General Resources

The resources below are useful for many different areas of the component and have not been assigned to specific topics.

Useful Websites

Perseus (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/collections) provides one of the greatest catalogues of both literary and archaeological material. This site is great for stretching and challenging students who may also be studying Greek or Latin as both texts are provided. A word of warning: sometimes it can be hard to find the exact material as several versions exist and these are often broken into books (a prime example of this is Livy’s History of Rome.) It may be best for the teacher to check this out first or be very specific in point students to texts. Some translations are also quite old fashioned in their use of English.

Theoi (www.theoi.com) is a great site for teachers and students to use to learn about the prescribed and non-prescribed material. The site is extensive and covers almost everything you need to know about the gods and heroes. It also includes contemporary Greek and Roman sources. A word of warning: the site contains some dead links. 

Poetry in Translation (http://www.poetryintranslation.com/) has an extensive collection of Greek and Roman literature in English for teachers and students to use. It is not as pervasive as Perseus. 

What is a Myth? makes for a great introductory read on what a myth is all about. Click here to read the article online.

Podcasts

The following BBC Radio 4 In Our Time episodes can be streamed online or downloaded.

Heroism - What did it mean to be a hero? A discussion of how the Greeks defined a hero and what a hero was in classical society, comparing the Greek and Roman view.

The Aeneid - A discussion of what the Aeneid was, why it was composed and why it is so important to the understanding of Augustan Rome. 

The Amazons - A discussion of who the Amazons were and how and why they came to be represented in Greek art.

Architecture and Power - A discussion of the part art and architecture has played in expressing and promoting power by the people who create them.

The Augustan Age - A general discussion.

The Epic - A discussion of the role of the epic in defining the civilisations that wrote them. Topics include the Iliad, Odyssey and Aeneid.

Greek Myths - A discussion of myth and its meaning to the Greeks and Romans.

Ovid’s Metamorphosis - A discussion of the Roman poet Ovid and one of his most famous works, the Metamorphosis, from which several of our texts are taken.

Homer’s Odyssey - A discussion of the place of the Odyssey in ancient and modern literature.

Romulus and Remus - A discussion of what the myth of Romulus and Remus meant to the Romans.

The Trojan War - A discussion of the place of the Trojan war in myth and history.

Museums and Archaeological Sites

The following is a list of museums and archaeological sites that are useful to the study of this unit, along with lists of artefacts relevant to this component that you can see there. Where possible, useful links have been included to supplement classroom study or plan trips. Links to specific images can be found within the relevant chapter.

England

The British Museum, London - Website | Map | Online Catalogue | School Visits

• The Parthenon Sculptures (Room 18)
• Metopes, frieze and pediments:
• The Bassae Frieze (Room 15)
• The Theseus Kylix (Room 19)
• The Panathenaia (Room 69)
• Death and Burial (Room 69-70)
• Pottery of gods and heroes (20a)

The Museum of Classical Archaeology, Cambridge - Website | Online Catalogue | School Visits

• Cast gallery:
• Statues of gods and heroes
• Select sections of the Bassae Frieze
• The Doryphoros (see Prima Porta)
• Grave stele
• Hegeso (S&C):
• The Parthenon (select sections)
• Frieze, metopes and pediments:
• The Prima Porta Augustus
• Temple of Zeus at Olympia (select sections)

The Ashmolean, Oxford - Website | Map | Online Catalogue

• Cast gallery:
• Statues of heroes and gods
• The Prima Porta Augustus
• The Parthenon (select sections)
• Frieze, metopes and pediments:
• Grave stele
• Hegeso (S&C)

Italy

The Capitoline Museum, Rome - Website | Virtual Tour | Online Catalogue

• Statues of the gods
• Hercules
• Grave Stele
• Romulus and Remus
• Sarcophagi
• The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (S&C)

The National Roman Museum, Rome - Website

• Augustus as Pontifex Maximus

The Ara Pacis Museum, Rome - Website | Virtual Tour

• The Ara Pacis
• The Res Gestae is inscribed in full on the outside of the museum (S&C)

The Forum Boarium, Rome - Website

• The Temple of Portunus
• The Temple of Hercules

The Roman Forum, Rome - Website

• The House of the Vestals
• The Temple of Vesta

The Pantheon, Rome - Live Webcam 

• The Pantheon

The National Archaeological Museum, Naples - Website 

• Statues of the gods
• Statues of heroes
• Sarcophagi

Greece

The Acropolis Museum, Athens - Website | Online Collection

• The Parthenon Sculptures
• Metopes, frieze and pediments:
• The Panathenaia
• The City Dionysia

The National Archaeological Museum, Athens - Website | Online Collection

• Grave Stele of Hegeso (S&C)

The Acropolis - UNESCO Website

• The Sanctuary of Athena
• The Parthenon
• The Erechtheion (S&C)
• The Temple of Athena Nike (S&C)
• The Sanctuary of Dionysus (South Slope)
• The Theatre of Dionysus

Olympia and the Olympia Museum, Olympia - Website

• The Altis
• The Temple of Zeus
• Metopes showing the 12 labours of Heracles
• Pediments showing the Centauromachy and Chariot race between Pelops and Oenomaus (S&C)

Delphi - Website

• Example of a sanctuary (S&C)