Mosaic Designs

This week we started exploring an actual archaeological dig of an Ancient Greek house called The Villa of Good Fortune in Olynthos, Greece.  The city was destroyed 2300 years ago. So far, we have examined the floor plan of the remains of the house. Wood and fabric materials have long since rotted away, but the floors and the bases of the walls remain, preserved with a blanket of soil that covered the city over time. We started with a close examination of the andron. This is the room where men would have gathered together to eat, drink, play music and talk philosophy. One find the archaeological team had unearthed was a bronze leg from a sofa, the kind that the men would have reclined on while enjoying their food and conversation. A spearhead and shield were also found in this area, as well as some mosaic stones and a sling bullet.

We took a close look at the beautiful mosaic floors in the andron's outer chamber, doorway and inner room  (pictured below). The first mosaic shows Achilles receiving his armor from his mother Thetis and two neriads before departing for Troy. The middle one shows the god Dionysus in a chariot being pulled by two leopards with an entourage of maenad and satyr followers surrounding him. The last one shows a double image of the god Pan with a krater between them.

Using what they learned about the artistic mosaics in Greek homes, the kids created mosaics of their own using a variety of materials. These included stones, tiles, grid paper, legos, blocks, paper shapes, fuse beads, sand, paving stones and even birdseed! They drew inspiration for their designs from Ancient Greece, nature, and things they love to produce some spectacular mosaics! Enjoy the pictures below.

Kaleb's Mosaic Presentation

Roll a Greek Temple

In our continuing study of Ancient Greece and its art and architecture, we had the kids play a modified version of last week's Roll an Ancient Greek Vase game. This week, each roll of the die guided their drawing of a temple by determining elements such as the number of columns, the style of the capitals, the designs of the entablature, cornice and pediment, as well as the featured akroteria  atop the roof. The students once again rose to the spirit and challenge of the assignment.
Enjoy their compositions below!