New
New
Year 4

The city-states of Ancient Greece

I can name some of the city-states of Ancient Greece and describe some of the similarities and differences between them.

New
New
Year 4

The city-states of Ancient Greece

I can name some of the city-states of Ancient Greece and describe some of the similarities and differences between them.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Ancient Greece was made up of many city-states (polises) like Athens, Sparta and Corinth.
  2. All the Greek polises spoke the same language and worshipped the same gods; they had a shared culture.
  3. Although all polises were different, they had some similarities such as the agora, a big marketplace.
  4. In each polis, a temple was built at the highest point of the city (the acropolis).
  5. Each polis also had a gymnasium for men to exercise in, and a theatre where plays were performed.

Common misconception

The city-states had only differences; they had nothing common with each other.

The biggest link between the city-states is that they were all part of Ancient Greece. They must have had similarities as well as differences because they were all part of the same ancient civilisation.

Keywords

  • City-state - a city-state is a city that rules itself and the land around it

  • Polis - a polis is the Ancient Greek word for a city-state

  • Culture - culture is the language, customs, ideas, and art of a particular group of people

  • Temple - a temple is a building where a god or gods are worshipped

Ask pupils to think about cities in the UK. What type of buildings can be found in most cities today? What do people do in them? Pupils could compare two UK cities and consider how they are similar and how they are different.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match each city-state to the type of society it is known for.
Correct Answer:Athens,seafaring

seafaring

Correct Answer:Sparta,militaristic

militaristic

Q2.
What are Greek myths?
three sisters from Ancient Greece
Correct answer: stories about Greek gods and goddessess
battles fought between city-states
places where men had debates
Q3.
Match the Ancient Greek gods and goddesses to the correct facts.
Correct Answer:Zeus,king of the gods

king of the gods

Correct Answer:Hera,queen of the gods

queen of the gods

Correct Answer:Ares,son of Zeus and Hera

son of Zeus and Hera

Correct Answer:Hades,king of the underworld

king of the underworld

Correct Answer:Demeter,goddess of the harvest

goddess of the harvest

Correct Answer:Persephone,daughter of Demeter

daughter of Demeter

Q4.
In Ancient Greek culture, where were the 12 most important gods and goddesses believed to live?
Athens
Correct answer: Mount Olympus
the underworld
Sparta
Q5.
In Ancient Greek culture, who made sure that destiny was fulfilled? The
Correct Answer: Fates, Moirai
Q6.
True or false? The underworld was an Ancient Greek city-state.
True
Correct answer: False

6 Questions

Q1.
In Ancient Greece, what was a polis?
Correct answer: a city-state
a marketplace
a person
a temple
Q2.
Which of these was a marketplace in Ancient Greece?
acropolis
gymnasium
Correct answer: agora
theatre
Q3.
In Ancient Greece, people were entertained by watching .
Correct Answer: plays
Q4.
Match the places to the descriptions.
Correct Answer:Parthenon,a temple built high on a hill in Athens

a temple built high on a hill in Athens

Correct Answer:acropolis,an area built high up overlooking the city

an area built high up overlooking the city

Correct Answer:agora,a place where goods were bought and sold

a place where goods were bought and sold

Correct Answer:gymnasium,a place where men were allowed but women were not

a place where men were allowed but women were not

Correct Answer:worship,what people did in temples in Ancient Greece

what people did in temples in Ancient Greece

Q5.
Which of these was the same in all the city-states of Ancient Greece?
Correct answer: language
Correct answer: culture
weather
landscape
Q6.
Complete the name of this Ancient Greek polis: C .
Correct Answer: Corinth

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