Unit 1

Ancient
Egypt
Name Ancient Egypt

Agriculture in Ancient Egypt

Agriculture was an important aspect of ancient Egyptian economy, and most
people of the time were farmers. They grew wheat, barley, and vegetables;
fruits like figs, melons, and pomegranates; and flax to be made into linen for
cloth. Their staple crop was grain, which was used to make bread, porridge, and
beer. Ancient Egyptian agriculture revolved around the cycles of the Nile River,
and their year had three seasons.

Akhet, known as the inundation or the flooding season, lasted from June to
September. During this time, the Nile
overran its banks and flooded the
farmers’ fields. Nothing could be planted
during this time. Farmers would do
construction work for the pharaoh, look
after their animals, and ready their tools
for the coming planting season.

Peret, from October to February, was the

growing season. Crops were grown
along the banks of the Nile River, where
the receded flood waters left behind a rich black soil called kemet. Grain was
planted in this rich soil. Then, after the grain was harvested, vegetables like
onions, leeks, cabbages, beans, cucumbers, and lettuce were planted in its
place.

Shemu, from March to May, was the Harvest Season. During Shemu, reservoirs
and canals to trap floodwater which could later be used for watering the fields
were also prepared for the next upcoming Akhet.

Ancient Egyptians had simple farming tools like hoes, rakes, and sickles made
out of wood and stone. They had both hand plows and plows pulled by oxen.
They used a tool called a shaduf to move water from a lower place to a higher
place. They also kept animals like cattle, goats, pigs, ducks, and geese. Animals
also performed important functions like trampling in seeds, pulling plows, and
providing food.

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Name Ancient Egypt

QUESTIONS: Agriculture in Ancient Egypt

1. What did the ancient Egyptians grow?

2. What did ancient Egyptian agriculture revolve around?

3. What were the three seasons in ancient Egypt?

4. Why were crops planted along the banks of the Nile?

5. Why did the ancient Egyptians create reservoirs and canals during the harvest
season?

6. What kinds of farming tools did ancient Egyptians have?

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Name Ancient Egypt

The Pharaohs
A Pharaoh was the political and religious leader of ancient Egypt. Similar
to a king, he owned all the land, made the laws, levied and collected
taxes, and was responsible for the country’s defense.

Though we refer to the kings of Egypt as pharaohs, the

word is actually Greek, and was used by the Greeks and
Hebrews in reference to Egyptian Kings. The ancient
Egyptians themselves did not use the word pharaoh. For
Egyptians, a pharaoh generally held two titles: Lord of
the Two Lands (Upper and Lower Egypt) and High Priest
of Every Temple.

Ancient Egyptians believed that their pharaoh was an incarnation of the

god Horus, son of Ra, the sun god. When a pharaoh died, they believed
that he became a part of the sun, and Horus reappeared to rule in the
form of a new pharaoh.

The first pharaoh of Egypt was Narmer (sometimes known as Menes).

Menes became pharaoh around 3100 B.C. by conquering Lower Egypt
and uniting it with Upper Egypt. The first capital of Egypt, called Memphis,
was founded where Upper and Lower Egypt met. His reign marked the
beginning of the Old Kingdom, and the beginning of the culture that we
know as ancient Egypt.

During the Old and Middle Kingdoms (2628 to 1638 B.C.) pharaohs were
buried in pyramids when they died. The pyramids were built at the edge
of the desert, to the west of Memphis. During the New Kingdom (1504 to
1069 B.C.) pharaohs were buried in tunnel tombs in the Valley of the Kings
in Thebes.

Most pharaohs were men, but the pharaoh could also be a woman. The
two best known female pharaohs were Cleopatra and Nefertiti.

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Name Ancient Egypt

QUESTIONS: The Pharaohs

Circle the correct answer.

1. A pharaoh was the:

A. political leader of ancient Egypt
B. religious leader of ancient Egypt
C. A and B
D. none of the above

2. The word pharaoh is:

A. Egyptian B. Greek

3. Which of the following was NOT a title held by a pharaoh?

A. Leader of the Army
B. Lord of the Two Lands
C. High Priest of Every Temple

4. Ancient Egyptians believed their pharaoh was the incarnation of:

A. Ra B. Horus
C. Narmer D. Cleopatra

5. The first pharaoh of Egypt was:

A. Ra B. Horus
C. Menes D. Cleopatra

6. The first capital of Egypt was:

A. Ra B. Horus
C. Menes D. Memphis

7. During the Old and Middle kingdoms, pharaohs were buried in _____________
when they died.
A. the desert B. the Valley of the Kings
C. pyramids D. Memphis

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Name Ancient Egypt

Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun is probably Egypt’s most well-known Pharaoh
(king). Known as the boy king, he ruled in Egypt from
about 1336-1327 BCE, and died at around the age of
eighteen. Many Egyptian tombs have been looted over
the past hundreds of years, but King Tut’s tomb was
found almost entirely intact, making it one of the most
amazing finds in archeological history.

Tut’s mummified body was found in the Valley of the Kings by Howard
Carter and Lord Carnarvon in November of 1922, and was officially
opened in February of 1923. It was surrounded by treasures intended to
help Tut in the afterlife, and his body was in a gold coffin. The young king’s
chest and legs were severely damaged before death. Some believe he
died of an accident or battle. Others think he may have been murdered.

Tut was known by several different names during his own life. The first was
Tutankhaten, which means “living image of the Aten,” a name which tells
us that his parents worshipped the sun god “the Aten”. But as king, Tut
changed his religion and started to worship Amun, the king of gods. The
name he took for himself, Tutankhamun, means “living image of Amun.”

The people of the time, however, knew him by still different names. Kings
of ancient Egypt had five royal names. Each name was a short sentence
that described the king’s reign. Tut’s official royal name was: Heru Ka
Nakht Tut-Mesut, Nebty Nefer-hepu Segereh-tawy Sehetep-netjer Nebu,
Heru-Nub Wetjes-khau Sehetep-netjeru, Nesu-Bity Nebkheperure, Si-Re,
Tutankhamen which means Horus Stong Bull Fitting of Created Forms, He
of the Two Ladies Dynamic of Laws who calms the Two Lands and
Propriates All the Gods, Golden Horus Who Displays the Regalia, Who
Propriates All the Gods, King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Lord of
Manifestations of Re, Son of Re, The Living Image of Amun.

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Name Ancient Egypt

QUESTIONS: Tutankhamun

1. Why is Tutankhamun called the boy king?

2. What was significant about the find of King Tut’s tomb?

3. How did Tut die?

4. What does the name Tutankhamun mean?

5. What was the name Tut’s parents gave him, and what did it mean?

6. Why did Tut change his name when he became king?

7. How many names did kings of ancient Egypt have?

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Name Ancient Egypt

The Pyramids
Pyramids were built by ancient Egyptians as tombs
for their pharaohs. There are about eight pyramids
that we know of in Egypt today. The biggest and
most well preserved of them were built at Giza about 4,500 years ago. The
one we refer to as the “Great Pyramid” was the tomb of the pharaoh
Khufu. It is the largest pyramid ever built.

Pharaohs usually began planning their tombs at the onset of their reigns.
Khufu chose a spot on the west bank of the Nile. The west was symbolic,
as the sun “died” in the west every night. The four sides of the Great
pyramid face exactly north, south, east, and west. After the site was laid
out, large blocks of stone were cut from a nearby quarry. Groups of men
drug them across the desert and set them in place. After the bottom layer
of the pyramid was down, ramps of mudbrick, limestone chips, and clay
were built all around the bottom square. These ramps were used to drag
the next layer of large stones up on top of the bottom layer. The same
technique was used for each successive layer. It took about twenty years
to complete all the layers of the Great Pyramid.

Once all the layers were in place, a last block, made of gold or electrum
so that it shined in the sunlight, was set on the top of the pyramid. The
surface of the pyramid was then covered in white limestone, which was
shaped so that the four walls of the pyramid were smooth.

