You are a young person from the Greek polis, or city state, of Athens. It is the year 430 B.C. You awaken from a restless sleep, a sleep full of strange and disturbing dreams. Last night you dreamt that you were the Greek hero, Odysseus, returning home from the Trojan War. As Odysseus you sailed throughout the Aegean Sea facing unimaginable foes, such as the one-eyed giant, the Cyclops. The Odyssey was a tale originally told by a blind poet named Homer, but last night it seemed all to real to you. The warm morning air drifts in through your bedroom window. Greece has what is known as a Mediterranean climate, generally warm and mild all year round. You slip out of your bed and your feet touch the cool floor of your room. You look outside to see your fathers slaves hard at work picking black olives, green olives, and grapes. The geography of Greece is so hilly that other types of crops have a hard time growing. Your father is one of the wealthiest men in all of Athens due to his extensive trade in fine olive oil.  You walk down the hallway into the shrine to say a morning prayer to Athena, the goddess of wisdom. A golden statue of the goddess usually sits in the shrine. This morning the statue is strangely missing. Your mother is probably cleaning it in the main room of the house. You say a quick prayer and burn some incense to the absent goddess.

Do you?

A) Go outside to watch the slaves work

B) Walk to main room of the house

A) You step down the wooden staircase leading to the vineyards where the slaves are hard at work. "Hello, Saracles!", you call out. A large burly slave raises his head and waves. As you approach him he looks troubled. "A group of men were walking through your father's property. They looked a little suspicious. I told them that they were on my master's land, and asked them to leave. They did so, but reluctantly. They were carrying a large bag. They headed toward the polis, the city-state.", he informs you. It is said that dreams can act as omens, or supernatural signs. "I hope that my dream last night wasn't an omen.", you think to yourself.

Do you?

B) Go inside to see if your family knows who the strange men are

C) Change clothes and head for the polis of Athens

B) You walk inside the main room of the house. Your mother and brother sit on wooden stools near the table. Your mother apparently has been crying. Your brother looks up at you with a fearful look on his face. "Wall diggers broke into our dwelling last night. (Wall diggers were thieves who dug through the mud brick walls into people's homes.) They stole mother's jewelry, and worse, they stole the statue of Athena!". "How could they do such a thing? Don't they know that Athena will bring ruin down on our family and theirs? " Do you?

D) Offer to find and return the statue

E) Run away for fear of Athena's anger

C) You head toward the polis of Athens. You walk down a well worn road leading to the city-state. Your light weight tunic blows gently in the breeze. If those men were up to no good, you would certainly have to bring them to justice. You hear the clop, clop, clop of hooves and turn around just in time to see a funny little man dressed in a red, flowing tunic. "Hullooo!", he calls out. "Would you like a ride to Athens?"

Do you?

F) Accept his offer

G) Decide that he looks a little suspicious and decline

D) "Mother, don't cry, I will find the statue! I won't stop until the golden goddess is in her rightful place in our family shrine!", you exclaim. Your mother and brother try to convince you not to go. "You are too young for such adventures!", they cry. "Perseus was also young when he went to kill the gorgon, Medusa. Then he rescued the princess Andromeda from the monstrous Kracken!", you declare. "I too will be a hero like Perseus!" Your brother shouts, "The story of Perseus is a myth! He wasn't real! How can you expect to be a hero like that?" "Brother,”, you say calmly, “all myths have their basis in fact. I will be that fact.".

Do you?

C) Head toward Athens to look for the thieves there

H) Try to board a ship because the thieves may have taken the statue to another city-state

