Greek Coins Project for Kids
Athenian coins, made by 6th graders
at Laurelhurst School, Portland
Each Greek city made its own silver coins, and they made them to look different from each other so you could know right away which city the coins were from. Greek minters made coins by putting a blank coin on a metal stand and setting a metal punch (like a stick as big around as one coin) on top that had the image carved into it, and then hitting the metal punch with a hammer to drive it into the coin and transfer the image.
You can make your own Greek coins out of clay. These Athenian coins have the owl of Athena on them, and they say "ATHE" in Greek letters. These were made by laying thin strips of clay on top of the coin, but you could also try carving a punch out of wood and using that to make the image.
For more information, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:
A Greek Potter, by Giovanni Caselli (1986). A day in the life of a Greek potter, for kids ages 9-12.
Hands-On Ancient People, Volume 2: Art Activities about Minoans, Mycenaeans, Trojans, Ancient Greeks, Etruscans, and Romans, by Yvonne Merrill (2004). For kids - has a project for making your own Greek amphora.
The History of Greek Vases, by John Boardman (2001). For adults, but clear and readable, by an expert who has written most of the main books on Greek pottery.
Understanding Greek Vases: A Guide to Terms, Styles, and Techniques (Getty Museum Publications 2002) by Andrew J. Clark, Maya Elston, Mary Louise Hart.
Looking at Greek Vases, by Tom Rasmussen, Nigel Spivey (1991) (each chapter is written by a different specialist, but the book as a whole is intended for non-specialists).
Other activities:
* Olympic games
* Play reading