Because they believed in an afterlife, ancient Egyptian pharaohs were

buried with the things it was thought that they would need after death.
Thus, Khufu did not just prepare a pyramid for himself; he had an entire
complex constructed at Giza. There were three additional pyramids for his
queens, deep pits containing boats, a temple where he could be
worshipped, a causeway from the pyramid complex down to the valley
temple, which was where his funeral would begin, a small 'satellite'
pyramid, and the bench-like (mastaba) tombs for nobles.

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Name Ancient Egypt

QUESTIONS: The Pyramids

Circle the correct answer.
1. Pyramids were built by ancient Egyptians as tombs for:
A. cats
B. pharaohs
C. workers
D. slaves

2. The Great Pyramid is:

A. the tomb of the pharaoh Khufu
B. the largest pyramid ever built
C. located at Giza
D. all of the above

3. When did pharaohs begin planning their tombs?

A. when they knew they would die
B. when they got married
C. when their reigns began
D. none of the above

4. The Egyptians used ___________ to build the layers of the pyramids.

A. ramps
B. electrum
C. limestone
D. mastaba

5. The pharaohs were buried with:

A. their wives
B. the things it was thought that they would need after death
C. food
D. treasures

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Name Ancient Egypt

Canopic Jars
Ancient Egyptians believed that the body should be preserved after
death, in order to be reborn in the afterlife. They also believed that in
order to enter the afterlife, people needed their human bodies. To
preserve bodies for use in the afterlife, ancient Egyptians developed a
process known as mummification. You are probably familiar with the
concept of a mummy - a dead body that is wrapped in bandages. But
before a dead body was wrapped, the internal organs were removed.
They were then placed in canopic jars and preserved separately.
Removing these soft, moist organs prevented the
body from decomposing too quickly.

Four special jars were used for the internal organs of a

single body. Each jar was specially decorated with the
head of one of the four sons of the god Horus: Imsety,
Qebehsenuf, Hapy, and Duamatef. Horus was one of
the most important gods in ancient Egypt. Egyptians
believed that their pharaoh was the living Horus. Horus
is usually pictured as a man with a falcon’s head,
wearing and red and white crown.

A different organ was placed into each canopic jar,

so that the god whose head decorated the lid of the jar could guard the
organs. Each organ was placed into a specific jar. Imsety’s jar was
decorated with the head of a human, and held the liver. Qebehsenuf’s
jar was decorated with the head of a falcon like his father. His jar held the
intestines. Hapy’s jar was decorated with the head of a baboon and held
the lungs. Duamatef’s jar jar was decorated with the head of a jackal,
and held the stomach. The canopic jars were then placed into a special
chest which was put into the tomb with the mummy. The heart was not
removed, because ancient Egyptians believed that the heart was
weighed in the afterlife to determine if the deceased had lived a good
life.

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Name Ancient Egypt

QUESTIONS: Canopic Jars

1. Why did ancient Egyptians preserve the bodies of their dead?

2. What is mummification?

3. Why were the organs removed from the body before mummification?

4. What is a canopic jar?

5. How many canopic jars were used per body?

6. What did the lid of each jar look like?

7. Which organ was not placed in a canopic jar?

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Name Ancient Egypt

The Sphinx
The Greek Sphinx was a fierce mythical creature with the head of a
woman, body of a lion, and wings of a bird. In ancient Egypt, though, a
Sphinx was male, benevolent, and of immense strength. Egyptian sphinxes
did not have wings, and often had faces of pharaohs or gods. They were
built by ancient Egyptians to guard
important places like tombs and temples.

The most well known Sphinx is carved out of

the bedrock at Giza, where it faces east
and guards the pyramid tombs. Its face is
believed to be a likeness of the pharaoh
Khafra. The Great Sphinx is at least 4,500 years old. It is also enormous. It is
241 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 66 feet high. Its eyes are 6 feet tall, and its
nose was almost five feet long before it was broken off. Before time and
erosion took its toll and the Great Sphinx became a ruin, it is thought to
have been very colorfully decorated with paints, with a red face and
body, a blue beard, and a yellow headdress.

It is uncertain which Egyptian pharaoh built the Sphinx. Because its face is
so similar to that of Khafra, and because of its proximity to Khafra’s
pyramid, the second largest at Giza, many believe Khafra to be
responsible for the massive construction. Others believe it to have been
the work of Khafra’s father, Khufu, whose tomb was the Great Pyramid at
Giza. Others believe it is even older, theorizing that the damage to its face
was done during a period of intense rainfall, which could make the Sphinx
as much as eight thousand years old.

Within a thousand years after being built, the Sphinx was already
deteriorating. Its body became covered in the shifting desert sands so
that only the head was visible. A legend says that Prince Thutmose fell
asleep near the Sphinx’s head and dreamed that he would become
Pharaoh of Egypt if he restored the Sphinx. He did as he had been told in
his dream, and did, in fact, later become Pharaoh.

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Name Ancient Egypt

QUESTIONS: The Sphinx

1. What is a Sphinx?

2. How were Sphinx’s in Egypt different?

3. What was the purpose of the Sphinxes in Egypt?

4. Where is the most well-known Sphinx located?

5. What did the Sphinx originally look like?

6. Which pharaoh built the Sphinx?

7. What is the legend of Thutmose?

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Name Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptian Gods

The ancient Egyptians had many gods. God were often depicted with the
bodies of humans and the heads of animals. Particular animals were
chosen to represent each gods’ powers.

The most important Egyptian god was Ra, the sun god. Lord of all the
gods, he was depicted with the head of a falcon and a sun disc crown
encircled by the sacred cobra. Each day, Ra travelled across the sky in his
boat. Ancient Egyptians believed that he died at the end of each day’s
journey and spent each night travelling across the Underworld.

The god Horus was the son of Ra. Horus is depicted as a hawk or as a man
with the head of a hawk wearing the red and white crown of a united
Egypt. Ancient Egyptians believed that their pharaoh was an incarnation
of Horus and that when a pharaoh died, he became a part of the sun,
and Horus reappeared to rule in the form of a new pharaoh.

Bastet is usually depicted as a cat or with the head of a

cat. She was the goddess of cats, the protector of women
and childbirth, and the goddess of protection for joy, love,
and pleasure. Cats were greatly respected in ancient
Egypt for protecting the grain from mice and rats. It was
against the law to kill a cat, and an ancient Egyptian
could be put to death for it. Families mourned the death
of pet cats by shaving their eyebrows. Cats were
sometimes mummified.

Anubis was the god of embalming and the guide to the dead.
Embalming was the process of preserving the human body for
mummification. Anubis had the head of a jackal. It was the job of Anubis
to weigh the heart of the deceased. If it was lighter than the feather of
the goddess of justice, Ma’at, whose feather was an ostrich plume that
she wore on her head, then the deceased would live forever in the
afterlife.

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Name Ancient Egypt

QUESTIONS: Ancient Egyptian Gods

1. How were Egyptian gods commonly depicted?

2. Who was the most important Egyptian god?

3. Egyptian pharaohs were considered to be the incarnation of which

god?

4. Why did Egyptians respect cats?

5. Who was Anubis?

6. Who was the ancient Egyptian goddess of justice?

7. Which god wore a peacock feather?

8. Which god had the head of a jackal?

9. Who was the Egyptian sun god?

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Name Ancient Egypt

Growing Up in Ancient Egypt

What we know about how children lived in ancient Egypt comes from two
sources. The writings of some ancient Egyptian adults includes memories
from their childhoods. Historians have also studied what provisions for the
afterlife were placed in the tombs of children who had died. Like today,
Egyptians recognized infancy, toddlerhood, childhood, and adolescence
as the stages of growth. But children in ancient Egypt became involved in
social and economic responsibilities much earlier than children do today.

Children were raised by extended families. Boys were

educated at home by their fathers. There is little
information about what education girls may have
received, and most were likely illiterate. Only sons of
scribes and noblemen received a formal education
of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Children inherited
property, social class, professions, and political offices
from their parents. There was little intermingling of
social classes.

