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EDUCATION
Elementary Education
Children were first taught at home, by their parents. If their family were rich they
may have had a teacher (pedagogue).
They were taught basic morals and skills . Girls were also taught at home.
At the age of 7 , rich children would receive a formal elementary education as
their parents could afford to hire a tutor or send them to school.
In their elementary education, Athenian children were taught:
 reading and writing
 counting
 drawing
 memorizing and reciting poetry (especially the poetry of Homer)
Poor children would be educated by their parents and learn whatever their
parents knew. They may not have been able to go to school because their
parents couldn't afford it and they would be needed at home.
Gymnasium
Having a fit body was important to Athenians (in fact all Greeks) . Athenians
would have a physical education from the age of 7 and eventually they
would begin training at the gymnasium. Athenians thought physical exercise
was important as a balance between physical and intellectual healthiness.
They also exercised to improve their appearance, prepare for war and have
good health in old age.
Secondary Education
When Athenian boys turned 14, they could have a secondary education, but
only if they came from a fairly wealthy family. The children that received a
secondary education were taught at permanent schools or by travelling
teachers.
They may have learnt about:
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Natural sciences (biology and chemistry)
The art of speaking and writing well (rhetoric)
Geometry (maths)
Astronomy (studying the stars)
Meteorology (study of the weather)
Music and dance were also very important to Athens
Athenians believed that an intellectual education was important. It was part of
being a balanced citizen of Athens: being fit in body and of mind.
Education was important to the Athenians and successful students would gain
the respect of people in Athens
If the child was from a poorer family, at 14 they would start to learn a trade and
be an apprentice.
Girls did not receive a secondary education. Generally they were married off in
their teens to older men. Their father chose who they would marry, and when
they were married they would be controlled by their husbands.
Equipment
When children needed to, they wrote on wooden boards covered with layers
of wax. They used a wooden pen called a stylus with a sharp end for writing
and a flat end for ‘rubbing out’. The wax was melted and reapplied from time
to time
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Military
At 18, all men were required to go to military school for two years. After that
period, they were free to pursue their own jobs.
Athens did not have a professional army (ie people whose job is being a
soldier) so when Athens needed an army, the men of the city would stop their
jobs and become soldiers.
There were different jobs in the army:
 Peltasts: soldiers that had slings which would fire stones at the enemy.
 Hoplites: the core of the army, heavily armed and armoured. Only
wealthy citizens were hoplites because they had to buy and maintain
their own weapons and armour.
 Cavalry : rode into battle on horses. Rich citizens were the cavalry
because they had to buy and maintain their own horses.
 Athens also had war ships in a navy.
Because it was not a professional army, Athenians had to buy and maintain
their own armour and weapons. This meant that a citizen’s role in the army was
dictated by how much money they had.
Women were not allowed to be in the army or fight in battles.
A Greek hoplite. These were the core
of the Athenian army. They were
heavily armoured with a large ox-hide
and wood shield (called a hoplon) a
leather cuirass , bronze greaves and a
bronze helmet
They would have also carried a spear
and a sword.
Ancient Greek cavalry were more
lightly armed than the foot-soldiers.
Peltasts were light armed and
armoured troops. They would carry
either a sling for firing stones at the
enemy or a number of short javelins.
They may have carried a light shield.
A reconstruction of a Greek trireme .
These war ships had sails, but largely relied on the three layers of rowers that
would propel the ship forward. They would attack other ships by trying to ram
them with bronze-clad ram. The decks would have also have been manned by
soldiers and peltasts.
Government :
Ancient Athens has become hugely famous for being the first democracy.
Which meant that it was ruled by the people.
demos = people
so Demos+kratia
Kratia = rule of
=
democracy
=
rule of the people
All decision and laws were voted on by the citizens of the Athens. The citizen
directly decided how their city was run. The Ecceslia was the name of the
place that the Athenians would go to vote on new laws or decrees. This was
also known as the Assembly.
Blissful democracy, not quite. Not everyone could vote, you could not vote if,
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You were a woman,
Under 20 ,
A slave,
A freed slave,
Did not have Athenian parents,
Were a foreigner .
