This virtual museum contains exhibits on Greek military and art from ancient times. The military section includes exhibits on Spartan military training of boys, weapons used by Spartan soldiers like swords and spears, and the phalanx formation. The art section discusses the materials used in ancient Greek art like clay, marble, and wooden panels. It also profiles the early villages of Knossos and Mycenae that were cultural centers of art during the Bronze Age. Craftsmen played a key role in developing pottery, sculptures, and jewelry. The museum aims to represent the interests and lifestyle of ancient Greeks through their art.
2. Curator’s OfficeOluomachi Onyekwere, and Catherine Brothers
Note: Virtual museums were first introduced by educators at Keith Valley Middle School in Horsham,
Pennsylvania. This template was designed by Dr. Christy Keeler. View the Educational Virtual Museums
website for more information on this instructional technique.
Return to
Entry
Oluoma
Hi, thanks for coming to our museum. I am in
8th grade. I am thirteen years old. I am in
charge of the military area of the museum.
People call me “Oluoma.” My hobbies are
playing computer games, reading, listening to
music, any music as long as it sounds good.
Catherine
Hi! I’m Catherine; I’m in 8th grade, and I’m
13 years old. I am in charge of the art section
of the museum. I love listening to music and I
love to draw. Thanks for visiting the museum!
7. "Ancient Greece: Lesson 5." Ancient Greece: Lesson 5.
N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
Return to
Exhibit
Spartan Boy
Thesis: Military training was so important in Ancient Sparta
for young boys because since Spartans were outnumbered by
their slaves, they needed a large army to keep them under
control.
This is a special mural done by an artist who has
become close to the museum and has been doing
this museum a huge favor. This particular artwork
illustrates the taking away of a young boy from his
mother. At the age of six or seven, Spartan boys
were taken from their parents and sent to military
training. Boys were being taught military so young
because Sparta wanted to create the strongest
warriors to keep the city-state powerful. They
married the strongest boys with the strongest girls
and the fastest boys with the fastest girls in order to
bread the best warriors. At age twenty the men of
Sparta moved into the barracks and became full time
soldiers. Military service lasted until the age of
forty, duty in the reserves lasted from forty to sixty
years of age.
8. "Greek Warriors in Front of Troy | Antique Military
Illustrations." Royalty Free Images for Commercial Use &
Educational Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
Return to
Exhibit
Trojan War
This is an antique illustration of Greek
warriors in front of Troy during the
Trojan war. The Trojan War was between
the Greeks and the people of Troy. The
conflict began after the Trojan prince
Paris abducted Helen, wife of Menelaus
of Sparta. When Menelaus demanded her
return, the Trojans refused. Menelaus then
persuaded his brother Agamemnon to lead
an army against Troy.
Thesis: Military training was so important in Ancient Sparta
for young boys because since Spartans were outnumbered by
their slaves, they needed a large army to keep them under
control.
9. "Ancient Greek Soldiers | Antique Military Illustrations."
Royalty Free Images for Commercial Use & Educational
Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
Return to
Exhibit
Greek Soldiers
Thesis: Military training was so important in Ancient Sparta
for young boys because since Spartans were outnumbered by
their slaves, they needed a large army to keep them under
control.
This is an antique 19th-century
illustration of Ancient Greek
soldiers. There powerful
weapons and armor are visible
in this illustration.
10. "Sparta –A Military City-state | Www.historynotes.info."
Wwwhistorynotesinfo. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
Return to
Exhibit
Military Training
Thesis: Military training was so important in Ancient Sparta
for young boys because since Spartans were outnumbered by
their slaves, they needed a large army to keep them under
control.
This picture illustrates Spartan boys military training.
Some training included: infants bathing with wine
instead of water, in the belief that this toughened them,
boys walking barefoot to toughen their feet, boys
playing naked to endure any pain and become stronger,
sleeping on hard beds, and enduring as much pain as
possible. Their education emphasized physical, mental
and spiritual toughness and could be quite brutal.
Spartans advocated running. Soldiers needed to be
quick. They were taught to endure hardship and pitted
against each other in fights by their instructors.
Adolescents were used to terrorize the Helots, and in a
particularly nasty tradition called a Krypteia. They were
sent out at night with the goal of killing any helot
perceived to be a threat or unlucky enough to be
discovered out alone. Each fall the Spartans would
declare war on the Helot making it legal to kill any
Helot.
11. "Spartan Weapons." Spartan Weapons. N.p., n.d. Web.
15 Feb. 2013.
Return to
Exhibit
Spartan Swords – Short &Deadly
Thesis: Military training was so important in Ancient Sparta
for young boys because since Spartans were outnumbered by
their slaves, they needed a large army to keep them under
control.
This picture contains two ancient
Spartan military swords. Spartan
hoplite warriors carried a short
sword called a xiphos. This weapon
had an iron blade typically only 12-
18 inches. The Spartans shorter
weapon proved deadly in the crush
caused by colliding phalanxes
formations were it was capable of
being thrust through gaps in the
enemies shield walls and armor
were there was no room for longer
weapons.