Neary 30% of infants died before the age of one, most often of accidents
or disease, and some children were not named until they had survived the
most dangerous first years of childhood. Ancient Egyptians did keep a
registry of births and deaths. Children were identified by their given name,
the name of their father, and their father’s profession, rank, or position,
though they were required to prove by passing examinations that they
were worthy of the inheritance.

Most boys were informally apprenticed to parents or other family

members to learn to be laborers, peasants, or craftsmen, though there are
known to have been more formal apprenticeships. Girls trained with their
mothers to become housewives. Most adolescents married when
economically and physically ready, with boys typically being a few years
older than girls.

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Name Ancient Egypt

QUESTIONS: Growing Up in Ancient Egypt

Circle the correct answer.

1. What we know about childhood in ancient Egypt comes from”

A. the writings of adults
B. items placed into children’s tombs
C. reading hieroglyphics
D. A and B

2. Children were raised by:

A. parents B. fathers
C. the state D. extended families

3. Which children received a formal education?

A. sons of scribes and noblemen
B. children of scribes and noblemen
C. boys
D. girls

4. Which of the following did children NOT inherit from their parents?
A. property B. social class
C. professions D. political offices
E. education F. none of the above

5. ____ out of ten children in ancient Egypt died before the age of one.
A. one B. two
C. three D. four

6. Egyptian adolescents married when:

A. they were economically and physically ready
B. marriages were arranged for them
C. boys received their inheritance
D. none of the above

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Name Ancient Egypt

Scribes
Almost everything we know about life in Egypt comes from the writing of
scribes. Scribes were those 1% or so of Egyptians who knew how to read
and write, and they were exclusively boys. It was a privilege to be a
scribe. Scribes were not required to do any physical labor and they wore
clean clothes.

Scribes went to school in temples,

where it could take from ten to twelve
years to complete the training they
needed. It took this long because
there was so much to learn. Egyptian
scribes used three written languages:
Hieroglyphics, Hieratic, and Demotic.
Hieroglyphs were pictures used to represent objects, actions, sounds,
ideas, or words. There were over 700 hieroglyphs. Hieratic was an
abridged form of hieroglyphics used by priests. Demotic was the
language used by the common, ordinary people.

Scribes wrote on the stems of a water plant called papyrus reed. It was
prepared by flattening the reeds, drying them out, and fastening them
together into pages. They wrote with thin, sharpened reeds dipped into
ink.

A scribe’s job was to record both everyday life and important events.
They wrote letters for those who could not write themselves. They kept
records of crops harvested, calculated how much food was needed to
feed workers, and kept accounts and ordered supplies for temples and
the army. In addition to these administrative tasks, scribes were
considered the keepers of the oral traditions, and many ancient stories
have survived until today because scribes wrote them down. Scribes also
wrote new stories, and edited and revised texts like biographies,
instructions, literature, histories, and political and propaganda writings.

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Name Ancient Egypt

QUESTIONS: Scribes
Circle the correct answer.

1. Scribes were very ___________ in ancient Egypt.

A. common B. rare
C. respected D. well dressed
E. B and C F. B, C and D

2. How long did it take to become a scribe?

A. five years
B. one year
C. 700 days
D. ten to twelve years

3. Scribes wrote in which of the following languages?

A. hieroglyphics
B. hieratic
C. demotic
D. all of the above

4. The language of the common people was:

A. hieroglyphics
B. hieratic
C. demotic
D. none of the above

5. Which of the following did scribes NOT do?

A. record everyday events
B. record important events
C. keep accounts
D. document oral traditions
E. edit and revise text
F. invent new hieroglyphs

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Name Ancient Egypt

Hieroglyphics
Ancient Egyptians used pictures in their writing to represent objects,
actions, sounds, ideas, or words. The pictures are called hieroglyphs, and
there were over 700 of them, collectively known as hieroglyphics. The
word Hieroglyph has two Greek root words: hieros means holy and glyphe
means writing; thus, hieroglyph means “holy writing.”

While we always read from left to right, hieroglyphs could be read in

several different ways, with the pictures themselves being the clues to
how to read them. When an animal hieroglyph faced right, the
hieroglyphs were read from right to left. When an animal hieroglyph faced
left, the hieroglyphs were read from left to right. Sometimes they were
even read from top to bottom.

Hieroglyphs were written on the stems of a water

plant called papyrus reed. The Egyptians
flattened the reeds, dried them out, and
fastened them together into pages. Sometimes
hieroglyphs were carved into stone, or painted
on the walls of the tombs. They used thin, sharp
reeds dipped into ink as a writing utensil, similar in concept to quill pens.

Today scholars are able to understand some hieroglyphics thanks to the

Rosetta Stone. This stone, which was found in 1799 and named after the
town where it was discovered, is over twenty-two hundred years old. It is
45 inches high, 28.5 inches wide, and 11 inches think, and weighs almost
1,700 pounds. In 196 B.C., when it was made, there were three kinds of
writing being used in Egypt: hieroglyphics for important and religious
documents; Egyptian writing (Demotic) by most Egyptian people; and
Greek writing by the rulers. The same passage is carved into the stone
three times, once in each kind of writing. It took scholars 20 years to
decode and understand what is written on the stone: a list of what the
pharaoh of the time had done to benefit the priests and people of Egypt.

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Name Ancient Egypt

QUESTIONS: Hieroglyphics
Circle the correct answer.

1. Which of the following do the pictures in hieroglyphics represent?

A. objects B. actions
C. sounds D. ideas
E. words F. all of the above

2. How were hieroglyphics read?

A. left to write B. right to left
C. top to bottom D. it depended on the pictures

3. In which of the following places were Hieroglyphics NOT found:

A. written on the walls of tombs
B. written on papyrus
C. carved into stone
D. written on mummies

4. Today, scholars are able to understand hieroglyphics because of the:

A. Internet B. Rosetta stone
C. Demotic D. scribes

5. The __________ is carved into the Rosetta stone three times.

A. name of the pharaoh
B. history of ancient Egypt
C. same passage of writing
D. name of the author of the Rosetta stone

6. The word hieroglyph means:

A. picture writing
B. holy writing
C. animal writing
D. ancient writing

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ANCIENT
GREECE
Unit 2
Name Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek Democracy

The word democracy comes from the Greek words dēmos (people) and
kratos (rule), and means “rule by the people.” A democracy is a system of
government in which the power is vested in the people, and they use that
power either directly, through voting, or via representatives that they vote
for. In ancient Greek democracies, every male citizen had equal political
rights, freedom of speech, and the opportunity to directly participate in
the making of political decisions which influenced their daily lives. They
also actively served in the governing institutions, so every male citizen was
directly involved in the political process. Though many ancient Greek city-
states had systems of democracy, the democracy in Athens was the most
developed.

In Athens in the 4th and 5th

centuries BCE, there were between
thirty and sixty thousand male
citizens at any one time, and each
of them had the right to participate
in the assembly (ekklēsia), the city-
state’s main democratic body. The assembly met at least once a month
in a space which could hold up to 6,000 people. Any citizen could speak
to the assembly, and voting was done by a show of hands. There was a
strict majority rule.

There were nine presidents (proedroi) who were selected by lot. You
could only serve as president one time. These presidents organized the
proceedings and kept track of the voting. The assembly decided
financial, and military matters, issues regarding food supply, initiating laws,
holding trials, and political matters with other city-states. They enforced
legal decisions, and oversaw the conduct of those carrying out political
duties. They could also vote to cast out an Athenian citizen who became
too powerful or dangerous and who was thus a threat to the equality of
the polis.

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Name Ancient Greece

QUESTIONS: Ancient Greek Democracy

Circle the correct answer.

