Ancient Olympic Games

Start with the ancient games

The Olympics flashcard deck offers questions about track events, the track and the place where races were held. It is a useful starting point for focusing on details. Look through the questions first, then return to them after studying a mind map or slide set.

The slide set The Olympic Games introduces the Olympics in Ancient Greece and includes a footrace. Use it alongside the flashcards to give the questions a setting. You can then return to the deck and see which details you remember.

Follow the ideas in the mind maps

Several mind maps focus on the ancient games. One covers the religious festival, events and a truce; another includes running in armor, horse racing and wrestling. Look at how each map groups its ideas, then compare the events and themes it presents with the material in the slide set.

Other maps connect the ancient games with the modern Olympics. A map on the background to the modern games traces the ancient games and their end, while The Olympians includes individual and team sports. These resources offer different starting points for thinking about the connection between ancient and modern games.

Use a quiz after a map

After studying a map, try Greece Olympics or the comprehension quiz on the ancient origins of the Olympics. Use the questions to identify details you want to look at again. A return to the flashcards or a relevant map can help you organize those details before another attempt.

Explore the unit

Ancient Olympic Games is a section of the Ancient Greece unit in History. The resources on this page give you ways to study this part of the unit through questions, visual connections and short presentations. Pick a mind map and use it to build your own set of notes.