Ancient Greece

Archimedes and the Door of Science

Book cover: 'Archimedes and the Door of Science'
Author(s): 
Jeanne Bendick
Number of pages: 
142 pages
Copyright: 
1962
Publisher: 
Bethlehem Books
Binding: 
Sewn Softcover
Setting: 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
Archimedes, the reknowned ancient Greek Scientist and Mathematician, had an enormous impact on all science and math since his time. This is his story, simply and even humorously told. The reader is introduced to many important concepts discovered and used by Archimedes including the lever, the pulley and his famous discoveries involving water displacement. (Numerous black and white drawings aid immensely in understanding these concepts). I love books which take concepts that have been made over-complex by modern textbooks and show how they are simple enough to be understood by children. Particularly interesting is the chapter entitled "The War Machines of Archimedes" which relates the story of his defense of Sicily by the use of Science: machines which hurled stones at the enemy and carefully designed mirrors which reflected sunlight on the enemy ships so intensely that they caught fire.

Homeschoolers will appreciate Laura Berquist's helpful hints (in the introduction) for incorporating this book into your own curriculum. Keep in mind that this isn't just a Science book - it's an appropriate addition to the study of Ancient Greece and a Math Supplement as well. The complete index is useful for referring to particular topics
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1999

D'aulaire's Book of Greek Myths

Book cover: 'D'aulaire's Book of Greek Myths'
Author(s): 
Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire
Number of pages: 
192 pages
Copyright: 
1962
Publisher: 
Delacorte Books
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
This was first published in 1962 and is a wonderful book of Greek mythology. It tells the stories of the gods, goddesses, and heroes of Ancient Greece. Details of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are included, as well as the Argo, the Argonauts, and Jason's quest for the golden fleece. Some of the references of the legends are sparce and would need further references. (I would recommend Padric Colum's books, The Golden Fleece and The Children's Homer.) The book is highlighted with beautiful drawings, elaborate family trees, and a large map. More than half of these pictures are in colour-an added bonus.

You can purchase this paperback or hardcover book from most homeschool companies or better bookstores. Perhaps your local library would have a copy on it's shelves that you could borrow? It can be used for a variety of ages. Younger children would like it as a 'read aloud' and older students would enjoy it as an excellent introduction to greek mythology. All in all, it is a classic retelling of Greek myths and legends, and belongs on every homeschool bookshelf.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1999

Famous Men of Greece

Book cover: 'Famous Men of Greece'
Author(s): 
John Haaren
A.B. Poland
Rob Shearer (revisor)
Number of pages: 
146 pages
Copyright: 
1989
Publisher: 
Greenleaf Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Setting: 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
Like Famous Men of Rome, Famous Men of Greece introduces ancient history in the manner of Plutarch, by means of thirty-one short (4-5 page) biographies of the great men of Ancient Greece. It begins back at the point where history merges with legend, and ends with the fall of Greece to Rome in 146 B.C.

The introduction gives a brief description of the pantheon of mythical gods and goddesses of Greece. The book explains that this is how the Greek citizen of ancient times would have started with the historical record -- that though we call these stories "myths" now, they tell us something about how the people thought in those days. From there, the first nine chapters cover figures of legend -- where possible truth is mixed with make-believe. These stories are also important to Greek history, because they show what the Greeks valued in their heroes and the stories they learned and told to each other. Starting with Chapter X on Lycurgus the Spartan who lived in the 9th century B.C., we reach the actual historical record. The book advises the student to learn to discern between history, legend and myth in his reading and to ask himself "What things in this story could really have happened?"

My children, who use this book as a history spine in 4th grade, have all loved these tales of Greek heroes and statesmen. In addition to showing the continuum between legend and historical records, these books provide what to me is of first importance: lessons in evaluating people and events through an ethical, Christian perspective. History learned by stories is more easily remembered for children grades 3 to 7 than lists of facts and details to memorize for tests. Also, this is the way the ancients themselves learned and wrote history; showing the importance of their values through the lives of their good and their bad leaders.

Additional notes: 

Copyrights 1904/1989

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
9-2-04

Greenleaf Guide to Famous Men of Greece

Book cover: 'Greenleaf Guide to Famous Men of Greece'
Author(s): 
Cynthia Shearer
Number of pages: 
62 pages
Copyright: 
1989
Publisher: 
Greenleaf Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Setting: 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
The Guide to Famous Men of Greece is an optional supplement for the book. It includes, for each lesson, a vocabulary list and several discussion questions designed to bring out the key points of each life through a Christian (biblical) perspective. The discussion questions are excellent narration starters and really do help bring out the theme that "individual people and their actions have a significant effect on history". There are some ideas for simple hands-on projects (the first lesson involves making a salt relief map of the country in question, to get an idea of how geographical circumstances affect history). There are also suggestions for supplementary reading. I must say their book choices are quite wonderful and that all the books we acquired on Greenleaf's recommendation for ancient history have been treasures. There is also a timeline at the back which is helpful in unifying the various biographies.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
9-2-04

