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Showing posts with label Tyre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tyre. Show all posts

Friday, March 20, 2020

Tyre: The Ancient Greek Engineering Game Created by Ruth Paget for AP Students

Tyre:  The Ancient Greek Engineering Game Created by Ruth Paget for AP Students

Objectives:

1-Learn to break down large books as a team to learn more quickly

2-Learn basic engineering concepts (simple machines), which were crucial to the Greek victory against the Phoenicians at Tyre

3-Obtain a glimpse into ancient Greek culture

4-Obtain a glimpse into ancient Phoenician culture

5-Do systems planning for a simple sanitation system during a siege

6-Play the ancient Greek game of knucklebones

7-Sample Greek food

8-Learn about storytelling

Historical Background:

In 332 BC, ancient Greece became an invading country rather than a defensive one when it began the Siege of Tyre, a fortified island city under Phoenician control.  (The ancient Phoenicians were the ancestors of today’s Lebanese, Syrians, and Palestinians.)

The Macedonian King Alexander the Great (356 BC – 323 BC) sought to expand the Greek Empire eastwards into the Persian Empire, but was thwarted in doing so by a Persian-controlled Phoenician naval fleet.

Alexander could not challenge the Phoenician fleet and sought instead to defeat Phoenician naval bases along the Eastern Mediterranean coast.  Many of the Phoenician towns surrendered without a fight to Alexander as they did not like the Persians.

However, Tyre did not.  This fortified, island city was not afraid of sieges.  Tyre had withstood a four-year siege by Assyrians from 724 BC – 720 BC under Shalmaneser V (died 722 BC) among many others.

Battle Outcome for the Siege of Tyre 332 BC:

Alexander the Great and his army of 70,000 defeated the Phoenician force of 70,000 after a siege of 8 months thanks to superior engineering and technology.

Managing Group Reading:

To divide reading up, imagine you have a book with 33 chapters to read and 8 team members.

If you divide 33 chapters by 8 team members, you can reduce reading tie and learn 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 set up a simple sanitation system for the home and community, play the ancient Greek game called knucklebones, and sample Greek food.

Number of Tasks to Complete: 5

Task 1: Learn about the Siege of Tyre 332 BC

Read about the Siege of Tyre 332 BC in encyclopedias and books and on websites.  Compare the information to look for any differences. Note sources

Read about Alexander the Great in encyclopedias and books and on websites.  Compare the information to look for any differences.  Note sources.

As you read, look for information about engineering and technology (specifically causeways and catapults) used by the ancient Greeks to defeat the Phoenicians at the Siege of Tyre in 332 BC.

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 as a team is The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton.

A must-read book 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 the Trojan War, ask yourself the following questions to learn about storytelling:

-Can you name conflicts that led up to the point where both sides stopped fighting?  

-What is the story’s climax?

-What happens after the climax in the Trojan War?

Read Hesiod’s 800-line poem Works and Days and note 5 to 10 main points for assigned lines.

Read The Sarpedon Krater: The Life and Afterlife of a Greek Vase by Nigel Spivey as a team, noting 5 to 10 main points for each team member’s assigned chapters.

This beautiful vase depicts a fallen hero from Troy.  The book is a real Indian Jones-like tale of putting an artifact in the right museum.

Task 3:  Obtain a Glimpse into Ancient Phoenician Culture

The ancient Phoenicians were the ancestors of today’s Lebanese, Syrians, and Palestinians.  The following suggested books provide information about this ancient culture:

History of the Phoenician Civilization by George Rawlinson

The Phoenicians (Cultures of the World) by Elsa Marston

For a taste of Lebanese food, the suggested following cookbook might have recipes you would like.  Lebanon’s cuisine is ancient:

Julie Taboulie’s Lebanese Kitchen: Authentic Recipes for Fresh and Flavorful Mediterranean Cooking by Julie Ann Sageer and Leah Bhabha

Each team member should note 5 to 10 main points for their assigned chapters in the above books.

Task 4: Introduction to Engineering

The Siege at Tyre 332 BC was won by Alexander the Great thanks to superior technology.  For this task team members will work to obtain an introduction to engineering for their assigned chapters:

Basic Machines and How They Work by Naval Education (Fred A. Carson)

Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love by Monty Cagan

Math is the language of science and technology.  The following suggested book will help team members assess their math skills:

Math Smart: The Savvy Student’s Guide to Mastering Basic Math by The Princeton Review

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.

Team members should read both documents before the Task 5 combined teams meeting.

Task 5: Setting Up a Sanitation System and Party

Engineers who are successful make systems for their invention to work in and think about who will maintain the system. 

Setting up a sanitation system to withstand a siege like the one at Tyre is the basis for this task.

A cleaning system for your home using checklists is a basic sanitation system.

For this task, team members will set up a sanitation system for bathrooms and kitchens using checklists for cleaning inside the home.

Once that is complete, team members will analyze sanitation systems in their community.

Where does trash go when it leaves your home?  Is there recycling?  Is garbage burned?  Is landfill near water systems?  What community systems are in place to prevent the spread of disease to keep a population strong?

(This activity should take 30 to 45 minutes to complete.)

After the meeting, play the ancient Greek game called knucklebones.  (Knucklebones was also played in ancient Rome.)

Knucklebones games are for $27.99 on Amazon as of 3/13/2020.

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 Salama and Jan Cutler

Modern Greek Cooking: 100 Recipes for Meze, Entrées, and Desserts by Pano Kavatassos

The 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 Michaels

Have fun!

Tyre Game Created by Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Click here for:  Ruth Paget's Amazon Books



Ruth Paget Selfie