Context Knowledge OVERVIEW Year Group: 4 City-state Term: Spring Text: Iliad/Odyssey Author: Homer/Gillian Cross Geographical Focus Greece was made up of individual city-states that were each run like their own country. They each had their own king, army and laws. Across Greece these city-states shared languages, religion and some customs. Religious Practices The Ancient Greeks believe in many different gods, each of them was in charge of a different aspect of life. 12 Olympian Gods (lived on Mount Olympus) Zeus Poseidon Hera Demeter Hestia king of the gods, lightning, thunder seas, earthquakes, horses, storms at sea Marriage, wife of Zeus seasons, harvest, crops hearth Getting to Troy United citystates Walls of Troy Warfare Trojan War: Approximately 1200 BCE The Greeks sailed to Troy from their different city-states. They camped on the beaches once they arrived The Trojan War was important because it was the first time all the Greek cities states joined together as one country. The Trojan War went on for such a long time because Troy had very strong, high walls. Key city states Mycenae, Sparta, Thessaly, Ithaca, Argos, Salamis, Pylos, Athens. Ares Athena war wisdom, battle strategy Honour Fighting for you city-state was the best way to demonstrate your honour. Troy (not part of Greece, but am important city-state on the other side of the Aegean sea) Seas Aegean Sea (between Greece and Troy) Mediterranean Sea (on the other side of Greece) Sea of Crete (below Greece) Transport Sea travel was very important because Greece was made up of lots of Islands. Hades lived in and ruled over the underworld Lesser Gods Apollo Artemis Aphrodite Hephaestus Hermes Hades* medicine, music, poetry, sun hunting, archery, moon love and beauty metal and metalwork messenger Underworld and death Thetis, Iris, Persephone, Dionysus, Eris, Eros Men Women Culture and Customs Expected to train in the army. Worked and had a say in how the city-state was run. Not allowed to work, stayed at home to look after children and the house, cooked and made embroidered cloth. Not allowed to leave the house alone. Authorial Focus Demigods Temples Sacrifice Afterlife Humans who have a god/goddess as a parent; half gods. They usually have something that makes them special or stand out and they often become heroes. The place where Greeks went to worship, usually built to honour a specific god. Killing an animal as an offering or gift to a god. The Greeks believed once you died your soul went to the underworld. If you were heroic you went to the Fields of Elysium. If you were ordinary you went to the Asphodel Meadows. Honour Xenia (Hospitality) Sport Myths & Storytelling Acting with courage and loyalty. All Greeks were expected to be honourable. Treating all guests well even if you didn t know/like them; feed, clothe & offer a bed. Sport was used as a way to show how heroic, honourable and strong a man was. Sporting contests were very popular. Myths are stories told to explain the world around you. Stories were told as a way of sharing beliefs, customs and history. Author Homer c. 1200 BCE Archaic Period Epic poet born somewhere between 12 th 8 th The Trojan War century BCE. 900 479 BCE First person to write down the well-known stories of the Trojan War around 3000 years ago. Late Bronze Age 1200 500 BCE Classical Period 500 300 BCE The Ancient Greeks 900 BCE 146 BCE Hellenistic Period 300 146 BCE 146 BCE Rome conquers Greece BCE 0 CE Ancient Roman Empire 146 BCE 400 CE
What is a citystate? Geography It was made up of lots of citystates. Who was the king of the gods? Religious Practices Zeus was the king of the gods. What is a myth? Customs A myth is a story told to help you understand the world around you. Name three Greek city-states In what ways was a city-state like a country? What did city-states share? How did people move around Ancient Greece? Mycenae, Sparta, Thessaly, Ithaca, Argos, Salamis, Pylos, Athens. Each city state had its own king, army and laws. City States shared the same language, religion and some customs. The Ancient Greeks mainly used boats to get around the sea. Warfare Name the 12/13 Olympians. Who was the god/goddess of love? Who would you pray to if you were going into battle? What is the purpose of a temple? What is a sacrifice? Where would Achilles or Hector hope to go after death? Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Ares, Athene, Hephaestus, Hermes and Hades. Aphrodite was the goddess of love. You would pray to Ares, or possible Athene, for a good outcome in battle. A temple is where the Ancient Greeks go to worship a specific god. An animal that is killed as a gift to the god. A hero would hope to go to The Elysian Fields. How and why did the Ancient Greeks tell stories? If a stranger turned up at your door, what would you have to do? What was this custom called? Why was sport so important to the Ancient Greeks? The Ancient Greeks told stories orally to entertain each other, as well as pass on customs and history. If a stranger turned up at your door you would have to feed and clothe them and offer them a bed. This custom is called Xenia. Sport so important to the Ancient Greeks because it was a way to show how strong and heroic you were and to celebrate the gods. How did the Greeks get to Troy? When did the Trojan War happen? The Greeks sailed to Troy from their individual city-states. The Trojan War happened around 1200 BCE. Who first wrote down the Iliad and the Odyssey? Author Homer What is honour? Honour is behaving in a way that shows you have courage and are loyal. Why was Troy so difficult to conquer? Troy was difficult to conquer because its walls were incredibly high and strong. When did he write it down? He wrote it around 3000 years ago. Why was the Trojan War so important for the Greeks? The Trojan was the first important because it was the first time all the Greek city-states joined together as one country. What type of text did her write? He wrote epic poems.
