Key Stage 2 history · World history

KS2 Ancient Greek achievements: a guide for parents

The National Curriculum names Ancient Greece as a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world. This page covers the achievements strand: the ancient Olympic Games, architecture such as the Parthenon, theatre, philosophy, early history writing, mathematics and medicine. Children learn what the Greeks did, when, and how to weigh up which achievements mattered most.

Ancient Greek achievements, explained

Greek achievements are usually taught across the period from about 800 BC to the 200s BC, with many of the best-known ones in the 400s and 300s BC, so a timeline is essential. Children learn that the Greeks were remarkable in many fields, but not that they were the only clever people in the ancient world. Greek thinkers learned from Egypt and the Near East, and the Greek alphabet itself was adapted from the Phoenician one. The point of the topic is to understand what was distinctive about what Greek people achieved.

The Olympic Games are the best-known example. Traditionally the first Games took place at Olympia in 776 BC, in honour of Zeus, and were held every four years. Athletes ran, wrestled, threw the discus and javelin, and raced chariots; the winners at Olympia received a wreath of olive leaves rather than a medal. Only free Greek men and boys could compete, and city-states agreed to pause fighting so travellers could reach Olympia safely. The ancient Games continued for over a thousand years, until they are usually said to have ended around AD 393.

In building, the Greeks developed styles of column still named after them: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. The Parthenon, a temple to the goddess Athena on the Acropolis in Athens, was built between about 447 and 432 BC, and is the most famous example. Greek theatre began as part of religious festivals; writers created tragedies and comedies that were performed in open-air theatres, with actors wearing masks and a chorus commenting on the action. Many of these plays survive.

Greek thinkers also asked big questions about the world. Philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle argued about how people should live and how we can know things. Hippocrates and his followers taught doctors to look for natural causes of illness rather than blaming the gods. Herodotus wrote one of the first long accounts of past events, and the Greek word “historia” meant enquiry. In mathematics, Euclid wrote a clear textbook of geometry, and Eratosthenes worked out the size of the Earth, with an estimate that was surprisingly close.

As in all history work, children are asked to note connections, contrasts and trends, and to build an informed answer by choosing relevant facts and organising them. A teacher might ask, “Which Greek achievement do you think was the most important, and why?” There is no single right answer, but a good answer gives evidence for its choice. Which achievements are covered in more depth, for example sport, myths, art or science, differs between schools.

Words your child will hear

Olympia: The sacred site in southern Greece where the ancient Olympic Games were held.
Philosopher: A thinker who asks deep questions, such as what is right or how we know what is true.
Tragedy: A serious play, usually about suffering and difficult choices.
Comedy: A funny play, often poking fun at politicians and everyday life.
Column: A tall stone pillar holding up part of a building; the Greeks had three main styles.
Geometry: The mathematics of shapes, lines and angles.
Achievement: Something important that a person or society managed to do.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 2 says:

Pupils should be taught about Ancient Greece – a study of Greek life and achievements and their influence on the western world
Pupils should note connections, contrasts and trends over time and develop the appropriate use of historical terms.
Pupils should construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

A model answer: the most important achievement

Enquiry question: Which Ancient Greek achievement was the most important?

List the possible achievements: the Olympic Games, the Parthenon, theatre, philosophy, medicine, mathematics. Pick two or three to compare, rather than writing about all of them.
Decide on a way to judge “important”. Good criteria might be: did it affect many people, did it last, and did it change how people thought or lived?
Choose one fact as evidence for each. The Parthenon: still standing, though damaged, nearly 2,500 years later, and copied in many buildings. Hippocrates: taught doctors to look for natural causes of disease. Olympic Games: held every four years for over a thousand years.
Make a decision. Weigh the options against your criteria. An idea that changed how people thought, such as looking for natural causes of illness, may have affected more lives than a single building.
Write the answer with a clear opening, evidence in the middle, and a short conclusion that admits another view.

I think the most important Greek achievement was the new way of thinking about illness, started by Hippocrates and his followers. They taught that diseases have natural causes, which doctors should observe carefully, rather than being punishments from the gods. This idea shaped medicine for centuries. The Parthenon is also impressive, because it still stands after nearly 2,500 years, but it affected the way people built, not how they understood the world. Some people would argue that the Olympic Games matter most, since they are still held today, but I judge ideas that changed people’s thinking to be more important.

Common mistakes and how to help

Thinking the ancient Games included a marathon

The modern Olympics are so familiar that children assume the events were the same.

What helps: The marathon was introduced at the first modern Games in 1896, inspired by a legend. The ancient Games had races of different lengths, wrestling, the discus and chariot racing.

Believing Greek temples and statues were plain white marble

Today only the bare stone survives, so pictures in books look white and clean.

What helps: Traces of paint show that many were brightly coloured. Look at images of reconstructions and ask why the colour has gone.

“The Greeks invented everything.”

A topic about achievements can make it sound as if the Greeks started every idea from nothing.

What helps: Explain that they borrowed and improved ideas from Egypt, Babylon and Phoenicia, such as the alphabet. Ask your child to say “developed” instead of “invented” when it is more accurate.

Assuming all Greek people could take part in sport, theatre and learning

The achievements are described as belonging to “the Greeks”, which hides who was left out.

What helps: Ask who could compete at Olympia, who could attend school and who did the work. Women and enslaved people mostly could not take part in these achievements.

How to help at home

Hold a mini Games. Set up running, standing long jump and a throw with a soft ball in the garden or park. Give out a wreath of leaves, and discuss why the only prize at Olympia was a simple olive wreath, when today’s winners get medals and sponsorship.
Spot the columns. On a walk, look for pillars on banks, town halls, libraries and churches. Ask whether they look plain or fancy, and talk about why buildings copy Greek styles.
Act out a play. Make paper-plate masks with big happy or sad faces and act out a very short scene, such as a family argument over bedtime. Children see how masks helped audiences far away understand emotions.
Try a philosopher’s question. At dinner, ask something with no simple answer, such as “Is it ever right to break a promise?” The Greek philosophers asked questions like this, and the rule is to give reasons, not just opinions.

Leads on to

Key Stage 3: A significant society in world history