Salamis: The Ancient
Greek Navy Game Created by Ruth Paget for AP Students
Objectives:
1-Learn
to break down books as a team more quickly
2-Learn
about sailing
3-Obtain
a Glimpse into Ancient Greek culture
4-Obtain
a Glimpse into Ancient Persian culture
5-Learn
to Tie at least One Sailor’s Knot
6-Sample
Greek Food
Historical Background:
In
480 BC, the navies of Ancient Persia under the ultimate command of King Xerxes
(died 465 BC) clashed with those of the ancient Greeks led by the Greek League
made up of many cities. The ocean battle
occurred in the Strait of Salamis between the Island of Salamis and the
mainland of Attica in Greece.
Battle
Outcome:
The
Greek force of 57,000 defeated a Persian force of 140,000 in Strait of Salamis
in 480 BC.
Battle
Importance:
The
battle victory at Salamis in 480 BC for the Greek League is considered
important for creating a peace that let Western Civilization develop for the
next several thousand years.
Managing Group Reading:
To
divide reading up, imagine you have a book with 33 chapters and 8 team members.
If
you divide 33 chapters by 8 team members, you can reduce reading time and learn
the material quickly. The method for
doing this follows:
33
chapters ÷ 8 team members = 4 chapters for each team member to read with 1
remaining chapter to be assigned as decided by the group. (Maybe a team member with a short assigned
chapter among their readings could read the remaining chapter.)
For
each assigned chapter, team members will note 5 to 10 main points to be typed
up and sent to the team secretary for grouping into a single document for each
book.
Team Set-Up
Break
a group into two teams.
Both
teams will complete tasks 1 – 4 as a team.
For
task 5, the two teams will come together to learn to tie a sailor’s knot or
two, one of the fundamental skills of sailing, and sample Greek food.
Number of Tasks to
Complete: 5
Task 1: Learn about the
Battle at Salamis 480 BC
Read
about the Battle of Salamis 480 BC in encyclopedias and books and on
websites. Compare the information to
look for any differences. Note sources.
Read
about King Xerxes of Persia in encyclopedias and books and on websites. Compare the information to look for any
differences. Note sources.
As
you read, look for information about the strategy used by the Ancient Greeks to
defeat the Persians at Salamis in 480 BC.
For
your assigned chapters, note 5 to 10 main points for each assigned chapter.
If
you find differences, set up guidelines about how to establish the facts to
use.
Task 2: Obtain a Glimpse into Ancient Greek Culture
As
a team, read the following suggested books and note 5 to 10 main points for
each assigned chapter:
Tales of the Greek
Heroes by
Roger Lancelyn Green
Another book to read about Greek culture follows:
The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton
Another book to read about Greek culture follows:
The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton
A must-read is the Tale of Troy by Roger Lancelyn Green
This
mythical battle imbued the ancient Greeks with ideals of heroism and knowledge
of the cost of war even if justified.
What
did each side in the Trojan War consider to be justification for war? Do you agree with it? Why?
As
you read about the Trojan War, ask yourself the following questions to learn
about storytelling:
Can
you name conflicts that lead up to the point where both sides stop fighting?
What
is the story’s climax where hostilities stop?
What
happens after the climax?
Read
Hesiod’s 800-line poem entitled Works
and Days.
Note
5 to 10 main points for your assigned lines.
Read
The Sarpedon Krater: The Life and
Afterlife of a Greek Vase by Nigel Spivey as a group, noting 5 to 10 main
points for each assigned chapter.
This
beautiful vase depicts a fallen hero from Troy.
The book is a real Indiana Jones-like tale of putting an artifact in the
right museum.
Task 3: Obtain a Glimpse in Ancient Persian Culture
Ancient
Persia is now called Iran in the modern day.
The ancient Persians were not Muslims.
Islam did not exist at the time of Battle at Salamis 480 BC.
Read
the following suggested books as a team, note 5 to 10 main points for each
assigned chapter:
Shahnameh: Book of
Kings by
Elizabeth Baird (after Ferdowsi – a children’s book)
Shahnameh: The Persian
Book of Kings by
Abolgasen Ferdowsi
Persian Myths by Vesta Sarkosh Curtis
Task 4: Learn About
Sailing
The
ancient Greeks were able to defeat the Ancient Persians in part due to their
excellent sailing skills.
For
this task, team members will learn about sailing and tying sailor’s knots, a
fundamental sailor’s skill.
For
the suggested books below, team members will note 5 to 10 main points in their
assigned chapters:
The Complete Sailing
Manual by
Steve Sleight
The Morrow Guide to
Knots: for Sailing, Fishing, Camping, Climbing by Mario Bigon
Preparing for Task 5:
Before
the combined teams meeting, team members will type up their main points from
the chapters they read and send it to the team secretary via email to be
compiled into one document.
Team
secretaries will email the single document to their team members and the other
team’s secretary for distribution to their team.
Team
members should read both documents before the task 5 combined teams meeting.
Task 5: Learning to Tie
Sailor’s Knots and Sampling Greek Food
Sailors
use knots to hold many objects on boats securely in place including sails. Learn to tie one or two for your combined
teams meeting for this wrap-up of the Battle of Salamis 480 BC game.
The
suggested following kit can help do this activity:
Knot Tying Kit by John E. Sherry
$8.96
on Amazon as of 3/17/2020.
Team
members who have learned knots can teach others how to do them.
(This
activity can take 30 minutes to an hour to complete.)
After
the meeting, sample some Greek food at your party. The suggested following cookbooks provide
recipes you can use:
The Complete Book of
Greek Cooking by
The Recipe Club of St. Paul’s Church
The Complete Book of
Greek Cooking: Explore this Classic Mediterranean Cuisine: 160 Recipes by Rena Salaman and Jan
Cutler
Modern Greek Cooking:
100 Recipes for Meze, Entrées, and Desserts by Pano Kavatassos
My Greek Table:
Authentic Flavors and Modern Home Cooking from my Kitchen to Yours by Diane Kochilas
Orexi! Feasting at the
Modern Greek Table by
Theo A. Michaels
Have
fun!
Salamis
Game Created by Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
