Famous Men of Greece · Ch. XVI · Unit 5: The Persian Wars
21. Aristides the Just
Goal: Your child can explain ostracism and tell why Aristides wrote his own name on the tablet.
You'll need
- A notebook or paper and colored pencils
- Your timeline (a long strip of paper on the wall, or a notebook page)
- A few small pieces of broken flowerpot, or paper "tablets"
What's in the book
Aristides is so honest he is called "the Just." Themistocles gets him ostracized; a countryman who cannot write asks Aristides himself to write the name. Recalled before Salamis, he later commands the Athenians at Plataea, where the Persians are beaten for good, and handles the city's money without ever growing rich.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Find Plataea, between Athens and Thebes, and Mycale on the coast of Asia Minor (Turkey).
Read the chapter together
Read pages 147–153 aloud, or let your child read and help with the hard names. There are three parts: the ostracism, the battle of Plataea, and rebuilding Athens.
Narration
Close the book. Ask your child to tell the story back in their own words, from the beginning. Don't correct as they go; just listen. If they get stuck, use a prompt:
- What did Aristides say to the man who told on his enemy?
- How did ostracism work?
- What did the countryman ask Aristides to do?
- What happened at Plataea?
- What did the Athenians find growing from the burned olive tree?
Hold a pretend vote
Use broken pots or paper "tablets." Each person writes the name of a silly villain (the Cyclops, Procrustes). Count them. Explain that a man named on 6,000 tablets had to leave Athens for ten years.
SayThe word "ostracism" comes from the Greek word for these tablets. Today it means leaving someone out on purpose.
Talk it over
Ask:
1. Why did the countryman want Aristides banished? Was that a good reason?
2. Why did Aristides write his own name?
3. How did Aristides show he really was "the Just" when he was in charge of the money?
Remember it
"Friend, will you write the name of Aristides for me on this tablet?"
"No," said the other, "I have never even seen him, but I am tired of hearing him called 'the Just.'"
Afterwards
Add "ostracism" to the Greek words page. Add "Plataea and Mycale: the Persians never again tried to conquer Greece" to the timeline.
Answers to the book's problems
1. He was tired of hearing him called "the Just." Not a good reason; Aristides had never wronged him. 2. He was honest and did what was asked, even against himself. 3. He used his office only for the good of the people and never became rich.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.