At the Museum of Cycladic Art, “I am… How I see myself” invites children to explore identity through ancient mirrors—blending creativity, history, and self-reflection in a growing artistic tradition.
Back to Aigai
Aigai, ancient capital of Macedonia, reveals royal tombs, painted hunts, and mythic scenes—where students encounter history, art, and mythology in a landscape of enduring archaeological wonder.
Dionysus and Ariadne
A Grade 6 Student Activity exploring the myth of Ariadne, where students research five artworks and creatively present her journey through love, betrayal, and myth across painting and sculpture.
Archaeological Excavation Records
The carefully handwritten excavation records from the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, especially those from Corinth, preserve archaeology as both scholarship and quiet artistry—precise, tactile, and deeply human documentation of discovery.
Inspired by the François Vase
Inspired by the François Vase is a Grade 7 Activity my students enjoy doing!
François Vase is exhibited at the National Museum of Archaeology in Florence. It is “a large black-figure krater, a large vase in Ancient Greece believed to be used for watering down wine, from c. 570 BC. The design is fascinating and, if one looks carefully, you will find both the signature of the potter, Ergotimos and the painter, Kleitias. This krater is named the “François Vase” after the archaeologist who found it in 1844. ” https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-museums/maf-archeological-museum.html
The François Vase Activity
Instructions on what to do: During class, students are introduced to ancient Greek pottery, and more specifically the importance and characteristics of the François Vase. This Activity is based on the classroom lectures, student research on the subject, and ultimately student creativity and imagination. So, ……
- Students are asked to READ the attached sites and WATCH the provided Videos: https://www.florenceinferno.com/the-francois-vase/ and https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft1f59n77b&chunk.id=d0e2374&toc.depth=1&toc.id=&brand=ucpress and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh1oONbq2ik
- Students will be provided with a Template of a Volute Krater. This template will be their work canvas! to create a “new” version of the François Vase.
- For the Volute Krater Template, a big thank you to IMGBIN and go to https://imgbin.com/png/ZZBrSTGn/krater-volute-line-art-vase-drawing-png
- Students are asked to design a “new version” of the François Vase inspired by their favorite novel, poem, myth, comic story or their own life!
- They may consider the following poem by Archilochos of Paros, 8th century BC lyric poet (Willis Barnstone, trans., Greek Lyric Poetry [New York: Schocken Books) as a source of inspiration:
The PowerPoint, teachercurator has prepared, can be seen if you… Click HERE!
For more examples of student work… Click HERE!
Prehistoric Pottery of Thessaloniki
My Grade 6 Host Country Studies Class is on the History, Art and Culture of the city we live in, Thessaloniki, and our first RWAP (Research-Writing-Art-Project) is on the Prehistoric Pottery of Thessaloniki.
Archaeologists and Art Historians love Pottery! Even the smallest broken pieces, or sherds as they are called, indestructible as they have been for thousands of years, carry valuable information. They tell us how people lived, cooked, or stored their food, they show us ways of decoration and artistic expression. Pottery helps specialists date a site or relate an archaeological site to specific communities and groups of people. In other words, Pottery, humble as it might be, is of great value!
For information on the Stone Age and Greece in particular, go to http://www.thehistoryofancientgreece.com/2016/04/003-stone-age-greece.html
Prehistoric Pottery of Thessaloniki is a Topic and a Project that can be adapted for any Pottery period you explore in your class!
The Project should cover at least 2 pages in the student RWAP Sketchbook. RWAP stands for RESEARCH-WRITING-ART-PROJECT. I usually ask my students to buy an A4 Sketchbook and all RWAP Projects are done there. An alternative option is to use an A3 sized poster paper.
Each RWAP should include 4 parts: a. Title, b. Coloured or B/W copies of at least 2 artworks related to the topic of the Project, correctly identified, c. Writing, d. Art
For the Prehistoric Pottery of Thessaloniki Project, students are asked to:
a. Title: Think and then apply a representative Title for their Project
b. Research: Find photos of at least 2 Greek Prehistoric Potteries, photocopy them, and use them in their RWAP Sketchbook, correctly identified.
c. Writing: Answer the following questions: 1. Which is more important, the shape of the vase or the decoration? Why do you think so? 2. How were the details of the vases created: with paint or by some other means? Look closely and try to identify patterns in the decoration.
d. Art: Become a prehistoric pottery maker! There is so much to get you inspired!!! BE CREATIVE!
The Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki site is quite informative https://www.amth.gr/en/exhibitions/permanent-exhibitions/prehistoric-macedonia
For student RWAP Sketchbooks… Click HERE!
Learning from Ancient Greek Pottery
Inspired by the Hood Museum of Art Educational Program, this activity guides students through observing, analyzing, researching, interpreting, and evaluating Ancient Greek pottery—building critical thinking through art.