European countries of Turkey and Bulgaria. Alexander the Great led many battles that extended the boundaries all the way through Iran, to around the border of India.

Some of the most well-known city-states are:

• Athens – Athens is the most famous city-state, and it is the capital of Greece today. In ancient times, Athens was the capital of culture – great thinkers, mathematicians, scientists and actors lived there. They were also a democracy, meaning the citizens decided among themselves how to govern the city-state. The final decision would be whatever the majority of people wanted. Athens also started using juries made up of Athenian citizens to try people who were suspected of committing crimes – the juries decided if someone were guilty or not. We also use juries today in Britain.
• Sparta – Sparta was governed through an oligarchy, which meant that a small group of people were in charge. These people were in charge of the military, and being physically fit and a good soldier was the most important thing for Spartan men. Women in Sparta were also taught how to fight and keep fit, and they wanted to have sons who would grow to be good soldiers. Boys were taken from their families when they were just seven years old and trained for a life in the military. Because of this, Spartan warriors were the best in Greece, but it was not a city of culture like Athens or Corinth.
• Corinth – Corinth was ruled by a king, so their government was a monarchy. It was located by the sea and had a good harbour, so it prospered through trade. They also had very good artists, and all boys were taught maths, science, music and literature.

The Greeks used a row of tall columns in their buildings that helped support the structure. There are three main types of columns that were used, each with a distinctive style – Doric (which was pretty plain), Ionic (which had curled ‘flutes’ at the very top) and Corinthian (which was the most decorative, with flowers and leaves at the top)

Ancient Greeks believed that everything should have balance, order and harmony – you can see this in Greek art and architecture.

Slaves were very common in Greek society, and only very poor families wouldn’t have had slaves. Slaves may have once lived in a region that was conquered by Greece, such as Persia. Sometimes unwanted babies would be left in a public place for someone to take and raise as a slave.

Education was important to the Greeks, and children were taught a variety of things. Everyone learned how to play a musical instrument, such as the lyre (a kind of small harp) or the double aulos (a pair of pipes with holes like a recorder). Boys learned how to be good athletes, but in Sparta girls exercised as well – everyone had to be fit and ready to defend Sparta.

Names to know:

Alexander the Great (356-332 BC) – Alexander the Great was the king of one of the Greek states (Macedon) and led Greek armies to many victories – in fact, he was never beaten! He extended the Greek empire as far east as India. Alexander died when he was only 32 years old. Archimedes (c.287-212 BC) – Archimedes was a famous Greek mathematician and philosopher.  He discovered a way of measuring the volume of an object by putting it in water, and seeing how much the water rose – like it does when you get in the bathtub. Archimedes was actually in the bathtub when he figured this out, and then he jumped out and shouted, ‘Eureka!’, which means ‘I found it!’ Aristotle (384-322 BC) – Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who taught Alexander the Great. Plato was Aristotle’s teacher. Euripides (c.480-406 BC) – Euripides wrote many plays, mostly tragedies (sad plays). Herodotus (c.484-425 BC) – Herodotus was a famous Greek historian, and his writings have really helped us understand what happened in ancient times. He was also careful about how he gathered facts – he tried to make sure they were true before writing them down. His books are called The Histories. Hippocrates (c.460-370 BC) – Hippocrates was a famous doctor in ancient Greece, and he is called ‘the father of Western medicine’. People who become doctors today take the Hippocratic oath, promising to be good at their job and to do what’s best for their patients. Pericles (c.495-429 BC) – Pericles led Athens during its Golden Age. Athens prospered in many ways, including winning battles and expanding its culture. Pericles thought education and art were very important. Plato (c.424-347 BC) – Plato was a Greek philosopher who taught Aristotle. Socrates was Plato’s teacher. Plato founded the Academy in Athens, which was like a university where people could learn more than they did in school. Pythagoras (c.569-475 BC) – Pythagoras was a Greek mathematician and philosopher. One of the things he studied was triangles, and he came up with the Pythagorean theorem which has to do with right-angle triangles. Socrates (c.469-399 BC) – Socrates was a Greek philosopher who taught Plato. His ideas helped to develop the scientific method we use today – Socrates would always start off with a hypothesis about something, and tested that to see if it was correct.