1. The word democracy means:

A. people B. rule
C. assembly D. rule by the people

2. In a democracy, people use their power:

A. directly, through voting
B. via representatives that they vote for
C. both A and B
D. none of the above

3. In ancient Greek cities, every male citizen had:

A. equal political rights
B. freedom of speech
C. the opportunity to directly participate in the making of political
decisions which influenced their daily lives
D. all of the above

4. The assembly was an ancient Greek city-state’s:

A. main democratic body B. court
C. president D. none of the above

5. Athenians who became _________________ could be cast out of the city-state.

A. too powerful and dangerous B. president more than once
C. members of the assembly D. military leaders

6. Assembly presidents were selected by:

A. direct vote B. representatives
C. lot D. the people

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Name Ancient Greece

The Olympians
The Greeks believed that their lives were influenced by
the twelve gods and goddesses who lived on a high
mountain called Mount Olympus, the top of which was
hidden by clouds. These gods and goddesses were
much like humans in that they felt emotions like love,
anger, and jealousy and frequently acted on them.
Unlike humans, though, the gods and goddesses were immortal. They also
each had specific powers which they often used to steer the course of
human events, like deciding who would win a war.

Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were brothers, and between them they ruled
the cosmos. Zeus ruled the sky, Poseidon ruled the sea, and Hades ruled
the Underworld.

Demeter, Hera, and Hestia were the sisters of Zeus,

Poseidon, and Hades. Demeter was the goddess of
harvest and fertility. Hera was the queen of the gods and
the protector of heroes. Hestia was the goddess of the
hearth and home.

The gods Apollo, Ares, Hephaestus, Hermes, and Dionysus

were Zeus’ sons. Apollo was the god of the sun. Ares was
the god of war. Hephaestus was the god of fire. He was a
workman and a blacksmith, and the only one of the gods
or goddesses who was ugly. Hermes was the messenger and trickster god.
Dionysus was the god of wine.

The goddesses Aphrodite, Athena, and Artemis were Zeus’ daughters.

Aphrodite was the goddess of love, fertility, and beauty. Athena was the
goddess of wisdom, and is said to have been born directly from Zeus’
head. Artemis was Apollo’s twin sister. She was the goddess of wildlife and
the patron goddess of hunters.

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Name Ancient Greece

QUESTIONS: The Greek Gods

1. What did the ancient Greeks believe influenced their lives?

2. How were the Greek gods and goddesses like humans?

3. What is an example of how the Greeks thought their gods and

goddesses intervened in human affairs?

4. Zeus ruled the __________________. Poseidon ruled the _________________.

Hades rule the __________________.

5. __________________ was the goddess of hearth and home.

6. __________________ was the only one of the gods who was ugly.

7. __________________, __________________, and __________________ were

Zeus’ daughters.

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Name Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek Temples

The temples of Ancient Greece were places where people went to pray to their
gods. Every city had one particular god or goddess that they believed
protected the city. The temples varied in their size and ornateness, and unlike
our modern churches, people did not worship inside of them. The interior room
of a Greek temple (called the naos or the cella) was only large enough to hold
a statue of the god or goddess that the temple honored. Offerings like money,
food, or flowers for the deity were brought inside and given to the statue before
gathering outside the temple to pray.

Many temples were built as part of a public works project by the Athenian
general Pericles, who wanted to use public money — dues that had been paid
to Athens by its military allies — in order to promote the city’s artists and thinkers.
Construction of the temples provided employment for Athenian citizens, while
the grand public monuments also encouraged an inflow of tourists and their
money into the city state.

The most famous of the temples built by

Pericles’ project was the Parthenon, honoring
the patron goddess of Athens, Athena. It sits
on the Acropolis, a naturally-formed pedestal
of rock which was the site of the first
settlement in Athens. Other structures were
also built on the Acropolis, but none as spectacular as the Parthenon.

The Parthenon is an excellent example of Greek temple architecture. It had a

rectangular stone platform, a front porch (the pronaos) and a back porch (the
opisthodomos), rows of columns, and a triangular roof. The triangular space at
the end of the roof on each side was called the pediment, and it contained
elaborate scenes in sculpture. The pediment sculptures on the Parthenon show
the birth of Athena on one end and a battle between Athena and Poseidon on
the other.

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Name Ancient Greece

QUESTIONS: Ancient Greek Temples

Circle the correct answer.
1. Every ancient Greek city had _____________________.
A. a temple
B. one particular god or goddess that they believed protected the city
C. a statue of a god or goddess
D. A and B

2. People worshipped _______________ ancient Greek temples.

A. inside B. outside
C. near D. far from

3. The temples built by Pericles were part of a _________________.

A. grand public gesture
B. military campaign
C. public works project to promote the city’s artists and thinkers
D. plot against the country’s leaders

4. Which of the following benefits did construction of the temples NOT provide?
A. employment for Athenian Citizens
B. encouraged tourism
C. brought outside money into the city state
D. promoted the ancient Greek religion

5. The Parthenon honors:

A. Pericles B. Athens
C. Athena D. Poseidon

6. The triangular space at the end of the roof on each side of a Greek
temple is called:
A. pranos B. pediment
C. opisthodomos D. Acropolis

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Name Ancient Greece

Hades and the Underworld

After the Olympian gods overthrew the Titans and the
Giants, rule of the Cosmos was divided between the
three bothers Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon. It was
decided that Zeus would rule the sky, Poseidon would
rule the seas, and Hades would rule the Underworld.
The ancient Greeks believed that when they died, they
went to the Underworld, which was also sometimes
called Hades after its king.

The journey to the Underworld required crossing the

River Styx. A ferryman named Charon would take
dead souls across the river — for a price. For this reason, it was customary
to place a coin in the mouth of a dead person at funerals, intended as
Charon’s fare. Once on the other side, three judges decided the
deceased’s eternal fate.

The Underworld had three different areas that can roughly be compared
to our ideas of heaven, hell, and purgatory. People who had lived good
lives spent eternity in the Elysian Fields. Those who had been neither
particularly good nor bad went to the Asphodel Meadows. Truly bad
people were cast down into the pit of Tartarus for an eternity of torture.

Hades had a wife called Persephone. Persephone was the daughter of

the goddess of nature, Demeter. Hades fell in love with Persephone and
took her to the Underworld against her will. Distraught at her daughter’s
disappearance, and upon learning of her fate, Demeter appealed to her
brother Zeus. Zeus and Hades struck a compromise whereby Persephone
would live six months every year in the land of the living, and the
remaining six months in the Underworld with Hades. This myth of Hades
and Persephone aligns with the changing of the seasons. Persephone
returns to the earth, bringing springtime; when she returns to the
Underworld her absence from the earth plunges it into winter.

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Name Ancient Greece

QUESTIONS: Hades and the Underworld

Circle the correct answer.

1. The three Greek gods who ruled the Cosmos after the Titans and Giants were
overthrown were:
A. Charon, Zeus, and Poseidon B. Hades, Demeter, and Poseidon
C. Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon D. Hades, Zeus, and Persephone

2. The Underworld was also sometimes called:

A. the River Styx B. Hades
C. Elysian Fields D. Tartarus

3. How many different areas did the Underworld have?

A. one B. two
C. three D. four

4. People who had lived good lives were believed to spend eternity in:
A. the Elysian Fields B. the Asphodel Meadows C. Tartarus

5. Why did ancient Greeks place a coin in the mouth of their dead?
A. to decide their eternal fate
B. to bribe their way into the Elysian Fields
C. to pay Charon to cross the River Styx

6. Hades’ wife was called:

A. Persephone B. Demeter

7. Persephone was taken to the Underworld:

A. when she died B. as a guest C. against her will

8. The deal Zeus and Hades struck regarding Persephone aligns with:
A. our ideas of heaven, hell, and purgatory
B. the changing of the seasons
C. the Greek idea of the Underworld

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Name Ancient Greece

Athens and Sparta

Athens and Sparta were both city states in ancient
Greece. They were similar in their forms of government, in
that both cities had an Assembly whose members were
elected by the people. But while Sparta was ruled by two kings, Athens
was ruled by elected “archons.” Because all elements of its government
were elected, Athens is generally considered to be the birthplace of
democracy. Despite this similarity, Athens and Sparta were rivals. Though
they were close to one another geographically, they had very different
values, and their daily lives were nothing alike.

