Ancient Greece is often seen as the foundation of modern Western society. And yes, many of our scientific and social views can be traced back to Ancient Greece. Concepts and ideas created by the Greeks have shaped our culture to this day, so having an understanding of how and when those notions originated will help us deal with our day-to-day lives. Here’s the list of Ancient Greek history resources we’ve used in our homeschool.
Ancient Greece first appeared sometime in the 8th century BC, and is largely understood to have ended when it was conquered and taken over by the Romans. But even throughout the Roman empire, and beyond, you can see the influence of the Greeks in the events of history. The most famous city of Ancient Greece is Athens, whose influence spread around the Aegean Sea in the Mediterranean, with conflicts with the Persians, Sparta, Ionia, and others.
The most famous part of Ancient Greece would be Alexander the Great, who spread Greek culture as far east as India, and as far south as Sudan in Africa. Yet, the Greeks never really had a cohesive, long-lasting administrative or military empire. Their influence was felt in the commercial and cultural changes, that made Greek the universal language of the day.
The Greek history resources:
Greek history, like all my other history studies, comes alive in the stories of the day. And Greek history is FULL of stories! From the myths and legends of Greek culture itself, the dramas and fables they themselves created, to the biographies of the famous leaders and places, Greek history reads like a long, action-filled movie. Many of our modern stories are based in the Greek legends, from the toils of Hercules, to the tragedy of Persephone and Hades. We see our own personal dramas in the romanticized pages of Greek history.
Picture books:
Picture books offer an easy-access way for even young children to be able to study history. And Greek legends and historical dramas make for exciting stories. Check out some of our favorites:
- You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Slave in Ancient Greece!
- The Thrifty Guide to Ancient Greece: A Handbook for Time Travelers
- You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Greek Athlete!
- You Wouldn’t Want to Be in the Ancient Greek Olympics
- Ancient Greece: Birthplace of Democracy
- You Wouldn’t Want to Be in Alexander the Great’s Army!
- DK Eyewitness Ancient Greece
- Greek Myths: Meet the heroes, gods, and monsters of ancient Greece
- Visitor’s Guide To Ancient Greece
Read-aloud or Chapter Books:
Ancient Greek history fiction was much popularized by author Rick Riordan, with several series based in and on Ancient Greek myths. But Percy Jackson & friends aren’t the only historical fiction novels out there. We’ve discovered several Greek history-based books that we LOVE. Check out our favorite read alouds:
- Icarus– Adam Wing
- Lore– Alexandra Braken (first of a series)
- Bull– David Elliot (best for read aloud, as it is a novel in verse)
- Qualify– Vera Nazarian (first of a series)
- The Seven Hills – Julian Barr (also Roman mythology!!)
- A Touch of Gold – Annie Sullivan (maybe not accurate historically, but a fun story!)
- Ithaka– Adele Geras
- Nobody’s Princess – Esther M. Friesner
- Quicksilver– Stephanie Spinner
Graphic Novels:
Ancient Greek stories, like Ancient Roman stories, lend themselves really well to comic-book style stories. There’s tons (and TONS) of drama, lots of fun action, interesting monsters and fanciful characters, and myths that we recognize to this day. Check out these fun books:
- Ancient Greece
- Game On in Ancient Greece
- The Olympians (12 book series)
- Goddess Power: A Kids’ Book of Greek and Roman Mythology
- Gifts From The Gods: Ancient Words and Wisdom
- The Iliad
For non-fiction & informative reading:
Some of my favorite non-fiction series are the DK Eyewitness, and the “You Wouldn’t Want to be… ” series. Greek history is probably the most popular history to study for homeschoolers, so finding resources is never a problem. Here are some of the resources we’ve found most helpful.
- Ancient Greece for Kids Through the Lives of its Philosophers, Lawmakers, and Heroes
- Ancient Greece: An Illustrated History
- The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece
- Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times
- Ancient Greece for Kids: A Captivating Guide to Greek History
- Greek Myths: Meet the heroes, gods, and monsters of ancient Greece
Multimedia options
The Greek government has made preserving their heritage a priority, so Greek archaeology is always happening. The Grecian world was foundational to Western society, even influencing the Roman culture. And some Greek stories were considered to be myths until archaeological evidence proved them to be true. So who knows what is left to be discovered yet?
Here are a couple of the more interesting documentaries we’ve watched.
Activities you can do:
These lapbooks and unit studies make fantastic activities to help guide your learning:
- Greek Mythology Curriculum
- Ancient Greek Scientists Curriculum
- Ancient Greece Curriculum
- Exploring Ancient Greece
- Ancient Olympics
Other Ancient Greek History Resources:
Here are some interactive websites that will help you and your kids learn more about Ancient Rome:
- Ancient Greek History for Kids
- DK Find Out: Ancient Greece For Kids
- Mr. Donn’s Ancient Greek History for Kids
- Duckster’s History: Ancient Greece
Plus don’t forget to go to a museum and see Ancient Greek artifacts for yourselves! Ancient Greek history resources are common, and their art and artifacts are often displayed in galleries and museums, so look for them whenever you go!
You may also like:
Egyptian History
Mesopotamian History
Chinese History
Aztec, Mayan & Incan History
Ancient Roman History
What’s your favorite way to study history? Do you prefer to watch it, read about it, or get hands-on?
