Ancient Greece: city-states, democracy and the Olympics quiz game: what children learn
Ancient Greece was not one country but many city-states, such as Athens and Sparta, each with its own laws and leaders. The Greeks built temples like the Parthenon, held the first recorded Olympic Games at Olympia in 776 BC, and developed ideas about democracy, art, science and sport that still shape the western world. Alexander the Great later spread Greek culture across a huge empire.
The National Curriculum asks pupils to study Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world. This game checks the key knowledge, from Athens and Sparta to Zeus, the olive wreath and democracy, and asks children to link ancient ideas with things we still do today.
This topic covers a Key Stage 2 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Subject content): pupils should be taught about “Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world”. The programme of study sets this for the whole of Key Stage 2, so schools choose when to teach it; we have placed this game in Year 6 (ages 10–11).
There is no direct equivalent in the US Common Core State Standards.
How to play
Put the events on the timeline from the earliest to the latest, then press Check. Tap an event, then a space on the timeline, or drag it there. Each game has 3 rounds with no timer. When you press Check, the events in the right place stay and show their dates, and you get one more try for the others. You get a point for each event placed right first time. For a quicker go, choose Quick quiz: 10 multiple-choice questions in 150 seconds (choose Relaxed for more time).
Step by step
- Find Greece. Look at a map of the Mediterranean. Greece is a land of mountains, islands and sea, which helps explain why it split into many city-states.
- Compare Athens and Sparta. Athens: democracy, theatre, the Parthenon. Sparta: soldiers and strict training. Make a two-column chart.
- Meet the gods. Zeus was king of the gods, Athena was goddess of wisdom and of Athens. Myths explained the world for the Greeks.
- Go to Olympia. The Games honoured Zeus, winners got olive wreaths, and the stadium held about 50,000 people.
- Spot the influence. Democracy, the Olympics, theatre, columns on buildings and words such as “alphabet” all come from Greece.
Worked examples
Example 1: What is democracy?
Working: “Demos” means people and “kratos” means power. In Athens, citizens voted on decisions.
Answer: Government where citizens take part in making decisions.
Example 2: Which god were the ancient Olympic Games held to honour?
Working: Olympia was a special site dedicated to the king of the gods.
Answer: Zeus.
Example 3: Which goddess was the Parthenon built for?
Working: The city of Athens is named after its goddess of wisdom.
Answer: Athena.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Thinking everyone in Athens could vote. Only adult male citizens could vote. Women, enslaved people and foreigners could not.
- Mixing up Greek and Roman gods. Zeus is Greek; the Romans called a similar god Jupiter. Make a matching chart.
- Thinking the ancient Olympics were like today’s. They were a religious festival for Zeus, held only at Olympia, and winners got olive wreaths, not medals.
Activities to try at home
- Read a Greek myth together, such as Theseus and the Minotaur.
- Hold a family “Olympics” and make olive-leaf crowns for the winners.
- Look for Greek-style columns on buildings in your town.
- Print the game sheet and play it after reading about Ancient Greece.
Ideas for the classroom
- Hold a class vote Athens-style, then discuss who would have been left out.
- Compare Athens and Sparta in a debate: which would you rather live in?
- Find Greek root words, such as “tele”, “photo” and “micro”.
- Use the quiz as a starter and an end-of-unit check.
Free printable game and worksheet
The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a colour-by-answer picture, an answer maze or a secret-code joke, followed by a worksheet. Both use the same checked questions as the online game, and the answers are on the last page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print menu.
Open the free printable game and worksheet
Frequently asked questions
Why does the game say “city-states”?
Ancient Greece was made up of many independent cities, each with its own government. Historians call them city-states.
Was democracy in Athens like ours?
It was different. Citizens voted directly on decisions, but only adult male citizens could take part.
Which year group studies Ancient Greece?
Schools choose. It is often taught in Year 5 or Year 6.