Athens valued education, arts, and sciences, and military training was not
compulsory. In Sparta, though, life was focused on obedience and war.
The use of slaves made it possible for the men to leave home for military
training and service. Because they were a culture of warriors, Sparta led
Greece’s defenses for many years, and their heroism at the Battle of
Thermopylae during the Persian War inspired everyone in Greece to repel
the advancing Persians. In spite of their differences, Spartans and
Athenians fought together against the Persians at the
Battle of Plataea to end the Persian invasion.

Athens and Sparta had very different ideas of what their

role should be in regards to the rest of the country.
Sparta generally kept to itself, providing military
assistance to others in the country whenever it was
needed. Athens, however, wanted to have power and
influence over the lands around it. Their attempts to
control the rest of Greece eventually led to the
Peloponnesian War, which lasted for 10 years. Though
the victor, Sparta did not burn Athens. They allowed it to
remain as it had been — a cultural and artistic leader —
provided it no longer sought to rule the rest of the
country.

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Name Ancient Greece

QUESTIONS: Athens and Sparta

1. What were Athens and Sparta?

2. What did Athens and Sparta have in common?

3. Why were Athens and Sparta rivals?

4. What did Athens value?

5. What did Sparta value?

6. What was Sparta’s role in Greece?

7. What was significant about the Battle of Thermopylae?

8. What did Athens see as its role in Greece? Why was this a problem?

9. How did Sparta treat Athens after the Peloponnesian War?

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Name Ancient Greece

QUESTIONS: Ancient Greek Philosophy

Circle the correct answer.

1. Ancient Greek philosophy was characterized by:

A. intellectual thinking
B. the status quo
C. reason and thought
D. anthropomorphism

2. The philosopher who first proposed the existence of atoms was:

A. Socrates B. Democritus
C. Epicurus D. Xenophanes

3. The thoughts of Socrates were written down by:

A. Aristotle B. Socrates
C. Xenophanes D. Plato

4. Plato wrote in the form of:

A. treatises B. dialogues

5. __________________ was a student of Socrates.

A. Aristotle B. Plato

6. __________________ was a student of Plato.

A. Aristotle B. Socrates

7. Using dialogue to stimulate critical thinking is called:

A. The Socratic Method
B. The Platonic Method
C. The Aristotelian Method

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Name Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek Drama

Drama in ancient Greece originated with festivals honoring gods. Dionysus
was honored with a festival called "City Dionysia." Men sang songs to
welcome Dionysus, and plays were presented. Early Greek plays included
dancing and music, and it was this rhythmic and musical element of
Greek drama that eventually became the chorus. In Greek drama, the
chorus was a group of actors who all spoke directly to the audience at
the same time (i.e., in chorus). The chorus was used to both describe the
main action of the play, and to comment on it. Apart from the chorus, the
plays at these festivals were one-man affairs; a single person would be
playwright, actor, and director.

A Greek playwright named Aeschylus made

changes to this earlier, more primitive style of
drama, and his plays were the first to resemble
drama as we know it today. Thirty years after
Thespis had put a single actor on the stage,
Aeschylus added a second actor. Two actors on
stage allowed for conflict. Later on, Sophocles
added a third actor. From then on, Greek tragedies were always three-
actor plays. It was also in the works of Aeschylus that the chorus shifted
from a position of prominence in the drama to a more supporting position.
Where once there had been up to 50 individuals on stage in the chorus,
Aeschylus reduced it to as few as 12. He also was the first to add color
and variety to costumes for both actors and chorus, and to use both
visual and choral special effects.

Greek drama generally took one of two forms. A play was either a
tragedy or a comedy. In a tragedy, the protagonist’s downfall is brought
on either by some personal flaw or through a combination of personal
failing and intolerable circumstances. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides
wrote tragedies. Greek comedies were mainly satirical, mocking men of
power and influence. Most Greek comedies were written by Aristophanes.

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Name Ancient Greece

QUESTIONS: Ancient Greek Drama

1. How did ancient Greek drama originate?

2. What was the chorus?

3. How many people participated in the earliest Greek dramas?

4. What revolutionary change did Aeschylus make in ancient Greek drams?

5. Why was the answer to No. 4 above important?

6. What other changes did Aeschylus make?

7. What were the two general forms of Greek drama?

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Name Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek Art

The painting and sculpture of Ancient Greece is
characterized by the “classical ideal,” which can be
thought of as idealized nature. Though they strove for realism, Ancient
Greek artists never portrayed human inperfection. While we associate
Greek art the most with sculpture, they also frequently painted on the
sides of buildings, though few examples have survived. One place where
Greek painting can still be seen today is on pottery and ceramics, which
were often intricately decorated. Painting pottery was considered a very
fine art form, and such work was often signed by the artist.

Though we associate Greek art with the classical period, there were
actually three periods in Greek art. During the Archaic Period, sculptures
of men (Kouroi) and women (Korai) looked very much the same. Both
were often depicted with their arms stiffly down at thier sides. During the
Classical Period, while the architects of the time were applying the rules of
perspective to buildings, artists were applying the rules of anatomy and
perspective to the human form. Unlike statues of previous eras, which did
not resemble real human beings, statues from the classical period looked
realistic and natural. Famous Greek sculptures from the classical period
include Zeus at Olympia and Athena at the Parthenon. Though those that
have survived are bare stone, many were originally brightly painted, and
some also included metal and ivory. The Hellenistic Period was
characterized by the cultures which had been conquered by Alexander
the Great. During this period, subjects of sculpture began to include
women, children, and common people. The Venus de Milo is an example
of notable sculptures from this period.

Greek art influenced the art of all cultures that came after it, from Rome
and the Renaissance, through modern day.

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Name Ancient Greece

QUESTIONS: Ancient Greek Art

1. What is the classical ideal?

2. What did ancient Greek artists never portray?

3. How did ancient Greek’s regard painting on pottery?

4. What were the three period of Greek art?

5. During which period of Greek art did humans not look very natural?

6. Which period of Greek art was characterized by the cultures of the

people that the Greeks had conquered?

7. Which period of Greek art was characterized by human beings who

looked realistic and natural?

8. During which period of Greek art did subjects of sculpture begin to

include women, children, and common people?

9. The Venus de Milo is a notable sculpture from which period of Greek

art?

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Name Ancient Greece

The Olympic Games

The Olympic Games were the most important sporting event in Ancient
Greece, and can be traced back to 776 BC. They originated in Olympia,
in southwest Greece, and were a religious festival in honor of Zeus.
Because every four years up to fifty thousand people traveled to Olympia
from all over the country to participate in and watch the games, they
were always preceded with a “sacred truce” or peace. Wars were
temporarily suspended to allow people safe passage to Olympia and
back.

Those games differed from our modern version in many

ways. No medals were awarded. Instead, winners were
given a wreathe of leaves and welcomed home as
heroes. They were also seen as being touched by the
gods. Additionally, only men, boys, and unmarried girls
were permitted to watch the Olympic Games. Married women were not
allowed to attend, and attempts to attend could be punishable by
death. Unmarried women had a similar festival in Olympia every four years
honoring Zeus’ wife Hera. This festival was called the Heraia, and also
included games, which were mostly played by contestants from Sparta.

As the Olympic Games were a religious festival, many people also visited
the temple of Zeus at this time, and the climactic event of the festival was
the sacrifice of 100 oxen on the Altar of Zeus. Throughout the event, a
sacred fire was kept burning on the altar of the sanctuary of Hestia. It is
this fire that is the inspiration for the modern Olympic Flame, which began
in 1936. Today, a long relay of runners carries torches to bring the flame
from Olympia to where the games are being held. There, the torch is used
to light a cauldron that burns continuously until it is put out during the
closing ceremony of the games.

The Olympic Games continued for almost twelve-hundred years, until they
were banned as a pagan practice by Emperor Theodosius in 393 A.D.

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Name Ancient Greece

QUESTIONS: The Olympic Games

Circle the correct answer.