E) Terrified by the thought of the missing statue, and Athena's wrath, you run out of the house! You know that the gods, if provoked, can become incredibly angry. When the gods pour out their divine wrath the Greeks call it Nemesis. You remember that in a myth, you were told that a titan, or giant, named Prometheus gave humans the gift of fire to cook and keep warm. The king of the gods, Zeus, or so you were told, was so angry that Prometheus would share such a gift with mortals, that he chained the titan to a great rock, where a giant eagle ate his liver every day. "No thanks!", you say to your self. "Why are you running away?!", shouts Saracles, the slave. "I don't want to be around when goddess Athena takes her revenge for allowing her statue to be stooooooooolllleeeeenn!" Just as the last words leave your lips, you trip on the root of an olive tree! You roll and stumble, and "Aaaaahhhh!", fall down the cliff near your home. You land with a thud on the sand of the beach. You try to breath, but cannot take a full breath. You try to move. Crack, pop, snap! You feel your broken bones move. "Ahhh!", you cry. You lay there for hours, unable to move. The tide begins to rise, with the waves of the Aegean Sea splashing around your mouth and nose. You try to call out, but cannot make a sound. "Its strange how the gods take their revenge," you think to yourself, as you descend into Hades, the realm of the dead.

THE END

F) The man seems a little odd, but you are tired of walking, so you accept a ride. "So why are you going to Athens, young one?", he asks. "I am looking for a golden statue of Athena, stolen from our family shrine.", you say. "I believe that the thieves were headed towards the city-state." He chuckles slightly, and flicks the reigns. The two of you travel past olive trees, and grape vines on the road to Athens. After a long while, you see the amazing architecture of the beautiful city-state. You see Ionic columns reaching up toward the sky, with their curling capitals supporting the large public buildings. People move back and forth carrying baskets of grain, and jars of wine for sale in the Agora, the market place of Athens. "I am traveling on to the city-state of Eleusis, where there is a shrine to the goddess of grain, Demeter. My crops have not been growing well, and I believe it is because my family has forsaken this goddess. Further in, toward the center of the polis is the Acropolis, the hill that contains the temples to the gods."

Do you?

I) Head toward the Agora, the market place

J) Head toward the Acropolis

G) You decide to walk to Athens. You thank the odd little man for his offer and continue your journey on foot. The warmth of the Mediterranean sun begins to make you sweat. You wipe your perspiring forehead with your light tunic. Your feet begin to ache.

Do you?

K) Rest a while

L) Keep walking

H) You decide to find the thieves using a ship. You head down to the beach where you know you’ll find Greek sailors. Soon, you see a sailboat anchored in the cool waters of the Aegean Sea. A group of sailors sit on the sand counting coins and telling tales of the sea. You approach one of the sailors saying, "Would you be willing to take me with you when you sail again?" "Why?", asks the sailor. "I am on a quest to recover a golden statue of the goddess Athena.", you say boldly. The sailors chuckle. "Little one, the sea is a dangerous place." "I'm ready!", you exclaim. The sailors prepare the ship to set sail. The afternoon sun begins to burn your face and shoulders. The light breeze fills the billowy sails and pushes the ship into the calm waters of the Aegean sea. The sailors say a quick prayer to Poseidon, the god of the seas, for protection. They say an additional prayer to the god of the winds, Aeolus. "We Greeks are the best sailors.", a young sailor informs you. "Why is that so?", you ask. "Well, our land is a land of many peninsulas, surrounded by the Ionian and Aegean Seas. If we couldn't sail, we couldn't trade." You smile, pretending to be interested, but all you can think of is recovering the golden statue of Athena and being a hero. The ship speeds past the region controlled by the city-state of Sparta. You remember your father telling you that all males in this city were required to serve in the Spartan military. The Spartans are very strict. As you round the Peloponnesus, the largest peninsula in Greece, the captain asks the passengers who is going to the island of Crete and who is going to Olympia.

Do you?

M) Go to Crete

N) Go to Olympia

I) You decide to head into the Agora of Athens, the market place. People move back and forth, carrying grain, olives, grapes, and jugs of wine. You pass many tent shops, with merchants shouting out the items they have for sale. Coins change hands and profits are made. A fisherman clips a squid and an octopus to a line to dry in the sun. These two sea creatures were a tasty delicacy in ancient Greece. As you stroll through the Agora, you see a large group of men standing in a circle. The men are discussing whether or not they should ostracize, or banish, another citizen from the city-state of Athens. "What did this man do? ", you ask a citizen nearby. "This man was a trusted soldier, until he told the Persians of our battle plans.", the man answers. The citizens, all of whom are men, cast their vote for or against by writing their decision on a piece of pottery and placing it into a large basket. The votes are counted and the soldier is banished from Athens. Two hoplites, or foot soldiers, escort the man to the city limits in disgrace. "You just witnessed Athenian democracy at work", the citizen declares. Democracy was something new in your world. All citizens in Athens could vote and make decisions in government. However, only men were allowed to be citizens. Across the way, group of three men carry something heavy in a bag. They look a little nervous, and quickly move through the Agora.

