1 Topic 7 The Legacies of Greece and Rome Teaching flow Objectives KnowledgeTo acquire the basic knowledge of the achievements of ancient Greece and Rome To know the legacies of ancient Greece and Rome persist to the present day SkillsTo build concept: ‘continuity’ and ‘legacy’ in the studying of history To find out ‘similarities’ and ‘differences’ AttitudeTo appreciate the contributions of the ancestors and predecessors To respect the different cultures ItemsFormatTeaching ObjectivesContent1Question to ponderA question and brief introductionLet students have a clear learning focusWhat are the legacies of Greece and Rome?2To know moreBasic informationTo introduce some famous people of ancient Greece and RomeDescription of some important people of ancient Greece and Rome 3Task 1Data based questionsTo help students understand the original meanings of some English Words from Roman civilizationMeaning of English words like ‘October’, ‘December’, ‘July’ and ‘August’, which come from Roman civilization4Task 2Data based questionsTo help students find out continuity and changes of the Greek and Roman religious beliefsAppearance, number and functions of gods in the eyes of Greeks and Romans and people today5Task 3Data based questionsTo help students understand the influences of the Greek and Roman cultureInfluences of the Greek and Roman culture in the areas of Olympic Games and architectural styles6Extended activityPowerpoint presentationTo encourage students to learn other legacies of ancient Greece and RomeOther legacies of ancient Greece and Rome which are not covered in the chapter7Conclusion Summary chart To consolidate what students have learntSummary of main legacies of ancient Greece and Rome covered in this unit
Transcript
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Topic 7 The Legacies of Greece and Rome
Teaching flow
Objectives
KnowledgeTo acquire the basic knowledge of the achievements of ancient Greece and RomeTo know the legacies of ancient Greece and Rome persist to the present day SkillsTo build concept: ‘continuity’ and ‘legacy’ in the studying of history
To find out ‘similarities’ and ‘differences’ AttitudeTo appreciate the contributions of the ancestors and predecessorsTo respect the different cultures
ItemsFormatTeaching ObjectivesContent1Question to ponderA question and brief introductionLet students have a clear learning focusWhat are the legacies of Greece and Rome?2To know moreBasic informationTo introduce some famous people of ancient Greece and RomeDescription of some important people of ancient Greece and Rome 3Task 1Data based questionsTo help students understand the original meanings of some English Words from Roman civilizationMeaning of English words like ‘October’, ‘December’, ‘July’ and ‘August’, which come from Roman civilization4Task 2Data based questionsTo help students find out continuity and changes of the Greek and Roman religious beliefsAppearance, number and functions of gods in the eyes of Greeks and Romans and people today5Task 3Data based questionsTo help students understand the influences of the Greek and Roman cultureInfluences of the Greek and Roman culture in the areas of Olympic Games and architectural styles6Extended activityPowerpoint presentationTo encourage students to learn other legacies of ancient Greece and RomeOther legacies of ancient Greece and Rome which are not covered in the chapter7Conclusion Summary chart To consolidate what students have learntSummary of main legacies of ancient Greece and Rome covered in this unit
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Question to ponder
What are the legacies of Greece and Rome?
To know more
Some famous people of ancient Greece and RomeDescriptionAugustus CaesarThe first emperor of the Roman EmpireMark AntonyMarried Cleopatra, the Queen of EgyptJulius CaesarIntroduced Julian calendarSocratesA great Greek philosopherHerodotusFather of HistoryPythagorasA great Greek mathematician
Task 1: Between Latin and English-Origin of some common English words
Could we find the original meanings of some English Words from Roman civilization from sources A to C?
Source A
Octo and Deca
Words like octo- and deca- come from Latin, the language of Rome. Latin is different from Greek. The English language has borrowed heavily from both these two classical languages. Just as English borrowed Latin words when it accepted the Roman calendar, it borrowed Greek words when it adopted Greek teachingSource B
July and August
Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar were great ancient Roman leaders. As Julius Caesar was born in the 7th month of the Julian calendar, that month was named ‘Julius’ by Augustus to honor Julius Caesar. The Romans also named the month of August after Augustus. These names became July and August in English.
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Topic 7 The legacies of Greece and Rome
Source C
Greek and Roman words in English
We have been using Roman and Greek words without realizing, for example, sophia = wisdom; philo = love; philosophy = love of wisdom; geo = earth; metria = to measure; geometry = measuring the earth, that is, the mathematics for measuring; -logy comes from “logus”, which means “word”; geology, therefore, is talking about the earth, biology is talking about life, etc. The ancient Greek philosophers were interested in understanding the universe. In this sense, they were also scientists. The word “science”, however, is Roman. In Latin, it simply means “to know”.
