Advice for teachers -
Classical Studies

Unit 1 – Area of Study 3: Myths in classical cultures

Outcome 3

Analyse the representation and function of myths in ancient Greece and/or ancient Roman culture.

Examples of learning activities

• Conduct a detailed study of classical works, exploring myths such as epic poetry, tragedy, sculpture, mosaics or vase painting. Examine and analyse the sociohistorical context, the features of the form, and the ideas and techniques used. Consider Homer’s Iliad or Odyssey, Virgil’s Aeneid, Euripides’s Trojan Women, Sophocles’s Oedipus the King, Aeschylus’s Agamemnon, Seneca’s Thyestes, Ovid’s Metamorphoses or examples of myths depicted in Greek and Roman sculpture.
• After reading, annotating and investigating written works, analyse selected extracts and answer questions exploring the ideas, techniques, form and sociohistorical context of the work in relation to the myth studied.
• Compare a series of images of sculptures depicting aspects of myths (such as Roman emperors in mosaics) and explore their artistic and stylistic development, linking this to the sociohistorical context of the works.
• Investigate the cult of Dionysus as it is represented in Euripides’s play The Bacchae to examine the representation and function of myths in ancient Greece and/or Rome.
• 
  Consider the role of the hero in society through a study of the Trojan War myths in Homer’s archaic work The Odyssey and Sophocles’s classical work Ajax.
• Examine the representation of Hercules/Heracles on the temple of Zeus or on a vase painting. Study the myth and consider the connections between its popularity and its sociohistorical context/s.
• Examine the Parthenon Frieze and research the representation of the Athena and Poseidon myth on the Pediments, or the procession of the Panathenaia. Investigate the techniques used to create this work and examine the values and ideas it portrays.
• Use sections of Herodotus’s Histories to explore the role of oracles, omens, dreams and divine intervention in the lives of the ancient Greeks.
• Explore the development of vase painting in ancient Greece or Southern Italy. Investigate the types of pottery created and styles of vase painting. Research ways in which vases were made and the purpose that they served.
• Describe mythical and legendary figures as depicted on oriental-style, black and red figure vases. Focus on the use of myths in these illustrations to demonstrate the heroic ideal of the era. Analyse the ideas and values that these images convey.
• Visit the National Gallery of Victoria, the Hellenic Museum or the Ian Potter Museum at Melbourne University and study the Greek/Southern Italian pottery collections.
• Research the Pompeiian wall painting representing the sacrifice of Iphigenia.
• In groups, research and explore a Roman festival, such as the Lupercalia or Saturnalia. Focus on the ideas and values presented and link them to the sociohistorical context.

 

Detailed example

Role of the hero in ancient Greek society

Students read, annotate and complete a detailed study of the ideas, techniques and sociohistorical context of sections of Homer’s archaic work The Odyssey and Sophocles’s classical work Ajax. They complete the following activities:

1. Define the term ‘hero’ in the ancient Greek context.
2. Consider the role of the hero and the heroic code/heroic ideal in the eighth century compared to the fifth century BCE. Write notes on this.
3. Individually or in groups, compile a list of the qualities and attributes (both positive and negative) demonstrated by heroes such as Odysseus, Ajax, Menelaus and Agamemnon.
4. Use a Venn diagram or table to consider the concept of justice in the archaic world of The Odyssey (under a monarchy) and compare this to the concept of justice in the classical world of fifth century Athens (in a democracy) as depicted in Ajax. (If using a Venn diagram, this is best done using A3 size paper.)
5. On the Venn diagram or table, use this information to identify the changes that have taken place within these societies and how this has impacted on the desirable traits of a hero.
6. Address the question: ‘Are the traits of a Homeric hero still relevant in fifth century Athens?’ This could be done in an extended answer form or as an essay.

This activity could be adapted so that students consider the role of the hero within Greek or Roman society as depicted by Homer and Virgil. Another activity could be comparing Homer’s hero with images of heroes depicted on material culture such as fifth century Greek vases.