Do you?

O) Follow closely behind them

P) Confront them

J) You decide to head for the Acropolis, the hill in Athens that is covered with temple upon temple dedicated to various Greek gods and goddesses. Each temple is supported by tall columns, and is attended by priests. You remember your mother telling you that some priests are able to give you a direct message from the gods if you pay them a fee. Such priests and priestesses are known as oracles. You recall that the most famous oracle is located in the city-state of Delphi at the temple of the god Apollo. Elsewhere, on the steps of another temple sit several men. You quietly listen in to their conversation. Shhh. They seem to be discussing the meaning of life. These men are philosophers, people who use reason and logic to find the truth in life. The greatest of the philosophers, Socrates, will someday teach the young on these steps. As you walk through the Acropolis, you see a group of men carrying a bag, looking very suspicious. As you follow them, you see one man holding a dagger of gold. You immediately realize that dagger belongs to your father! These must be the wall-digging thieves that stole the statue of Athena!

Do you?

Q) Ask them politely to return the statue

P) Attack the thieves

K) You decide to rest a while. After all, you are very tired. A large leafy tree sways in the breeze. The shade under its branches looks very inviting. You start to snooze, and end up falling into a deep sleep. Hours go by and you hear the crashing of the waves on the shore. Lightning crackles and thunder booms! You feel disoriented. "Zeus, the king of the gods must be angry!", you think to yourself. He was of course the god who used lightning bolts as a weapon. All of a sudden, the sky lights up, and with a boom the tree you were standing under comes crashing down, with sparks flying everywhere. The last sight you see is burning wood and leaves, as your soul descends to Hades, the land of the dead.

THE END

L) You decide to keep walking towards the polis. With each step you grow more and more weary. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, you hear the sounds of a city. Shouts, the braying of donkeys, and the creak of wagons carrying heavy loads, all mix together to create the clamor that is common in and around the city of Athens. As you walk you see what appears to be a funeral procession. You see the body of the dead person being carried by five men. Many women and children follow behind crying and wailing. The men lower the body, and a woman places a coin in the dead man's mouth. You remember that your father's slave, Saracles, told you that the Greeks always placed a coin in a person's mouth after death, so that in the underworld they can pay the ferryman, named Charon, to ferry them across the river Styx. The river Styx in Greek mythology separated Hades, the land of the dead, from the land of the living. You wonder if this is all true. As the men begin to carry the body to the tomb, some of the women cut their long, dark hair with sharp knives. They then toss the locks of hair on to the body as a sign of grief. One woman starts scratching her cheeks until they begin to bleed, she wails in sorrow. "Greek funerals are an interesting sight!", you think to yourself. You hope that you will not end up as the guest of honor at a funeral like this in your quest to recover the golden statue of Athena.

THE END

M) You decide to go to the island of Crete. This island is known to be one of excitement and mystery. A group of people called the Minoans formed a fantastic civilization on the island of Crete thousands of years ago. Maybe the thieves took the golden statue there. After many hours of sailing through the Sea of Crete, you arrive at the port of Knossos. Knossos is the capital city of Crete. You thank the sailors and walk through the port leading to the city. Dried octopi hang from lines along the street, waiting for someone to purchase them for a tasty dinner. Several Cretans notice by your appearance that you must be from the city-state of Athens. They approach you. "What is your business in our fair city of Knossos?", one Cretan asks. "I'm looking for a golden statue of Athena that was stolen from our home in Athens.", you reply confidently. The men look at each other and whisper. Finally, the Cretan who first asked the question says, "Why don't you travel to the palace of Knossos to ask the king? He is very wise, maybe he would know where to look." You thank them for their advice. The smell of decaying sea life fills the air.