In fact only 20% of Athenian could vote, still it is pretty amazing that they had
democracy two thousand years before Britain did!
Women were not allowed to vote and were not allowed attend votes.
Creating a new law or decree:
Because there was no ‘government’ like we have, individual people would
propose a new law or decree.
There would then be a debate in the assembly (Ecclesia) between the person
who proposed the law and another person who opposed it.
The whole assembly would then vote by placing a white stone (for ‘yes’) or a
black stone (for ‘no’) in a jar.
The Helialia – Greek Court
Athenian Justice
Cases in Athens were judged by a jury of Athenian citizens.
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They were chosen at random from a group of 6000 citizens
The size of the jury ranged from: 200 - 6000
There were no judges
The jury decided if they were guilty
The prosecution and defendant had to suggested their own punishments
Punishments included exile and death.
Women were not allowed to be jurors and could not vote in trials
Oskraka
Do you want to get rid of that annoying neighbour - Ostracism is the way forward.
Every year the citizens of Athens could vote to banish someone from Athens for 10 years.
The people of Athens would write the name of the person they wanted to banish on pieces
of broken pottery (called Ostraka ) and placed them in urns.
The Names would then be placed into piles, and the person with the most votes was
banished from the city for ten years.
Culture
Athens was considered one of the centres of culture, arts and education.
Legendary figures in Athens
Athena
According to a popular myth, Athena and Poseidon competed for the honour
of being the patron god of the city. The myth describes how the gods provided
gifts in order to gain the people’s favour. Poseidon hit the Acropolis rock (a
large hill in the middle of Athens) with his trident and from the wounded earth a
majestic horse arose as a gift to the citizens. The city however was named after
Athena, for she gave the gift of the olive tree.
The horse represented power, courage and war. The Olive tree represented
clear-thinking, serenity and peace
This is a reconstruction of the statue of
Athena that would have stood inside
the Parthenon in Athens.
At the festival of the Panthenaea, the
Athenians would present this statue
with a new ‘peplos’: a finely woven
shawl.
Theseus
The legendary hero was the son of Aegeas (the man who gave his name to the
Aegean sea), and he is credited with many deeds, most important of which is
the slaying of the Minotaur.
The Theatre
Athenians often went to the theatre to watch plays written by famous Athenian
playwrights as well as poetry recitals.
There were many religious festivals held in Athens
The Panathenaea was the most important festival in Athens and one of the
most impressive festivals in all of Greece. Everyone in the city (except slaves)
would take part in a large procession which ended at the great alter of Athena
on the Acropolis. Only Citizens were allowed to enter the Acropolis. It may have
been a time to celebrate Athena’s birth day.
The Dionysia was the second most important festival in Athens. It honoured the
god, Dionysia. As part of the festival, there were play competition where
playwrights would enter their new plays.
Philosophers and Scientists
Athenians were encouraged to be thinkers and many of the world’s most
famous philosophers were Athenian (Socrates, Plato and Xenophon). Athens
was also home to accomplished scientists and mathematicians like Euclid,
Archimedes and Pythagoras.
Architecture:
Athens was considered a beautiful city with many stunning buildings, including
the Parthenon which was a temple to Athena Pallas.
The Acropolis was a rocky hill in the middle of Athens. On its top the Athenians
built many temples including the Parthenon to Athena, temples to Poseidon
and shrines to other gods. The Acropolis was also a defensive position
surrounded by walls. It still stands today and was considered one of the
wonders of the ancient world.
Government:
Your focus is on how the Athenians ran their city and made decisions .
Some suggested areas of research:
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Who decided which laws where made?
What happened when somebody was brought to court?
How was responsible for deciding who was guilty?
Who could be a citizen of Athens?
What could citizens do?
Culture
Your focus is on the culture of Athens , this would include the following:
Leisure activities
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The theatre
Their religion
Festivals that happened in Athens
The Architecture of Athens
Art in Athens
Science and mathematics in Athens