Teacher's Guide for CALLIOPE: Mycenaeans

Teacher guide prepared by: Nell Wright, a Latin and Mythology teacher. Section I

For a broad understanding of the period when flourished, make a large time line. Attach four empty posters end to end on a wall and label them (as on page 3):

c. 1600 BC Burials in Grave Circle B c. 1600 - 1500 BC Burials in Grave Circle A c. 1500 - 1400 BC Construction of Early Tholos Tombs c. 1350 BC First Citadel

Have the students copy, by machine or pencil, illustrations of Mycenaean artifacts and reconstructed drawings from CALLIOPE®, the Web sources (page 16), and your library's materials. The students will have to read the captions carefully to place the illustrations on the right part of the time line.

For example, the dagger on page 4 would go under 1600 - 1500 because it was found in Crave Circle A.

EXTRA: If you have recently studied other ancient cultures, such as Asian or American, fill in the lowest section of the poster with illustrations for comparison.

Section II

To review the content of each article, use these questions for comprehension and discussion.

"Mycenae Rich in Gold" Schliemann jumped to the conclusion that he had "gazed on the eyes of " because of the richness of his finds. He was wrong because ______. (dating the skeletons reveals that they were buried before the period of the )

"Homer Proves Correct" Do you think archaeology could "prove" a work of literature? Think about whether literature is based on history and about the role of the author.

"Shrouded in Myth" Give two examples of mortals who thought they could outwit the gods (Acrisius and Tantalos) and two who cursed Agamemnon's family (Myrtilus and Thyestes).

"On Land and Sea" What similar artifacts show the close connections between the Minoans and the Mycenaeans? (Linear B tablets, frescoes)

"What the Graves in Circle B Reveal" What two social classes do the graves from Mycenae reveal? (aristocrats and workers) The discovery of what kind of artifact may explain how the stronger class maintained power? (weapons) "A Tour of the City" The Mycenaeans eventually enlarged the city's walls to include access to ______. (water)

"Those Beyond the Walls" If you had no property or cash, you paid your taxes "in kind." What would a farmer pay? (produce)

a shepherd? (wool, milk, meat) a woodcutter (wood) a baker, a goldsmith, a potter?

Section III

The Human Element in Agamemnon's Story

The Greek playwrights gave human motivations to their heroes and moved audiences to tears. This exercise will help students think through the myths as if they were developing characters for a play.

Divide the class. Half should work together to make a list of arguments Agamemnon might have used to justify killing his daughter so the Greeks could sail to Troy. What words might he have used to explain his decision to his wife and daughter? The other students should work on 's reasons for killing Agamemnon after the war. What would she tell her remaining children, or the citizens of Mycenae?

Encourage the students to put themselves in the characters' places rather than sticking to the retelling of the myth. The scenes could take place in a megaron, or in front of a tholos tomb (where Agamemnon's ancestors lie buried). After giving them time to prepare, you, the teacher, should interview one student representing Agamemnon and one Clytemnestra in a talk-show format.

Euripides depicted these two scenes in in Aulis which provides great follow-up reading. Suggested edition for CALLIOPE® readers:

Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripides, translated by Kenneth Cavander, Prentice-Hall, 1973.

Section IV

For more discussion, examine the lion gate (page 32). Without the heads (which would have faced out, toward the visitor), they could be both male, both female or one of each.

Read the following lines (from , Agamemnon, and the Iliad) which describe Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. As a class, can you decide how to reconstruct the lions' heads?

"This is Clytemnestra, the woman lioness who took up with a wolf when her proud lion- husband ranged far away."

"He (Agamemnon) rose up quickly and round him slung the glossy hide of a big tawny lion."

"Agamemnon attacked. Think how a lion, mauling the soft, weak young of a running deer clamped in his massive jaws, cracks their backbones with a snap."

"And seizing the spearshaft, powerful Agamemnon dragged toward him, tussling like some lion and wrenching it free."