Frieze of Royal Archers from the Palace of the Persian King Darius the Great at Susa
{photo by Frans Vandewalle on flickr / CC BY-NC 2.0}
Time for our mix-ins for the week. Those ancient Greeks took part in so many wars! In this post, we will take a look at the Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War. Given that this week’s topic is war, please preview the following videos and links to be sure you’re okay with your kiddos using them. We always try to do our best to preview and make good selections, but we don’t always catch everything, so please monitor these for your own family’s needs:
VIDEOS:
Battle of Marathon – A nice overview, from Encyclopaedia Britannica. (Click on the Play button.)
The Persian Wars in 5 Minutes – Just what it sounds like:
Battle of Thermopylae – The dramatic story of this famous battle of the Persian Wars:
Decisive Battles – Marathon – This television series from the History channel uses video game technology to illustrate ancient battles:
Decisive Battles – Thermopylae – Here’s another one:
Horrible Histories – Battle of Marathon – These brits are pretty silly, but kids might enjoy their humorous history-based skits (after they know the real story!):
LEGO Peloponnesian War – These are always fun to look at:
Peloponnesian War and Thucydides – The story of the Peloponnesian War as told by historian Thucydides:
Ancient Greeks: Spartan Invasion – A History channel documentary.
WEBSITES:
Ancient Greeks: Greeks at War – The older BBC website for kids, with photos, fun facts, and activities.
Ancient Greeks: Sea and Ships – Here’s another relevant section of the BBC website above.
The Ancient Greeks at War – A newer BBC website, with info about Ancient Greek soldiers and wars.
Q&A on the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars
Interactive map of the Persian Empire
Battle of Marathon – This page features a google map you can zoom in on, as well as other photos and pictures about the battle of Marathon.
Warfare in Ancient Greece – View artifacts such as a bronze helmet, body armor, and vases, and find out more about warfare in ancient Greece. (Click on the picture to begin.)
Relief of Persian and Median Guards – View a relief depicting guards in Persian and Median dress bearing shields and arms.
Silver decadrachm of Syracuse – View a coin issued to commemorate victory over Athens in the Peloponnesian War.
How to build a catapult with craft sticks – Includes a video with instructions.