THE ILIAD HOMER/GILLIAN CROSS Hook Closure Setting Problem/Dilemma Characters Greeks Trojans Gods Genre Theme Plot Type Narrative Viewpoint Narrative Conflict Viewpoint of the author Mood Tone Structure and Grammar Types of Sentences Punctuation Rhetoric Features A golden apple sparks war between gods and men Achilles returns to the fight, spelling the end of Troy The beaches of Troy, a city-state in Ancient Greece off the coast of Turkey Achilles, the mighty warrior, refuses to fight Menelaus, Agamemnon, Achilles, (Patroclus, Odysseus) Hector, Paris, (Helen, Priam) Zeus, Aphrodite, Athene, Hera, Apollo, Poseidon, Thetis Story Type Paraphrased epic poem War, beauty, honour Quest/ tragedy Narrative Third person Man Vs. Man & Man Vs. Supernatural Omniscient narration Serious, tense Honour will be rewarded Language and Structure Short sentences, episodic chapters, fronted adverbials Mainly simple and compound sentences and dialogue Exclamation marks, semi-colons, inverted commas Similes, foreshadowing, anthropomorphism, metaphor, pathos, repetition, lists, pathetic fallacy An epithet is a descriptive phrase used as a nickname for certain characters, they were used by oral storytellers to help them remember important things about characters and quickly remind the listener about that character s personality. Examples: Quick-witted Odysseus, Noble Ajax, Hector, Tamer of Horses, Might Achilles
THE ILIAD HOMER/GILLIAN CROSS What are the main settings of the Iliad? Who are the main characters? What genre is the book? What are the main themes of the book? What plot type is the book? What narrative conflict does the book follow? What is the mood of the book? What is the author s viewpoint? What epithets are used to describe the characters? Why does the author employ these? Quiz The beaches outside Troy Greeks: Menelaus, Agamemnon, Achilles, (Patroclus, Odysseus) Trojans: Hector, Paris, (Helen, Priam) Gods: Zeus, Aphrodite, Athene, Hera, Apollo, Poseidon, Thetis Epic poem (paraphrased) War, beauty, honour, Tragedy Man vs. Man & Man Vs. Supernatural Serious, tense Honour will be rewarded Quick-witted Odysseus, Noble Ajax, Hector, Tamer of Horses, Might Achilles To remind the reader or listener of the character s traits
THE ODYSSEY HOMER/GILLIAN CROSS Hook Closure Setting Problem/Dilemma Characters Humans Gods Genre Theme Plot Type Narrative Viewpoint Narrative Conflict Viewpoint of the author Mood Tone Structure and Grammar Types of Sentences Punctuation Rhetoric Features Odysseus must go to war and leave Penelope and Telemachus Odysseus finally returns home to Penelope and Telemachus Troy, at sea, Ithaca Odyseesu Journey: City of Cicones, Island of the Lotus Eaters, Island of Cyclops, Island of Aeolus, Land of the Laestrygonians, Circe s Island, Underworld, Land of the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, Helios Island, Calypsos Island, Lond of the Phaeacians Odysseus cannot return home Odysseus, Penelope, Telemachus Athene and Poseidon Story Type Paraphrased epic poem Homecoming; honour Voyage and return Narrative Third person Man Vs. nature & Man Vs. supernatural Omniscient narration Tense Honour and perseverance will be rewarded Language and Structure Episodic chapters, fronted adverbials Short sentences, sentences with subordinating clauses and dialogue Exclamation marks, semi-colons, inverted commas Similes, foreshadowing, anthropomorphism, metaphors, pathos, repetition, lists, pathetic fallacy An epithet is a descriptive phrase used as a nickname for certain characters, they were used by oral storytellers to help them remember important things about characters and quickly remind the listener about that character s personality. Examples: Quick-witted Odysseus, Faithful Penelope
THE ODYSSEY HOMER/GILLIAN CROSS What are the main settings of The Odyssey? Who are the main characters? What genre is the book? What are the main themes of the book? What plot type is the book? What narrative conflict does the book follow? What is the mood of the book? What is the author s viewpoint? What epithets are used to describe the characters? Why does the author employ these? Quiz Ithaca; at sea; various Greek islands Humans: Odysseus, Penelope, Telemachus Gods: Athene, Poseidon Epic poem (paraphrased) Homecoming; honour Voyage and return Man Vs. nature & Man Vs. supernatural Tense Honour and perseverance will be rewarded Quick-witted Odysseus, Faithful Penelope To remind the reader of the character s traits