"Journey to Ancient Greece"

The Muse Program: Ancient Athens

Our class went to the University of Alberta to look at old artifacts from Athens, Egypt, Israel, and the Roman Empire General. There were mainly pottery, vases, arrowheads, and Roman coins. We also got to look at them closely and examine pottery from Israel during the Roman Empire, dating back to over three thousand years ago.

Fun Fact: Romans lined all of their wine-making vases with lead.

We made "Powerful Research Questions" out of "Wonder Questions" about pottery made from Athens. Here are some of the "Wonder Questions" our class had and the "Powerful Research Questions" we developed from the "Wonder Questions":
-How did they make the dye? ->
How did they color it with their limited resources since they were isolated?
-What is this artifact used for? ->
Why would they make it like that?
-Why did they choose to paint it black? ->
How important is it that they painted it black; does it have a meaning; what meaning?
-What was it used for? ->
What status of people used it and what did they use it for?
-What was it used for? ->
How does this artifact relate to the roll women played in society?
-What was it used for? ->
How important was the material it was made of?
-What was it? - >
Who used it, what was it for, and which class of people made it?
-Is it supposed to look like something? ->
Does black and white represent a feeling or say something about Ancient Athens?
-I wonder who made it? ->
How important was role of the person who made this artifact in society, because he made useful things?
-I wonder how old it is? ->
What does its age represent?
-I wonder if they used it for holy water? ->
Did they used it for rituals and normal pottery and how?
-What was the original design? ->
What did the design represent and why put it on a jug?
-How old is it? ->
What time period was it made in, and what important person could have owned it?
-How old was it? ->
How long did they use it, how many times did they use it, how long ago was it made, and how long did it take to make?
-How old is it? ->
What was happening in Greece when it was made?


Our class looked at a collection of artifacts, including ancient coins and vases from the Roman Empire...




We were also able to take a closer look at some artifacts from Israel dating back to more than three thousand years ago...

We were amazed at how long these artifacts survived, and especially how some were still perfectly intact.

By: B & L

Some of the Things We Did...

-There was a discussion about ancient vases in an art studio. We made "wonder" questions about a vase we chose to focus on.

-The class broke into two groups... While one got to look at different artifacts up-close and took magnifying glasses and measured them, the other had a scavenger hunt for ancient artifacts in the museum. Each group had a chance to do both activities.

Some Interesting Things We Learned...

-There was a bust with the head of a man, the bodice of a woman, and a newly manufactured neck. The person sold it altogether to increase market value.

-Athena is Athen's patron goddess.

-In Greek mythology, Athena gave Athens olive trees to ward off Poseidon.

R & K