Do you?

R) Visit the king

S) Look around the city of Knossos

N) You decide to visit the city-state of Olympia. The captain of the ship tells you that there is a shrine to Zeus, the king of the gods, at Olympia. He goes on to inform you that the first Olympic Games were held there in 776 B.C. to honor Zeus. Maybe the golden statue of Athena will be in Olympia! The ship rounds the Peloponnesus and sails into the cool waters of the Ionian Sea. Finally, the ship is steered into a port near the city of Olympia. You thank the sailors, and step out of the ship. You see a sign with Greek writing on its face. The following message is written:

(Place the Sign Message on either the board or the overhead. The message says, "Turn right for theater, or left for Olympic Games". Allow students time to translate message.)

Do you?

T) Turn right to go to the theater

U) Turn left to go to the Olympic Games

O) You decide to follow quietly behind the suspicious looking men. You hear the tallest man laugh and say, "I can't believe how easy it was for us to dig through the walls into that house!". "Let's sell this golden statue, it has to be worth a fortune!", the shortest man exclaims. The men suddenly notice that they are being followed. They turn around. "Well, well, well! Look what we have here. ", shouts the tallest one. "Hey, its that brat from the house where we stole the statue!", the medium-sized man declares. The smaller man winds up and slugs you in the chin! You fall to the ground with a thud. The three men laugh, "How could you possibly stop us? You're just a child. We are the best wall-diggers in the world. No one could stop thieves like us, nobody! Not even the gods! " Maybe the thieves didn't notice, or maybe they didn't even care, but you remember distinctly that they were standing on the steps of the Parthenon, the magnificent temple to the goddess Athena. You also remember the sky opening up, and a bolt of lightning striking the three thieves where they stood. All you know is that now you are staring at three charred skeletons, and a melted puddle of gold that was once a statue. The three men were guilty of overwhelming pride, pride that offended even the gods. The Greeks called pride like this, hubris. As you walk home without the statue, you think to yourself that there are more important things than thieves and golden statues, like the family at home anxiously awaiting your return.

THE END

P) You decide to confront these men once and for all. You shout, "Hey, I think you have something that doesn't belong to you!" The three men realize that they have been caught, so they drop the statue and rush you!

(Toss a coin and have a student call heads or tails. If the student wins the toss, read WIN, if not, then LOSE)

WIN) You duck just in time. The tallest thief trips over you and lands hard on the ground. The smaller one grabs your arms from behind and pulls you to your feet. The medium-sized thief grabs a tree branch and prepares to bash your lights out. However, you spin around and the thief whacks his own partner in crime! The smaller thief falls to the ground with a groan, holding the back of his head. The medium-sized thief is very angry, and now slowly walks toward you with fists clenched. You back into a tree, with no where to go. The thief throws a punch, but you dodge the blow and his fist smashes into the tree! The thief doubles over holding his injured hand, cursing and yelling. You pick up the golden statue and bring it down, with force, on the thief's head. He drops to the ground. You breath a sigh of relief. As you start your long journey back home, you think to yourself, that you've had enough adventures for one lifetime!

THE END

LOSE) "That statue doesn't belong to you!", you shout at the top of your lungs. The men laugh and look at you with an evil glare. You wind up and slug the medium-sized thief right on the chin! He drops to the ground like a ton of bricks! The other two thieves look very angry now. The taller one grabs your arms from behind while the smaller one pulls out your father's golden dagger. You struggle, but you are held tight. "You shouldn't have tried to stop us.", the smaller thief chuckles. "See you in Hades!" With that he plunges the blade deep into your chest! You feel the cold metal against your insides and feel faint. The last sight you see is the two thieves carrying away the statue of Athena.