Nowadays we usually talk about ‘democracy’. The word was formed from two Greek words ‘dêmos’, which refers to ‘people’ and ‘krátos’, which meant ‘government. So the word means people’s government. This is also the idea of the city-states of Greece.
According to the writer as shown in Source A, which two languages does English borrow from?
Suggested answer: Greek and Latin
With reference to Source B, could you tell us how the months are affected by Roman civilization?
Suggested answer: MonthRomeJulyThe name of Roman emperor, Julius CaesarAugustThe name of Roman emperor, Augustus CaesarWith reference to Source C, fill in the blanks as shown in the following table:
Suggested answer:English wordsMeaningSophiaWisdomPhilosophyLove of wisdomDemocracy Power of peopleBiologyTalking about lifeGeologyTalking about the earthSociology Talking about the SocietyScienceTo know
4 Source E is a description of the Greek beliefs
It could be that the Greeks wanted to say something about human beings, so much so that when they talked about their gods, even gods were very human-like. For example, they could be both good and evil at the same time.Source F is about Greek and Roman gods
The Roman gods were similar to the Greek gods. It is usually the case that different gods are given different functions as follows:
GodsGreek NameRoman Name
Ruler of GodsZeusJupiter
God of WarAresMars
Goddess of WisdomAthenaMinerva
Goddess of LoveAphroditeVenus
However, religious beliefs in ancient changed greatly since 2nd century AD Christianity was becoming increasingly important. It taught that a single God was the creator and law-giver. When the Roman emperor also embraced this religion, from the time of Constantine (who built Constantinople), the empire and religion under a single God were merged. There was one god in heaven, and one emperor on earth, his representative.
Source: photos provided by Ms Joan Cheng
Task 2 Religion-Human-like or not? One god or many gods?
Are there any changes of the Greek and Roman religious beliefs?
Source D shows the statue of god in Athens in the 1st century(left) and the statue of the ancient Egyptian god in 1480BC. (right)
Some people say that the gods in Greek times are more human-like than those of the previous times. Do you agree? Cite evidence from Sources D and E to support your answer.
Suggested answer: I agree. The appearance of statues in the Greek time looks most human-like than those of the previous times. Moreover, when the Greeks talked about their gods, even gods were very human-like as gods could be both good and evil at the same time.
Could you tell us one similarity and one difference in religion between Greek and Roman times? Find out the answer from Source F.
Suggested answers:Similarity: Both believed in god.Difference: In Greek time, people believed that there were many gods, but in late Roman time, they believed in one single god.
Do you find that Christianity in ancient Rome is still similar to that at present?Suggested answers:
Similarity: Christians still believe that there is only one god in Heaven.Difference: Christians in the past believed the emperor on earth represented the god. Nowadays the Christians do not believe that any more.
Task 3: Culture heritage-Greece and Rome-A symbol of civilization?
Do you agree that the culture of Greece and Rome still influence the world today?
Source G is about the impact of the Roman Empire.
The Roman Empire lasted for so long and embodied so much of Europe that for many years afterwards, it remained a symbol of civilization. Especially after the fifteenth century, it was looked upon as being much more civilized than the period that came after, known as the Dark or Middle Ages. It became a symbol of Western civilization.
Source H It is a cartoon video about ancient Olympic Games as shown in http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Olympic-Games/Ancient-Olympic-Games/
Topic 7 The legacies of Greece and Rome
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Extended activity:
Powerpoint presentation: Are there any other legacies of ancient Greece and Rome?
Instruction:Form a group of four to fiveChoose ONE legacy of ancient Greece or Rome which is not covered in this chapterMake a Powerpoint to show the details of the legacy you chose.Include key points and relevant photos/pictures in the PowerpointPresent the Powerpoint to your class in 5 minutes
According to Source G, why do we say the Roman Empire remained a symbol of civilization?
Suggested answer: The Roman Empire lasted for so long and embodied so much of Europe for many years afterwards.
2. Do you agree that the culture of Greece and Rome still influence the world today? Explain your answer with reference to Sources H and I, and using your own knowledge. Suggested answer: Source H: Olympic Games, which came from ancient Greece, is still an
important sports event in the whole world today.Source I: The former Legislative Council building in Central District
shows the Greek and Roman architectural styles. These two examples show that the ancient Greek and Roman culture still influence civilization nowadays. Other examples include numbers, words, calendar and so on.
Summary chart
The Roman Empire learnt a great deal from the Greeks, and, as the empire expanded,
Greek and Roman ideas and practices spread to many parts of Europe. For example, they
made an impact on the calendar, European words, ideas about knowledge, religion and
architecture. These influences are still with us today.