12. "Spartan Weapons." Spartan Weapons. N.p., n.d. Web.
15 Feb. 2013.
Return to
Exhibit
The Kopis – The Nasty Spartan Weapon
Thesis: Military training was so important in Ancient Sparta
for young boys because since Spartans were outnumbered by
their slaves, they needed a large army to keep them under
control.
This picture is another weapon that
Ancient Spartan Warriors used. This
was a vicious hacking weapon in the
form of a thick, curved iron sword.
Warriors would use this weapon
more as an axe then a sword,
inflicting nasty wounds compared to
the cleaner holes made by the spear
and xiphos.
13. "Spartan Weapons." Spartan Weapons. N.p., n.d. Web.
15 Feb. 2013.
Return to
Exhibit
Spartan Spearhead
Thesis: Military training was so important in Ancient Sparta
for young boys because since Spartans were outnumbered by
their slaves, they needed a large army to keep them under
control.
This picture represents a Spartan spearhead. The
Spartan warriors primary weapon was a spear called
a dory. It was typically believed to have been
between 7 to 9 feet (2.1 - 2.7 meters) in length.
There was a bronze or iron curved leaf shaped
spearhead with a long, cylindrical socket in which
the shaft was placed. The butt of the spear was
capped with a butt spike called a sauroter, Greek for
’lizard killer’. It could be used to stand the spear
up or used as a secondary weapon if the spearhead
was broke off. Additionally, any enemies that had
fallen could be dispatched by the warriors marching
over them in the back ranks of the phalanx who
were holding there spears in a vertical position.
14. "Spartan Weapons." Spartan Weapons. N.p., n.d. Web.
15 Feb. 2013.
Return to
Exhibit
The Old Bashing Shield
Thesis: Military training was so important in Ancient Sparta
for young boys because since Spartans were outnumbered by
their slaves, they needed a large army to keep them under
control.
In this mural there are Spartan soldiers in
phalanx formation, but what it truly depicts
are the shields used by Spartan soldiers in war.
The main purpose of the Spartan shield was
defensive; however Spartans also used it to
bash their opponents. This could be to stun
them, knock them down or get some room to
use another weapon. The shield could also be
used as a killing weapon outright, its weight
and thin edge making it a superb blunt
weapon. It weighed about 30 pounds. They
were constructed out of wood with an outer
layer of bronze. The Greek letter lambda was
on their shield, referring to their homeland
Lacedaemonia.
15. This is a picture of clay which is familiar
to your eyes. Clay was used to make
pottery in ancient Greece. The Greeks
would gather clay from the earth and use it
to create vases, bowls, and other pieces of
artwork. In later years, clay was used to
create figures, including gods and
goddesses, and morals, normally male.
Return to
Exhibit
Clay
Thesis: Ancient Greek art was considered to be so important in
Ancient Greece because it represented the interests and lifestyle of
Ancient Greeks.
“Clay” Clay. “potteryblog.com” N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013
16. This is a picture of white marble. The
Greeks would use marble to create their
famous sculptures. White marble was not
the only type Greek artist used. Marble in
sculptures is shown in many Greek
sculptures from 5th century BCE and
beyond. Marble also helped the sculptures
look more life-like and showed more detail,
which the Greeks would try their best to
show through their artwork. Many Greek
sculptures were also made of stone and
were normally painted over.
Return to
Exhibit
Marble
“Marble texture”. Marble texture |
“Www.istock.com” N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013
Thesis: Ancient Greek art was considered to be so important in
Ancient Greece because it represented the interests and lifestyle of
Ancient Greeks.
17. “Wooden canvas” Wooden
canvas.“Www.johncolemanstainedglass.com” N.p.,
n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013
Although the Greeks did not create many
paintings, they would use wooden panels
or canvases such as this one. These were
called ‘panel paintings’. Panel paintings
normally were of figures, including
portraits and still-life. Unfortunately, there
are no Greek panel paintings that exist
today. Paintings were also created on
walls, called Wall Paintings, and were
produced in the Classical and Hellenistic
periods. Wall Paintings are considered
tradition and some even still exist today.
Return to
Exhibit
Wooden Canvas
Thesis: Ancient Greek art was considered to be so important in
Ancient Greece because it represented the interests and lifestyle of
Ancient Greeks.
18. “Gold” Gold. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013
One of the first pieces of artwork that the
ancient Greeks created was jewelry. To
create their jewelry, they used metals.
These metals included gold, as shown,
along with bronze, copper, and silver.
These metals were used by craftsmen in
shops in Greek villages.
Return to
Exhibit
Gold
Thesis: Ancient Greek art was considered to be so important in
Ancient Greece because it represented the interests and lifestyle of
Ancient Greeks.
19. “Knossos” Knossos. “en.wikipedia.org” N.p., n.d.
