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.
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.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Ancient Greece was made up of many city-states (polises) like Athens, Sparta and Corinth.
- All the Greek polises spoke the same language and worshipped the same gods; they had a shared culture.
- Although all polises were different, they had some similarities such as the agora, a big marketplace.
- In each polis, a temple was built at the highest point of the city (the acropolis).
- Each polis also had a gymnasium for men to exercise in, and a theatre where plays were performed.
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
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.
To help you plan your year 4 history lesson on: The city-states of Ancient Greece, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 4 history lesson on: The city-states of Ancient Greece, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the Ancient Greek civilisation: what do we know about ancient Greece? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
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Adult supervision recommended
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Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
seafaring
militaristic
king of the gods
queen of the gods
son of Zeus and Hera
king of the underworld
goddess of the harvest
daughter of Demeter
Exit quiz
6 Questions
a temple built high on a hill in Athens
an area built high up overlooking the city
a place where goods were bought and sold
a place where men were allowed but women were not
what people did in temples in Ancient Greece