Classical Civilisation GCSE Resources
AIE resources illustrate the relevance of ancient Athenian inscriptions, especially those of the classical period (the fifth and fourth centuries BC, c. 500-300 BC), to pre-18 education in the UK and beyond. They aim to support teachers who wish to introduce inscriptions into their teaching as a way of captivating their students’ imagination and fostering enthusiasm for the ancient Greek world.
These resources, consisting of teachers’ notes and slides for classes, underline the textual and visual potential of inscriptions for those engaged with learning about ancient Greek history and civilisation. The idea of an inscription being carved and read “in real life” is a way of fostering the curiosity of students about the past. Accordingly, through inscriptions, learners benefit from the bringing to life of the ancient world, perhaps in a way that helps it seem less abstract and initially less complicated. At the same time, they hope that introducing students at pre-18 level to inscriptions will encourage them to explore ancient source material of their own accord, and will help them to ‘bridge the gap’ into University study if they chose to pursue it. In their Introduction to AIE for Teachers resource you will find more ideas about using inscriptions in the classroom. They also offer a set of slides which introduce learners of all ages to Greek inscriptions: see Introduction to ancient Athenian inscriptions.
History Association: an Introduction to Ancient Greek Religion Podcasts + accompanying scheme of work - provides an introduction to some of the key rituals of Ancient Greek religion. The podcasts are for advanced KS2, and KS3 students; Year 13 students (ancient languages) have also successfully used them for background, and they may be helpful in preparation for OCR A Level Classical Civilisation (H408/31) Greek Religion. The scheme of work is aimed at advanced KS2, and KS3 students.
The podcasts are narrated by Simon Brown and written by: Hugh Bowden (King’s College, London), Felix Budelmann (University of Oxford), Esther Eidinow (University of Bristol), Olympia Panagiotidou (University of Thessaloniki), Robert Parker (University of Oxford), and Yulia Ustinova (Ben Gurion University, Israel).
Romans in focus is a series of free five-minute videos that take a closer look at what life was really like under the Roman empire, from displays of power under Augustus, to identity and life as a soldier stationed in northern Britain. Each of the eight topics aims to explore and examine those who were often invisible in Latin literature, and to challenge and debate some of our most common misconceptions about these people and their lives.
Laura Jenkinson-Brown (creator of Greek Myth Comix) has put together these great resources for Classical Civilisation GCSE, including special sections of World of the Hero and Greek Religion. Check out her website for more information and links to other great teaching stuff.