Title: The Olympic Medal: It's All Greek to Us! | NEH-Edsitement
Headings: The Olympic Medal: It's All Greek to Us!
Lesson Plan
The Olympic Medal: It's All Greek to Us!
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Content: Why Greek? Project or have your students click here to view a graphic of the Athens 2004 Olympic medal. Alternatively, distribute printed paper copies of both sides of the medal. Explain to your students that the characters appearing on the medal are Greek letters. Inform your students that beginning with the Athens 2004 games, all Olympic medals will showcase Greece's connection to the Olympics. Briefly explain that this is because the very first Olympic games took place in Olympia, Greece in 776 BCE. Explain that the ancient Greeks held Olympic games every four years from 776 BCE until 393 CE in honor of their god Zeus. Then, at the end of the nineteenth century, a Frenchman named Pierre de Coubertin had the idea of reviving the Olympic tradition by holding an international competition for amateur athletes. The first modern Olympics were hosted by Athens, Greece in 1896. Help your students understand some basic similarities and differences between the ancient and modern Olympics by drawing on information presented in the ancient Olympics exhibit from the EDSITEment-reviewed Perseus Project website.