1. Ancient Greeks
By Katy Grace Seager

2. Introduction
Ancient Greece formed the foundation of much of Western culture today. Science, mathematics, art, literature, and even sports were impacted by the Ancient Greeks.
Did you know?
That the Ancient greeks first started the Olympics. It was thought to have started in 776 BC.

3. Science & Greek Mythology:
All of the planets & most of the moons in the solar system are named after Greek mythological characters. The planets have been given Roman versions of the Greek names. Even our Earth was named after a Greek myth: Another name for our planet is Gaia, the name of the Greek mother.

4. Did the Greeks invent Government
In ancient Athens, citizens would gather together on a dusty hill called the Pynx. Here they would decide the city’s laws and who should sit on its ruling council. This was ‘democracy’ or ‘rule by the people’.
The Pnyx is a hill in central Athens. Beginning as early as 507 BC, the Athenians gathered on the Pnyx to host their popular assemblies, thus making the hill one of the earliest and most important sites in the creation of democracy.

5. The Parthenon
The magnificent temple on the Acropolis of Athens, known as the Parthenon, was built between 447 and 432 BC. It was dedicated to the city’s patron deity Athena. The temple was constructed to house the new cult statue of the goddess by Phidias and to proclaim to the world the success of Athens as leader of the coalition of Greek forces which had defeated the invading Persian armies of Darius and Xerxes. The temple would remain in use for more than a thousand years, and despite the ravages of time, explosions, looting, and pollution damage, it still dominates the modern city of Athens, a magnificent testimony to the glory and renown the city enjoyed throughout antiquity. 

6. What were Greek homes like?
Ancient Greek homes were built around a courtyard or garden. The walls were often made from wood and mud bricks. They had small windows with no glass, but wooden shutters to keep out the hot sun.They didn't have much furniture inside. People sat on wooden chairs or stools. Rich people decorated the walls and floors with colourful tiles and paintings.Many homes didn’t have a bathroom. There were public baths, but most people washed using a small bucket or in a nearby stream. Only rich women (with slaves to carry the water) enjoyed baths at home. Afterwards they rubbed their bodies with perfumed oil to keep their skin soft.At night, Greeks slept on beds stuffed with wool, feathers or dry grass. Most people went to bed as soon as it got dark. The only light came from flickering oil lamps and candles.

7. How did Greek ideas spread?
Even after 3,000 years, we're still using ancient Greek ideas in maths, science and art. Our alphabet is based on the Greek one. Check a dictionary and you’ll find hundreds of words that come from the Greek language.
How did Greek ideas spread so far? Its down to Alexander, the young king of Macedon. He led his army to take over Greece, Persia, Egypt and even part of India. He ruled so much of the world they called him ‘Alexander the Great’.
Wherever he went, Alexander took Greek ideas. When he died in 323BC, the Romans took over. They admired the Greeks' way of life and carried Greek ideas to even more countries including ours!Did you know that?

8. 6 facts you probably didn’t know about Greece
1. It’s believed the first Ancient Greek civilisations were formed nearly 4,000 years ago (approximately 1600 BC) by the mighty Mycenaeans of Crete (a Greek Island). The Ancient Greek Empire spread from Greece through Europe and, in 800 BC, the Greeks started to split their land into city-states, each with its own laws, customs and rulers.
2. The Greeks had some strange superstitions about food: some wouldn’t eat beans as they thought they contained the souls of the dead!
3. The Ancient Greeks had lots of stories to help them learn about their world. The gods featured heavily in these tales, and so did mythological monsters: like Cerberus, a three-headed dog that guarded the gates to the underworld; Medusa, a slithery sorceress whose look could turn people to stone; and the Cyclops who had one eye in the middle of its forehead. Yikes!
4. Events at the Greek’s Olympics included wrestling, boxing, long jump, javelin, discus and chariot racing. But those taking part in the wrestling event had to be the toughest, as there were hardly any rules.
5. Most Ancient Greeks wore a chiton, which was a long T-shirt made from one large piece of cotton. The poor slaves, however, had to make do with a loincloth (a small strip of cloth wrapped around the waist)!
6. The Greeks put statues of their gods inside temples, the most famous of which is the Parthenon. This temple in Athens was built for the goddess Athena, the protector of the city.

9. The Pandora's Box: Paragraph 1
Greek Myths
Created thousands of years ago, Greek myths often feature battles between heroic humans and terrible creatures to show the importance of bravery and intelligence.
The Pandora's Box: Paragraph 1
Once up a time, a long time ago, there were two brothers named Epimetheus and Prometheus. They were good gods. They had good hearts. They were good friends. One day, Prometheus got in trouble with Zeus. Angry over one thing or other, Zeus had declared that man did not deserve fire. Because he had a kind heart, and he knew how much man needed fire for food and warmth, Prometheus gave man the secret of fire even though Zeus had told all the gods not to do that. Zeus was furious that his order had been ignored. As punishment, Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock for many years. But that was not enough punishment, not for Zeus. Once Prometheus was chained to a rock, Zeus went after Prometheus' brother, the gentle, kind-hearted Epimetheus. Zeus never chained Epimetheus to a rock, he was too kind for that. Zeus had a more sneaky punishment in mind. First, Zeus ordered the gods’ handyman, the maker of things who was called Hephaestus to make Zeus a daughter. Hephaestus made a woman out of clay, she was a beautiful woman. He brought her to life, and then brought her to Zeus. Zeus named his lovely new daughter Pandora. Zeus knew that Epimetheus was lonely. Zeus told Epimetheus that his brother, Hephaestus, had to be punished and that's why he was chained to a rock, but he felt sorry that this punishment left Epimetheus without the company of his brother. That's why Zeus had decided to give Pandora in marriage to Epimetheus.

10. The Pandora’s Box: Paragraph 2
It was not the truth of course, but then nearly everyone in the ancient Greek world knew better than to believe the mighty Zeus. Epimetheus was kind-hearted, gentle and thoughtful, but he was no fool. He knew Zeus was up to something. But he loved Pandora at first sight. Zeus gave the newlyweds a gift. Some say it was a jar. Some say it was a box. Whatever it was, it was locked. It came with a note. The note said: "DO NOT OPEN." Attached to the note was a key. It was all very curious. You can guess what happened next. It was Pandora whose curiosity got the better of her. One day, she used the key to open the box. As she raised the lid, out flew all the bad things in the world today: envy, sickness, hate, disease. Pandora slammed the lid closed, but it was too late. Epimetheus heard her weeping. He came running. Pandora opened the lid to show him it was empty. Quickly, before she could slam the lid shut, one tiny bug flew out. He gave Pandora a big buggy smile in thanks for his freedom and flew away. That tiny Bug was named Hope. And Hope made all the difference in the world.

13. Thank you for reading