1. The original Olympic games were a festival to honor:

A. Olympia B. Zeus
C. Hestia D. Hera

2. The original Olympic games were always preceded with:

A. visiting temples
B. sacred fire
C. sacred truce
D. a long relay of runners

3. In which of the following ways did the original Olympics NOT differ from the
Olympics today?
A. no medals were awarded
B. winners were considered to be touched by the gods
C. people visited temples
D. there were sporting events

4. The climactic event of the original Olympic games was:

A. lighting the sacred fire
B. visiting the temple
C. the sacrifice of 100 oxen
D. the lighting of the Olympic torch

5. Why did the original version of the Olympic games come to an end?
A. they were prevented by wars
B. they were banned as a pagan practice
C. women didn’t like being left out
D. travel became more difficult

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Ancient
Rome
Unit 3
Name Ancient Rome

The Republic Becomes an Empire

Before there was a Roman Empire, there was a Roman Republic. The
Roman Republic and the Roman Empire were two distinct major periods
in Rome’s history.

The Roman Republic lasted from 509 BC to 27 BC. During this time, Rome
was ruled by elected officials. The highest-ranking leaders in the Roman
government were called consuls. There were always two consuls at a
time, and their terms were limited to a single year, in order to prevent any
one man from becoming too powerful.

The Republic began to crumble when three powerful

politicians, Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great, and Marcus
Licinius Crassus formed an alliance which became known
as the First Triumvirate. Following the death of Crassus,
Pompey and Caesar became enemies. Pompey tried to
garner political support against Caesar while he was
away from Rome with his army, but eventually Caesar
returned to Rome and defeated Pompey. But there were
some in the Republic who did not wish for Caesar to hold
all the power, and Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC.

After Caesar’s death, a second triumvirate was formed between Marc

Antony, Caesar’s heir Octavian, and Lepidus. They were officially
recognized as rulers by the Roman government, with more power than
the consuls. After a decade, they, too, eventually began to fight over
power. Octavian defeated Lepidus in 36 BC, setting into motion a civil war
between himself and Marc Antony, who had an alliance with Cleopatra
VII of Egypt. Octavian defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle
of Actium in 31 BC to become the most powerful man in Rome.
He took the name "Augustus" and became the first Emperor of Rome,
marking the start of the Roman Empire, during which time Rome was led
by consecutive Emperors until 476 AD, when the Western Roman Empire
fell.

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Name Ancient Rome

QUESTIONS: The Republic Becomes an Empire

1. What were the two distinct periods in Roman history?

2. Who ruled Rome during the Republic?

3. The highest-ranking leaders in the Roman Republic were called what?

4. What was the First Triumvirate and how did it affect the Republic?

5. Why was Julius Caesar assassinated?

6. Who ruled Rome after Julius Caesar’s death?

7. With what event did the Roman Empire begin?

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Name Ancient Rome

Life in Ancient Rome

A typical day in ancient Rome began with a small meal. The workday
ended in the early afternoons, when people would visit the baths to get
clean and to socialize. The evening meal usually began around 3 p.m.
and it could be quite large. The typical Roman meal could include bread,
beans, fish, vegetables, cheese, and dried fruit, but they did not each
much meat.

The father had all the power in the Roman

family, though wives also had a voice in family
matters, and typically managed the household,
including its finances. Few girls were educated,
but boys began school at the age of seven. The
children of the poor did not go to school.

Like our modern society, people in ancient Rome performed a variety of

different jobs requiring a diversity of skills. Most Roman citizens who didn’t
live in the city earned a living by farming. Wheat was a common and
important crop. Many men from the poorer classes served as soldiers in
the Roman Army. The Army paid a regular wage and soldiers were often
given land when their period of service had ended. Merchants dealt in all
kinds of goods from across the Empire, and Rome enjoyed a healthy
economy. Craftsmen were need to make dishes, pots, jewelry, weapons,
and clothes. There were also musicians, dancers, actors, chariot racers,
and gladiators who provided entertainment. More educated Romans
were lawyers, teachers, and engineers. And like today, Rome’s massive
government employed many, many people doing everything from
collecting taxes to serving in the Senate. Most menial jobs were done by
slaves.

People came into the cities to trade goods, enjoy entertainment, and
meet people. The most important place in Roman cities was the forum,
which was the site of the government and the marketplace. Politicians
hoping to get elected would make speeches there.

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Name Ancient Rome

QUESTIONS: Life in Ancient Rome

1. How did the typical day in ancient Rome begin?

2. What did people do after work?

3. What kinds of foods did ancient Romans eat?

4. How was the ancient Roman family organized?

5. What kinds of jobs did ancient Romans have?

6. What drew people into the Roman cities?

7. What was the forum?

8. How was life in ancient Rome similar to our modern society?

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Name Ancient Rome

Julius Caeser
Gaius Julius Caesar was born in 100 BC to an aristocratic family. He had a
private tutor and learned to read and write. He also studied law and the
art of oratory (speaking in public). His father died when Caesar was
sixteen, leaving him as head of the family. A year later, Caesar married
Cornelia, whose father was a powerful Roman politician.

At that time, the Roman dictator Sulla was enemies with several members
of Caesar’s family, and he joined the army and left the city to avoid Sulla
and his allies. He returned a military hero following Sulla’s death, and
quickly gained power and allies in the Roman government.

Caesar, Pompey the Great, and Marcus Licinius Crassus

consolidated their political power and formed what
became known as the first triumvirate. Together, they
largely ruled Rome, and it was their influence that helped
Caesar get elected to consul, the highest-ranking position
in the Roman Republic.

After his one-year term, he became governor of the

province of Gaul. His political and military success there
made him the equal of Pompey in the eyes of Rome and they became
rivals. Caesar wanted to return to Rome and run for consul again, but
refused to first give up his army. Instead, he marched his army to Rome
and took control. Caesar defeated Pompey and became Dictator of
Rome. Among other things, he instituted the Julian calendar, with 365
days and a leap year, which we still use today.

But many feared that under Julius’ reign the Roman Republic would fall,
and he was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC, forever known as the ides of
March. The plot was led by Brutus and Cassius, and Julius was stabbed 23
times. His death was a turning point in history not just for Rome, but for the
entire Western world, as it ushered in the 1,500 year Roman Empire.

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Name Ancient Rome

QUESTIONS: Julius Caeser

Circle the correct answer.

1. Julius Caesar was a __________ in ancient Rome.

A. Emperor
B. Dictator
C. Triumvirate
D. none of the above

2. Co-rule by Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus was called:

A. the Roman Republic
B. the First Triumvirate
C. the Second Triumvirate
D. the Roman Empire

3. The highest-ranking position in the Roman Republic was:

A. Triumvirate
B. Dictator
C. Senator
D. consul

4. Caesar instituted the __________ that we still use today.

A. system of government
B. methods of political influence
C. aqueducts
D. calendar

5. Why was Julius Caesar assassinated?

A. Out of fear his dictatorship would ruin the Republic
B. because he was Pompey’s enemy
C. in retaliation for defeating the Gauls
D. Crassus was jealous of him

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Name Ancient Rome

Augustus Caesar
The real name of Augustus Caesar was Gaius Octavian Thurinus. When
Augustus was born in 63 BC, Rome was still a Republic. His father was the
governor of Macedonia, and his mother was Julius
Caesar’s niece. When his father died, Octavian was
raised by his grandmother, Julius Caesar’s sister.

As a young man, Octavian began to engage in Roman

politics and eventually joined his uncle Julius Caesar in
battle. Julius was impressed with Octavian, and as he
had no children of his own, Julius proclaimed Octavian
to be his heir. After Julius was assassinated, the Roman
Senate and the military both supported Octavian. He became very
powerful in the city and was elected as consul, the highest-ranking
position in the Roman Republic. Meanwhile, Marc Antony wished to
replace Julius as dictator. He and Octavian struggled until they arrived at
a truce. Along with another powerful Roman named Lepidus, they ruled
together for a time in what is known as the Second Triumvirate.

But the three men soon began to wield their armies against one another
in a fight over power. Lepidus was defeated first. Then, at the Battle of
Actium, Octavian's troops defeated the armies of Antony and his ally, the
Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide,
leaving Octavian the most powerful man in Rome. The Senate gave him
the title of Augustus in 27 BC. Though the Senate and other officials from
the Republic still existed, as Emperor, Augustus had supreme power;
however, he referred to himself only as "First Citizen.”