Related Videos

Just for fun...

• Play BBC Bitesize's interactive game Ancient Greeks: The Argo Odyssey , a KS2 history game about life in Ancient Greece
• Paint your own Greek pot  online
• Join a young girl called Delphi on a virtual tour of Ancient Athens , to explore its famous sites and stories
• Colour in some Ancient Greeks
• Travel back in time to the ancient city of Olympia, Greece, with Guardians of History, “The Olympia Obstacles” , an interactive voice-activated audio game from Encyclopaedia Britannica
• Craft activities inspired by Ancient Greece
• How much do you know about Ancient Greece? Take a quiz to find out!
• Take a quiz about Ancient Greece architecture
• Complete some online jigsaw puzzles of objects from the Ashmolean Museum's Ancient Greece collection

Children's books about Ancient Greece

Find out more about Ancient Greece:

• Watch the BBC Bitesize animated introduction to the Ancient Greeks , as well as lots more clips and videos about life in Ancient Greece
• A children's introduction to Ancient Greece from DKfindout!
• Look through the Children's University of Manchester Ancient Greece resources
• Animated maps illustrating the history of Ancient Greece
• Read some historical fiction for kids set in Ancient Greece
• How were  Athens and Sparta  different?
• Some British schools teach children Ancient Greek or Latin! Does yours?
• Download British Museum information packs about competition in Ancient Greece , Greek pots and the Parthenon
• Read about the  Greek city-states
• The justice system in Athens
• Find out about the Olympics in Ancient Greece
• 10 great achievements of Ancient Greek culture
•   'visit' the Olympic Games

See for yourself

• See a collection of Greek artefacts, including vases, at the British Museum  in London
• See an Ancient Greek child's doll
• Look at a silver tetradrachm coin from fifth-century BC Athens
• Take a virtual tour around Ancient Acropolis in Athens
• Look at the columns on stone buildings you pass by during the day. Can you tell what kind of columns they are?

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Ancient Greeks primary resource

Learn about life under ancient greek rule in this fun comic strip.

This primary resource introduces children to Ancient Greek life and culture. Discover the influence of Ancient Greece on the western world and what life was like for Ancient Greek citizens. What were the Ancient Greeks known for? What made them so successful? What beliefs did they have?

Pupils will learn about how and where the Greek Empire started, who the great thinkers of Ancient Greece were and what went on in the famous Greek theatres in our National Geographic Kids’ Ancient Greeks primary resource sheet.

The teaching resource can be used in study group tasks for understanding aspects of Ancient Greek life, as a printed handout for each pupil to review and highlight key information, or for display on the interactive whiteboard for class discussion.

Activity: Ask children to choose one of the subheadings in the resource and use the information and their own research to create their own comic strip based on that topic. They could also design their own statues of the Ancient Greek monsters mentioned in the resource, or construct a piece of creative writing about these mythical creatures.

N.B. The following information for mapping the resource documents to the school curriculum is specifically tailored to the English National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum for Excellence . We are currently working to bring specifically tailored curriculum resource links for our other territories; including South Africa , Australia and New Zealand . If you have any queries about our upcoming curriculum resource links, please email: [email protected]

This History primary resource assists with teaching the following History objectives from the National Curriculum :

• Know and understand significant aspects of the history of the wider world: the nature of ancient civilisations; the expansion and dissolution of empires; characteristic features of past non-European societies; achievements and follies of mankind.

  National Curriculum Key Stage 1 History objective :

• Pupils should be taught significant historical events, people and places in their own locality  

National Curriculum Key Stage 2 History objective :

• Pupils should be taught about: Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world

This History primary resource assists with teaching the following Social Studies Second level objective from the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence :

• I can discuss why people and events from a particular time in the past were important, placing them within a historical sequence  
• I can compare and contrast a society in the past with my own and contribute to a discussion of the similarities and differences

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