Mantle of the Expert at Muritai School: DAY SIX

Agora at the end of the 5th century BC

Today we spent the day as Athenians of the golden age in the agora (marketplace). We began by doing some inquiry research about the agora. In pairs we read some fact sheets, compared maps of the Athenian agora in the 5^th and 4^th centuries BC, and looked at some artists’ illustrations of what the agora might have looked like in the golden age.

We answered the following questions:

1. what sorts of things might you buy and sell in the agora?

2. what kinds of people might spend time in the agora?

3. what activities might go on in the agora?

We also created two sentences of conversation that might be overheard in the agora.

We then gathered all our ideas together onto large sheets of newsprint, synthesising our information. We had to note what each other had discovered and recorded to make sure we didn’t double up on information.

Organising ideas.

We then used these sheets of newsprint to plan how we could transform the classroom into an ancient Athenian agora. I had no pre-plan of how this part was going to go, it was to be the children's creation - I would be there to guide and help if needed. Abigail suggested we start with a plan of where everything would go in the classroom so labels were made for the different types of stalls and areas in the agora and these labels were placed around the classroom. Once we had a rough layout for our agora everyone chose what kinds of people they were going to be. Everyone then went off to the different areas to create their stalls/areas. The classroom quickly became a buzz of imagination and creativity. We had:

-slave traders and slaves

-a blacksmith making weapons

-food stalls selling bread, meat, fruit, and vegetables

-a flower stall

-a pizzeria stall owner

-a pottery stall selling amphoras

-a clothes and shoemaker stall selling chitons and sandals

-a water fountain

-the Pnyx area for speeches

-a sign for the Port of Piraeus and a trireme in the port

-the Athenian mint where silver was being made into coins.

Stalls were filled with produce, conversations written, speeches to be delivered at the Pnyx were written, statues put up, a trireme in port drawn, and a water fountain was created.

Amphoras, coins, and weapons were drawn in amazing detail using images we had come across in our work as archaeologists, items of clothes were correctly labelled as chitons (tunics), sandals and himations (cloaks), likely pizza toppings had to be looked up (Hawaiian probably unlikely!). Someone asked about the kinds of money that would have been used and so we did some research and learnt about tetradrachms (equivalent to a handful of silver) and obols (a sixth of a tetradrachm).

Athenian coins with the symbol of the owl.

Finlay's trireme in the Port of Piraeus.

A lot of new inquiry work arose out of our play today and it was fun being able to apply so much of our new knowledge from the last few weeks – we have all learned a lot! Conversations between housewives picked up on the limited rights of women in ancient Athens. There were speeches delivered at the Pnyx about how to spend the new found silver at Laurion drawing on new learning about triremes/war strategy, and Pericles’ ideas for the beautification of Athens. There was even a speech written about the system of ostracisizing citizens with ostracons and another about increasing the rights of slaves. A water clock was made to time the speeches too (Leon was our water clock and he poured water from one container to the other to time each speech!).

READY! THE AGORA IS OPEN – LET THE TRADING BEGIN!

First we used the convention of a Circular Drama where we watched parts of our market come alive. We listened to some speeches in the Pnyx, watched a slave trade, and overheard some conversations between a couple of housewives collecting water from the fountain.

Two housewives collecting water at the fountain - carrying amphoras on their head that they purchased from the pottery vendor.

Slave Market.

Pericles speaking at the Pnyx (Leon is the water clock!)

“Hello citizens of Athens, my name is Pericles and I love to speak to you! I think we should have a lot less violence to make our city very beautiful. We should make statues and new buildings for our beautiful city because a beautiful city equals a popular city. (clapping for audience) Thank you! Thank you!"

Themistocles speaking at the Pnyx (Leon is the water clock!)

“Hello, my name is Themistocles and I speak for you people. I think we should spend money on good things. Things to protect us from war. Now that we have found silver from the mines at Laurion I think we should build 200 more triremes for protection in wars (clapping from audience) Thank you! Thank you!”

Ancient Athenian Ostrakon.

“We should get rid of Leonardo because he robbed us! Please vote now! He deserves to be sent away! We need to ostrasize him. We need to write his name on 6,000 pieces of pottery to send him away for ten years. (clapping from audience). Thank you! Thank you!” (Another speech at the Pnyx).

Then we played in our market, all getting into role and visiting each others stalls to buy and sell things. There were handbags of tetradrachms and obols which were used to purchase food, flowers, weapons, clothes, pottery, and pizzas! Lots of fun!