Many years of civil war followed, but Augustus eventually ushered in a

peace, called the Pax Romana, that would last for 200 years. He built
roads, buildings, bridges, and government buildings. He made Rome’s
armies stronger and conquered many countries around the
Mediterranean Sea. Augustus died, still in power, in 14 AD and was
succeeded by his step-son, Tiberius.

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Name Ancient Rome

QUESTIONS: Augustus Caeser

1. Was August Caesar always called Augustus?

2. How did Octavian become Julius Caesar’s heir?

3. What position in the Roman Republic was Octavian elected to?

4. What was the Second Triumvirate?

5. Who did Octavian defeat first, Lepidus or Marc Antony?

6. Who was Marc Antony’s ally against Octavian?

7. As Emperor, what did Augustus refer to himself as?

8. Augustus ushered in a 200-year-long peace known as what?

9. What kind of ruler was Augustus Caesar?

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Name Ancient Rome

Romans and Their Gods

In Roman mythology, the city of Rome was founded by the twin gods
Romulus and Remus. Romulus selected Palatine Hill for the site of the new
city, but Remus thought it should be built on Aventine Hill. They fought
over it and Romulus killed Remus, founding the city or Rome and creating
the Roman Legion and the Senate. Ancient Romans worshipped many
gods, and as the Roman empire expanded, they adopted the gods of
many of the peoples that they conquered. They particularly liked the
Greek gods, whom they renamed as called their own.

Jupiter, god of thunder and lightning and king of the gods came from the Greek
god Zeus. His wife, Juno, came from the Greek goddess Hera, who was Zeus’
wife. Jupiter and Juno were the patron god and protectress of Rome. Mars (the
Greek god Ares) was the god of war. Mercury (the Greek god Hermes) was the
god of trade. Neptune (the Greek god Poseidon) was the god of the sea and
the patron saint of horses. Other Roman gods and goddesses included Venus
(the Greek goddess Aphrodite), Diana (the Greek
goddess Artemis), Minerva (the Greek goddess
Athena), and Ceres (the Greek goddess Demeter).
Vulcan (the Greek god Hephaestus) was the god of
fire, and Bacchus (the Greek god Dionysus) was the
god of wine and theatre. Apollo, the god of music,
poetry, and archery, was the only Greek god whose
name was not changed by the Romans.

The Imperial Cult was made up of people who worshipped the Emperors
of Rome as Gods. The Imperial Cult began with Julius Caeser, who
became a dictator, thus ending the Roman Republic. Deifying their
leaders further empowered them. Emperors who did well by the people
were made into gods until Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity
in 312 A.D. Up until this time, in Rome, Christians were persecuted for their
belief in only one god.

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Name Ancient Rome

QUESTIONS: Romans and Their Gods

1. Who were Romulus and Remus?

2. What was the Romans’ relationship with the gods of the people that
they conquered??

3. Which came first, the Greek gods or the Roman gods? How do you
know?

4. Which god’s name did the Romans not change?

5. What was the Imperial Cult?

6. The Imperial Cult began with what Roman leader?

7. Why did the Romans deify their leaders?

8. When did the practice of deifying good leaders end?

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Name Ancient Rome

The Colosseum
The Colosseum in Rome is still revered today as a
marvel of Roman engineering. It took eight years
to build. The project was started by the emperor
Vespasian in 72 AD. The many arches used in its construction made it
strong without being too heavy. Despite the passage of time and multiple
earthquakes, much of it can still be seen today. It is enormous: 615 feet
long and 510 feet wide. It covered six acres of land, and required more
than 1.1 million tons of concrete, stone, and brick to complete.

In its time, this outdoor stadium could seat 50,000 people and was the site
of gladiator games, mock battles, and dramas. There were 76 ways to
enter and exit the Colosseum. Public entrance was by ticket that
indicated where each spectator should sit. The Colosseum had four
different levels, and seating was dictated by social class and enforced by
law. The Emperor sat in his own box. The Senators sat in the lowest seats,
those closest to the action. Equestrians and government officials of
significant rank sat behind them and a bit farther up. Higher up still were
ordinary Roman men and soldiers. The highest seats were for women and
slaves. Former gladiators, actors, and gravediggers were prohibited from
entering the Colosseum at all.

A retractable awning called the velarium was used when needed to

keep the sun and rain off of the spectators. The velarium was supported
by 240 wooden masts around the top of the stadium and put up by
Roman sailors as needed.

Underneath the Colosseum there was a labyrinth of underground

passages called the hypogeum. The Colosseum’s floor was made of
wood and covered with sand. Thirty-two different trap doors leading up
from the hypogeum were used to suddenly insert animals, actors, or
gladiators into the arena for dramatic effect.

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Name Ancient Rome

QUESTIONS: The Colosseum

Circle the correct answer.

1. How long did it take to build the Colosseum?

A. seventy-two years
B. eight years
C. six years
D. seventy-six years

2. What was the Colosseum made of?

A. concrete
B. stone
C. brick
D. all of the above

3. Seating in the Colosseum was dictated by:

A. law
B. social class
C. A and B
D. none of the above

4. Next to the Emperor’s Box, who had the best seats in the Colosseum?
A. Senators
B. government officials
C. Roman soldiers
D. former gladiators

5. The labyrinth of underground passages was called the:

A. velarium
B. Emperor’s Box
C. hypogeum
D. equestrian

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Name Ancient Rome

The Baths
The public bath in Rome is where people came to bathe, relax, and
socialize. Most Romans did not have running water in their homes, and the
public baths were the best way to get clean. Those living in the city usually
went to the baths every day. Though it cost money to enter the baths, it
did not cost very much, and politicians or emperors sometimes paid to
allow the public to attend.

Water was carried to the baths from lakes or rivers by aqueducts. There
were also underground pipes and sewage systems. The floors of the baths
were kept warm by a Roman system called a hypocaust that circulated
hot air under the floors.

A Roman bath could be very large and have many different rooms. The
place where people changed out of their clothing was called the
Apodyterium. The warm bath was in the main central hall and was called
the Tepidarium. This was frequently a place for people to meet and talk.
The Caldarium had a hot and steamy room with a very hot bath. Th
Frigidarium had a cold bath where people could relax
and cool down at the end of a hot day. The baths also
had a gymnasium where people could lift weights, throw
the discuss, or play various ball games. This was called the
Palaestra. Really large baths might also have libraries, serve
food, and provide space for reading.

Some wealthy people had private baths inside their homes.

Like we do today, they had to pay for the water that they
used. However, as the baths were as much about a social life as they
were about getting clean, even those with private baths often visited the
public baths.

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Name Ancient Rome

QUESTIONS: The Baths

Circle the correct answer.

1. What did ancient Romans do in the public baths?

A. bathe
B. relax
C. socialize
D. all of the above

2. How did water get to the baths?

A. bucket
B. indoor plumbing
C. aqueducts
D. rain

3. A Roman system called _____ heated the floors of the baths.

A. hypocaust
B. aqueduct
C. Palaestra
D. Frigidarium

4. What kinds of rooms were in the baths?

A. hot and steamy
B. cold
C. gymnasiums
D. all oft the above

5. Why did wealthy people with indoor plumbing attend the public baths?
A. they were cheap
B. to collect the entry fees
C. to socialize
D. to eat and read

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Name Ancient Rome

Roman Engineering
Romans built roads, arches, aqueducts and bridges. They also invented
concrete which was used in many of their building projects.

Roads allowed goods and services to be transported between towns and cities.
Roads also made it easier to move soldiers and supplies as the empire
expanded. Road were built with concrete, which was a Roman invention.
Mixing lime and volcanic sand made a strong, durable material that dried solid
and which was capable of supporting a great deal of weight. Roads were
slightly humped in the middle so that rain would flow down to the sides of the
roads, preventing flooding.

An arch is a curved, symmetrical structure made of brick, stone, or concrete.

