Famous Men of Greece · Ch. XXXI · Unit 9: After Alexander and the fall of Greece
37. The Fall of Greece
Goal: Your child can explain how Greece came under Rome, and name some of the gifts Greece still gives us, especially Greek words.
You'll need
- A map or globe (a free online map works well)
- A notebook or paper and colored pencils
- Your timeline (a long strip of paper on the wall, or a notebook page)
What's in the book
The Greek states keep quarreling. Rome defeats Macedonia at Pydna, then in 146 B.C. defeats the Greeks near Corinth, plunders the city and burns it. Greece becomes part of the Roman Empire, later of Turkey, and then free again. The book ends with Greek words we still use and the light of art and science that Greece kindled.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Find Corinth on the narrow neck of land joining the Peloponnesus to the rest of Greece, and Pydna in Macedonia. Then find Rome across the sea.
Read the chapter together
Read pages 261–265 aloud, or let your child read and help with the hard names.
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:
- Why could Macedonia stay master of Greece so long?
- Who defeated Macedonia?
- What happened to Corinth in 146 B.C.?
- What did the Roman soldiers do with a fine painting?
What we know now
The book says Greece became free from Turkey "about seventy-five years ago." That was written in 1904. The Greeks rose up in the 1820s, about two hundred years before our time. Greece is a free country today.
Greek words hunt
The book lists Greek words we use every day: arithmetic, mathematics, gymnasium, athletics, poet, poem, grammar, rhetoric, geography, logic, astronomy, surgery. Read them together. Then add the words your child collected this year (oracle, tyrant, ostracism, stoic, Olympics, marathon...). How many can they explain?
Look back over the whole book
Walk along your timeline from the myths to 146 B.C. Ask your child to choose: the bravest person, the wisest, the most clever, and the one they would most like to meet. Ask why.
Remember it
Although the old-time glory of Greece has waned, the light of art and science which she kindled in the world grows brighter as time rolls on.
Add "146 B.C.: Corinth destroyed; Greece becomes part of the Roman Empire."
Afterwards
Your child makes a cover page for their Greece notebook, with their favorite "famous man" from the book.
Tip
The book mentions a companion volume, Famous Men of Rome. It is a natural next step and picks up the story of Rome.
Answers to the book's problems
Narration hints: the Greek states quarreled and were not united; the Romans defeated Macedonia at Pydna and took King Perseus prisoner; Corinth was plundered and burned, its men killed and women and children made slaves; two soldiers played dice on one of the finest pictures.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.