Web. 15 Feb. 2013
Ancient Greek art is said to have started in
the Bronze Age civilizations. These
civilizations included Knossos, as
pictured, Mycenae, and Troy. These were
cultural centers for Greek art in the Bronze
Age. The pottery created at Knossos was
heavily and uniquely decorated and were
likely to be created by Knossos craftsmen,
working as jobs. Unfortunately, the pottery
created at Knossos has not survived due to
the sizes of some pieces and other
difficulties.
Return to
Exhibit
The Village of Knossos
Thesis: Ancient Greek art was considered to be so important in
Ancient Greece because it represented the interests and lifestyle of
Ancient Greeks.
20. “Mycenae” Mycenae.“employees.oneonta.edu”
N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013
Mycenae was another village in the
Bronze Age civilizations. Mycenae is said
to have settled in 2000 BC by Indo-
Europeans that practiced herding and
farming. During the late Bronze Age,
Mycenae was a fortified hill surrounded by
hamlets and estates. The rulers had placed
their stronghold in a less populated and
more remote region for it’s defensive
value.
Return to
Exhibit
The Village of Mycenae
Thesis: Ancient Greek art was considered to be so important in
Ancient Greece because it represented the interests and lifestyle of
Ancient Greeks.
21. “Craftsmen” Craftsmen. “squidoo.com” N.p., n.d. Web.
15 Feb. 2013
Craftsmen played an extremely important
role in the beginnings of ancient Greek art.
The Greek craftsmen worked in small
villages in shops, creating pottery, jewelry,
sculptures, etc. They would use clay,
marble, stone, etc. for their work.
Craftsmen were so important to ancient
Greek art, and modern art, because they
had created these different forms of art and
used these materials for art, which
influenced Greek in later years and today’s
modern world of art. Return to
Exhibit
Craftsmen
Thesis: Ancient Greek art was considered to be so important in
Ancient Greece because it represented the interests and lifestyle of
Ancient Greeks.
22. “Pottery” Pottery. “yasou.org” N.p., n.d. Web. 15
Feb. 2013
The craftsmen in ancient Greece had
created many forms of artwork that are
still created in today’s world. These
include pottery, marble sculptures, and
jewelry. These creations were made with
fine details and materials. The vase shown
is one of the many pieces of artwork that
these craftsmen created that would fall
under “pottery”. As you can see, these
craftsmen would paint over their pottery.
The most common things to paint were
horses and male figures. The jewelry that
these craftsmen created were made of
metals, and the sculptures were typically
made with marble.
Return to
Exhibit
Early Greek Artwork
Thesis: Ancient Greek art was considered to be so important in
Ancient Greece because it represented the interests and lifestyle of
Ancient Greeks.
23. "The Spartan Military." Spartan Military. N.p., n.d. Web.
15 Feb. 2013.
Return to
Entrance
Spartan Hoplite
Thesis: Military training was so important in Ancient Sparta
for young boys because since Spartans were outnumbered by
their slaves, they needed a large army to keep them under
control.
This statue depicts a hoplite warrior from
Sparta. A hoplite typically had a bronze,
muscled breastplate, a helmet with cheek
plates, as well as greaves and other shin
armor. They carried a bowl-shaped wood
and bronze shield called an aspis or hoplon.
It was very heavy and protected the warrior
from chin to knee. They also wore a scarlet
cape to represent them as Spartans, though
the cape was never worn in combat.
24. "Random." : The Ancient Near East. N.p., n.d. Web. 15
Feb. 2013.
Return to
Entrance
Phalanx Formation
Thesis: Military training was so important in Ancient Sparta
for young boys because since Spartans were outnumbered by
their slaves, they needed a large army to keep them under
control.
This ancient artifact depicts the organized
formation Spartan soldiers stood in for
war. In a phalanx formation hoplites
formed shield walls by overlapping their
large shields, the left of each shield
protecting the warrior to the left. Only the
shins and head of the hoplite were
exposed, and these were well protected by
grieves and helmets. The spears of the
first three ranks of a phalanx formation
could be used offensively.
25. Works Cited
"Ancient Greece: Lesson 5." Ancient Greece: Lesson 5. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
"Ancient Greek Soldiers | Antique Military Illustrations." Royalty Free Images for Commercial
Use & Educational Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
"Greek Warriors in Front of Troy | Antique Military Illustrations." Royalty Free Images for
Commercial Use & Educational Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
"Random." : The Ancient Near East. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
"Sparta †“ A Military City-state | Www.historynotes.info." Wwwhistorynotesinfo. N.p., n.d.
Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
"The Spartan Military." Spartan Military. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
"Spartan Weapons." Spartan Weapons. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
"Trojan War." †” FactMonster.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
O'Connell, Kim A. Ancient Greece. Berkeley Heights: MyReportLinks.com, 2004. Print.
Roberts, Russell. How'd They Do That in Ancient Greece? Hockessin: Mitchell Lane, 2010.
Print.
Return to
Entrance