THE END

Q) You follow behind the men, and wait for a good time to approach them. You pass by the gymnasium, where men exercise, and practice sports like boxing, discus, and wrestling. The three men head into the gymnasium with you following closely behind. "Excuse me gentlemen. I believe you have something that belongs to my family.", you say, trying to sound brave. The men look surprised. "Hey, you're that brat from the house that we robbed!", says the smaller thief. The three men surround you. "Let's teach this youngster a lesson!", they all shout. "Help!", you cry. Sensing your distress, a group of wrestlers run to your aid. They grapple the three thieves to the floor. "Were these men bothering you, young one?", one wrestler asks. "They have stolen a golden statue of Athena from my home!", you explain. The wrestlers spin the three thieves in circles and drop them soundly on the ground. "You take this statue home, young one. The gods will punish these three.", says another wrestler. As you walk home, you think to yourself how good it will be to return as a hero.

THE END

R) You decide to take the Cretan's advice and head towards the palace of Knossos to see the king. Maybe someone so powerful would know where to look for the golden statue. You walk through crowded streets, and busy market places, then finally you see the thick red pillars of the king’s palace. As you walk through the pillars you see frescoes covering the palace walls. A fresco is a painting made with light, watery colors on plaster. The frescoes depict scenes of the sea. Dolphins swim gracefully near the ceiling, with frothy waves splashing below. You almost feel as if you were on the seashore. Further in you see a gurgling octopus with its many arms displayed. They are truly beautiful. You see frescoes of men and women carrying vases and jars. The men look very powerful and are painted in a vibrant red. The women look very beautiful and are painted in a bright white. You stop and stare for a moment. Suddenly, you feel a tap on your shoulder. As you turn, you see an armed guard dressed in bronze armor, carrying a long spear. "What is your business here?", the guard demands. "I need to see the king. I need his wisdom.", you reply. "Follow me.", the guard says. You walk down a long and twisting hall way. As you pass a courtyard you hear shouts and laughter. A group of men surround an angry bull. Suddenly, one rushes up to face it. He grabs the horns tight, and the bull violently snaps its head back. When it does this, the man is thrown into the air, does a flip, and finally lands harmlessly on the opposite side of the bull. The men cheer, and another man prepares to do the same. "What are they doing?", you ask the guard. "They are preparing for the bull-leaping contests.", he responds. Wow, what a pastime!

Do you?

V) Give Bull-leaping a try

W) Continue on to see the king

S) You decide that there is no reason to go directly to the king. After all, you can find out on your own, if anyone knows anything about the missing statue. You pass through crowded streets and busy market places. Soon, you see a temple, dedicated to the king of the gods, Zeus. The people of Crete believe that Zeus was born on their island, however the people of the Greek mainland do not believe that this is so. A message is carved into the front of the temple. It says the following:

(Place the Temple Message on the board or overhead. Allow students time to translate message. The message reads: "Oracle”.)

Everyone has heard of the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi, but not many people realize that other oracles existed in the ancient world. You decide to ask the oracle for advice. The inside of the temple is dark, and the smell of incense stings your nose. You walk further in. Suddenly you notice a older woman sitting behind an altar. "What do you wish to know?", the woman asks. "Where is the golden statue of Athena that was stolen from my home?", you question. You pay her a few coins and sit down. She picks up a two leaves and lifts them to her mouth. She then begins to chew them. The woman's eyes roll back in her head and she begins to spin around. Suddenly, she stops. "The statue is not on this island. Three men have taken the goddess to a hill. That is all I can tell you." "Not on this island!", you think to yourself. But I wasted all this time getting here! Well, a hero's work is never done. You thank the oracle for her advice and head back to the port to find a ship heading back to Greece.

THE END

T) You decide to head for the theater. As you walk, you hear the sounds of laughter, then silence. Then sounds of people gasping in shock and dismay. Then applause. A large amphitheater rises over the hilltop. Several hundred people sit in rows that are curved into a semicircle. Down below, several actors, all male, wear masks and play different roles. You can tell that this play must be a comedy, due to the laughter. Greek drama is famous for its comedies and tragedies. Tragedies focus on a powerful person who meets a terrible ending. The actors are able to be heard, even by the back rows, due to the construction of the theater. You notice the wealthy people passing bread and fruit back to the poorer people, so that everyone has something to eat. Presentations at the theater could sometimes last all day. Each presentation was dedicated to the god Dionysus. He was the god of wine and fun. As you watch the actors, you hope that your quest will not end up being a tragedy.

THE END