Herodotus and the Road to History

Author(s): 
Jeanne Bendick
Number of pages: 
80 pages
Copyright: 
2009
Publisher: 
Bethlehem Books
Subject(s): 
Setting: 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
This is a brief, engaging and heavily illustrated biography of the world's first historian. Herodotus lived in the Greek city of Halicarnassus in the Persian empire during the 5th century BC. His situation and personality put him an ideal place to tell the fascinating stories of the Persian Wars (think Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis) and to travel extensively and collect stories from all over. His original writings are a fascinating read for upper high school or college. This is unique in that it shares the basic history of his own life, told in first person narrative. It gives a fascinating glimpse into the world he lived in as well as touching upon major events and characters that he wrote about. It's the perfect companion to a children's edition of the stories of Herodotus. Our family read it immediately after finishing Stories from Herodotus by Glanville Downey (which is sadly out of print, but may be available from your local library), which made it even more relevant and interesting. Suitable for independent reading ages 10 and up, or for a read aloud to younger children.
Additional notes: 

Donated for review by Bethlehem Books.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
10-21-2009

History Links: Unit Six – Ancient Greece

Unit Studies for Catholic Families.
Author(s): 
Jennifer Alles
Barbara Little
Kim Staggenborg
Number of pages: 
83 pages
Copyright: 
1998
Publisher: 
Wooly Lamb Publishing
Binding: 
Comb-bound
Subject(s): 
Setting: 
Grade / Age level: 
Resource Type: 
Review: 
Unit Studies, or integrated curriculum, present a wonderful opportunity to study one topic in depth while taking side-trips to study related topics. The History Links units have been prepared to help Catholic families study a broad range of subjects, over all grade levels, organized by historical time period, from a Catholic point of view. That doesn't sound too easy to do, but the authors have made it so.

This unit on Ancient Greece is not a structured, day-to-day lesson plan. Rather, it is organized to guide you to develop your own daily plans and longer term assignments. The book begins with traditional Catholic prayers and patriotic hymns derived from Greek that can be learned during the unit and used for memorization, dictation, copywork or spelling. Next is a lengthy list of topics that will be studied and a listing of specific books, church documents, videos, and internet sites. These lists will help you to gather materials for your students to use during the study of Ancient Greece. The "preparation" section ends with vocabulary and spelling lists and a timeline.

The bulk of the unit is organized in outline style, with many, many suggestions of things to do as you explore Ancient Greece. Each of the topic headings and activity suggestions includes background teaching information, which I think is one of the best features of the program. The activity suggestions are coded with an age recommendation and a subject classification. For example, some activities are best-suited for preschoolers or elementary students, while others are best for middle school students or high school students. Each page also includes ideas for including babies and toddlers in the activities! Main subjects covered include religion, language arts, literature, research skills, critical thinking, and geography. Some suggestions also include study in foreign language, math, science, citizenship, architecture, art, crafts, drama, music, and physical education.

The authors recommend spending approximately 2 months on this unit, but there are so many things to do that you could easily spend much longer on this time period. I think that these courses are wonderful all by themselves, but they would also be very useful as a supplement. If you are enrolled with a formal curriculum such as that of Kolbe Academy or the Angelicum Academy, you could use History Links to add some fun projects and a Catholic perspective to the courses. History Links really are family-centered education, making learning fun and memorable.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1999

Stories from Herodotus

Panorama of Events and Peoples of the Ancient World
Author(s): 
Glanville Downey
Illustrator(s): 
Enrico Arno
Number of pages: 
158 pages
Copyright: 
1965
Publisher: 
E.P. Dutton Co.
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
Setting: 
Grade / Age level: 
Resource Type: 
Review: 
This young people's version of some of the most famous stories from Herodotus focuses primarily on the Persian Wars - most notably the battles of Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis. This is a very accessible volume for young people (and makes a great read-aloud) collecting many of the most interesting stories from Herodotus and presenting them in a suitable format for children (some of the content in the unabridged Herodotus have mature themes). The stories provide a nice overview of the Persian Wars, a backdrop of Greek stories to get a fuller sense of the culture and make great tales in-and-of themselves; filled with thoughtful ideas, strange characters and good discussion material.

The book is llustrated with charming black and white figures modeled after images on Greek pottery.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
6-1-05

The Children's Homer

The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy
Book cover: 'The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy'
Author(s): 
Padraic Colum
Number of pages: 
256 pages
Copyright: 
1918
Publisher: 
Aladdin Books
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Setting: 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
The Children's Homer is an epic adventure about the Trojan War and the homecoming of Odysseus. The two famous tales, The Iliad and The Odyssey, were originally written by Homer, a renowned poet in Ancient Greece. Mr. Colum retells these stories for us. My family used this book as a read-aloud, and enjoyed it immensely. We were all thrilled by the gripping stories and the detailed pictures. It's an excellent book to use when studing Anciect Greece. I would give it five *****rating.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1999

The Genealogy of Greek Mythology

Book cover: 'The Genealogy of Greek Mythology'
Author(s): 
Vanessa James
Number of pages: 
107 pages
Copyright: 
2003
Publisher: 
Gotham Books (a division of Penguin)
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
Additional notes: 
double-sided fold-out chart with slipcase - over 17 feet long!
Donated for review by Penguin-Putnam
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
3-17-04

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