Most arches are composed of wedge shaped blocks supported by a wooden
frame. When the top center stone, called the keystone, is inserted, the wooden
scaffolding can be removed and both sides of the arch apply equal pressure to
the keystone, allowing it to stand. Though the arch was not invented by the
Romans, they did figure out how to increase the amount of weight it could
support.

Aqueducts were long channels, usually underground, that were built to enable
the supply of water into cities. This water was used for drinking, public baths, and
sewers. Though the homes of some wealthy people had running water, most
Romans would bring their own buckets to a public place, like a fountain, to get
the water they needed

Bridges were built with stone and concrete, and arches were used to make
them strong. The largest bridge built by ancient Romans was Trajan bridge over
the river Danube, and it was over 3700
feet long and 62 feet high. Over 900
bridges were built in the Roman empire.

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Name Ancient Rome

QUESTIONS: Roman Engineering

Circle the correct answer.

1. The Romans invented:

A. the arch
B. bridges
C. concrete
D. roads

2. Roads were _______________ to prevent flooding.

A. made from concrete
B. capable of supporting a lot of weight
C. symmetrical in structure
D. slightly humped in the middle

3. Romans:
A. figured out how to increase the amount of weight an arch could support
B. invented the arch
C. had no running water
D. seldom built bridges

4. Aqueducts were used to:

A. carry water
B. strengthen bridges and buildings
C. prevent flooding
D. allow Romans to cross bodies of water

5. The top center stone of an arch is called the:

A. Danube
B. keystone
C. aqueduct
D. concrete

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Name Ancient Rome

Barbarians
Barbarians is the broad term that the Romans used to refer to populations
that did not belong to the Roman Empire. There were many different
groups of barbarians. The cultures of the barbarians different greatly from
that of the Romans. They dressed, ate, and worshipped differently. They
were also less advanced than the Romans in matters of government,
education, and engineering. But though the Romans saw them all simply
as “not Roman,” in reality, these various groups of people had little to do
with each other and little in common.

One of the most powerful groups of barbarians were the Goths, which
consisted of two major branches: the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths. The
Visigoths conquered a great deal of Western Europe and were constantly
at war with Rome in the late 300's. It was this group of barbarians, under
the leadership of Alaric I, that sacked Rome in 410, towards the end of the
Western Roman Empire.

The Vandals established a powerful kingdom in

North Africa. Though they had a peace treaty
with Rome in 442AD, they attacked the city ten
years later when the peace treaty was broken.
The Vandals sacked Rome in 455 AD under the
leadership of their King Genseric. Our word
“vandalism” comes from the name Vandals.

The Huns were Eastern nomadic warriors. Their leader Attila led the defeat
of the Ostrogoths and invaded the Eastern Roman Empire, then
conquered most of Roman Gaul (France). Though they invaded and
plundered Italy in 452, the Huns did not take Rome.

The Franks multiple Germanic tribes in what is today the country of France,
and it is the Franks who gave France its name. The Franks began to invade
the Roman Empire around 300 AD. Following the fall of the Western
Roman Empire, the Franks rose to power in Western Europe.

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Name Ancient Rome

QUESTIONS: Barbarians
Circle the correct answer.

1. Barbarians were:
A. populations that did not belong to the Roman Empire
B. the Goths
C. the Vandals
D. the Huns

2. What did the different groups of barbarians have in common?

A. how they dressed
B. how they ate
C. how they worshipped
D. none of the above

3. Which group of barbarians consisted of two major branches?

A. Goths B. Franks
C. Vandals D. Huns

4. Which group of barbarians gave us our word vandalism?

A. Goths B. Franks
C. Vandals D. Huns

5. Which group of barbarians were nomadic warriors?

A. Goths B. Franks
C. Vandals D. Huns

6. Which group of barbarians gave France its name?

A. Goths B. Franks
C. Vandals D. Huns

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Name Ancient Rome

Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire

The Roman empire began with the reign of Augustus Caesar (27 BCE-14
CE). As emperor, Augustus implemented legal reforms, secured the
borders of Rome, and oversaw the construction of many buildings (like the
first Pantheon). His reign ushered in a
period of peace and prosperity that would
last for centuries. The Roman empire was
one of the greatest political and cultural
powers to have ever existed.

The Roman empire saw significant advances in the fields of medicine, law,
religion, government, and warfare, as the Romans adopted and
improved upon the cultural achievements of the lands that they
conquered. The empire was at the peak of its power around 117 AD,
when it included lands that are now Spain, Italy, France, southern Britain,
Turkey, Israel, Egypt, and northern Africa. In total, the Roman Empire lasted
for fifteen hundred years, a thousand years longer than the Republican
era which had preceded it. But over time, Roman politicians and rulers
became increasingly corrupt, and the Roman army lost some of its
dominance. There was frequent infighting and civil wars. The Empire was
also repeatedly attacked from without by barbarian tribes like the
Visigoths, Huns, Franks, and Vandals.

The ever-increasing Empire also became too large to govern efficiently. In

response, Emperor Diocletian divided the Empire into the Eastern Roman
Empire and the Western Roman Empire in 285 AD, but it would take over a
hundred years for the split to become permanent. Eventually the Western
Roman Empire succumbed to its Barbarian enemies. The last Roman
Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was defeated by the German Goth
Odoacer and removed from the throne in 476 CE. The Dark Ages in
Europe would follow. The Eastern Empire eventually became known as the
Byzantium Empire and remained in power for another 1000 years.

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 CONTENTS
LESSON 1: WHO WERE THE CELTS?
WHO WERE THE CELTS?.......................................................................... 3
CELTIC DRESS ...................................................................................... 5
CELTIC JEWELLERY............................................................................... 6
ART ACTIVITY: CELTIC BROOCHES ......................................................... 7
BOG BODIES ........................................................................................ 8
ACTIVITY: DIRT DETECTIVE .................................................................. 9
ACTIVITY: BOG MAN RECONSTRUCTION ............................................... 10
ACTIVITY: WHO WERE THE CELTS? TRUE OR FALSE ............................... 11

LESSON 2: SETANTA - A CHILD OF THE GODS

ACTIVITY: THE BIRTH OF SETANTA PICTURE MATCH .............................. 12
CELTIC RELIGION ............................................................................... 13
CELTIC GODS AND GODDESSES ............................................................ 14
THE CELTIC GOD & GODDESS QUIZ ....................................................... 16
HUMAN HEAD HUNTERS ........................................................................ 17
CELEBRATING THE SEASONS ................................................................ 18
ART & ICT ACTIVITY: CELTIC SEASONAL GREETING CARDS................... 20

LESSON 3: LIFE IN A ROUNDHOUSE

SETTLEMENTS .................................................................................... 21
INSIDE A CELTIC ROUNDHOUSE .......................................................... 22
INSIDE A CELTIC ROUNDHOUSE: DIET AND COOKING FOOD.................. 23
ACTIVITY: PLAN A ROUNDHOUSE ......................................................... 24
ACTIVITY: FROM THE ROUNDHOUSE TO YOUR HOUSE ............................ 25
ACTIVITY: LIFE IN A ROUNDHOUSE QUIZ ............................................ 26

LESSON 4: THE HOUND OF ULSTER

POWER ANIMALS ................................................................................ 27
ACTIVITY: WARRIORS AND THEIR POWER ANIMALS ............................. 29
ART ACTIVITY: DESIGN A WARRIOR'S HELMET..................................... 30

LESSON 5: WARRIORS IN CELTIC SOCIETY

CELTIC WARRIORS .............................................................................. 31
ACTIVITY: DRESS THE WARRIOR ......................................................... 32
CELTIC SOCIETY ................................................................................ 33
WOMEN IN CELTIC SOCIETY ............................................................... 34
ACTIVITY: CELTIC SOCIETY QUIZ ....................................................... 35

LESSON 6: 'THE LIFE OF A CELT' ICT PRESENTATIONS

ICT ACTIVITY: 'THE LIFE OF A CELT' PRESENTATION .......................... 36
PRESENTATION PLANNING WORKSHEET .............................................. 37

GLOSSARY .................................................................................... 38

2 EXPLORING THE WORLD OF THE CELTS - PUPIL WORKSHEET