U) You decide to turn left to go to the Olympic Games. You remember that the Olympic Games began in Greece in 776 B.C. You soon find yourself in an open field. You begin to wonder if you read the sign correctly. The ground is moist and the imprint of wagon wheels and hooves can clearly be seen. People must have passed this way. Eventually, after walking several miles, you hear the sound of horns and cheering. You see a field filled to capacity with excited fans. As you near the open plain, you see why they are cheering. Close to one hundred athletes slowly walk out into the middle of field. Their bodies are glistening in the sunlight, obviously covered in oil. An altar to Zeus, king of the gods, stands at the far end of the field. The games begin. You see competitors from every city-state. Athletes from Sparta, Corinth, Thebes, Mycenae, Troy, and of course, your city-state of Athens, push the limits of the human body. You see track and field events, such as the discus throw and running events. Javelins fly through the air and wrestlers throw each other to the ground. Boxers, with leather straps around their fists, pound their opponents into submission. You notice that the long jumpers carry special stone weights in their hands while they are preparing to jump. As soon as they swing their arms to jump, the stones are dropped. A spectator tells you that they use these weights to increase the distance of their jump. Evening quickly approaches, and the sky grows dark. It is now time for the final event, the relay races. Teams from Athens, Sparta, Troy, and Thebes compete for the prize. The lead runners carry torches to light their way. The race begins and the crowd goes wild! They stomp their feet, whistle, and cheer. The final runners race toward the altar of Zeus, where a pile of dried wood and leaves has been placed. The runner from Sparta is in the lead with the Athenian runner close behind. You find yourself cheering for your home team of Athens. The Athenian runner strains and strides and manages to pass the Spartan! You feel a sense of pride when you see a fellow citizen of Athens light the altar at the temple of Zeus. The crowd goes wild! The light reflects off a statue of Zeus that is nearly three stories tall! The enormous statue of Zeus reminds you of the small golden statue of Athena that you are searching for. You hope that as your adventure continues, you too will find the courage that these Olympic athletes possess.
THE END
V) You decide to try your skills at bull-leaping. You walk out into the courtyard, with the guard following close behind. "I would like to leap the bull. With your permission of course.", you say. "Be our guest.", the men and women chuckle. You start to feel a little nervous, thinking about the prospects of actually leaping a bull. The bull snuffles and snorts loudly! You run at the horns!
(Flip a coin. Ask a student to call the toss in the air. If the student wins the toss read WIN. If the student loses, read LOSE.)
WIN) You grab the horns and hold tight. The bull rears its powerful neck back, lifting you in the air. Your arms and legs flail wildly in the air as you soar over the raging bull. You land on your side with a thud. You hear claps and cheers! As one of the men picks you up off the ground, he says, "Well, that wasn't one of the more graceful leaps I have ever witnessed, but you survived!". You thank the bull-leapers for allowing you to give their sport a try. Hopefully, your luck will lead you to the golden statue that you seek.
GO TO W
LOSE) You grab the powerful horns and with a snort, the bull tosses you in the air like a rag doll. You feel a spinning sensation, and with a thud and a snap, you land on your head. You are knocked unconscious, and your breathing stops. Your soul descends to the world of the dead, Hades.
THE END
W) You decide that bull-leaping would be fun, but the important thing now is to stay focused on your quest, recovering the golden statue of Athena. You head down the long hallway following the armor-clad guard. Finally, the two of you reach a massive doorway with thick red columns at either side. The guard slowly leads you through the entrance into the throne room. The king sits at the far end of the room on a throne made of alabaster, a whitish rock. He is surrounded by servants and guards. The guard announces, "This person is from the city-state of Athens, searching for a golden statue of the goddess of wisdom, Athena.". The king motions you forward. "How dare you enter the throne room without my permission! ", the king declares with a hint of anger in his voice. "Your majesty, ", you stammer, "I am only looking for the golden statue of Athena, that was stolen from our families home." "Are you suggesting that I or someone from my kingdom had something to do with it?", the king growls. "No, your majesty, I . . . .". The guards grab your arms and hold them tightly. "Take him to the labyrinth!", the king screams. The guards drag you, against your will, to what appears to be a dungeon. The gate is locked behind you. "Watch out for the Minotaur!", the guards yell out. As your eyes struggle to adjust to the darkness, you make out a pathway leading forward. You travel through corridors and doorways, becoming more and more lost with time, in the murky maze. You bump into walls and stumble over piles of bones in the inky blackness. You hear loud breathing echoing behind you! You hope that it is only the air escaping from your own lungs. Clop . . . Clop . . . . Clop . . . . Clop . . . . Clop. You hear what seem to be large pounding footsteps coming nearer and nearer. Your heart leaps out of your chest! You can barely see, but you feel hot, foul smelling breath on your face. You look up in time to see the outline of the horned head of a bull attached to a powerful human body! You are now dinner!
THE END
copyright Jay D'Ambrosio 1998
Discussion Questions
Directions: After reading the adventure, discuss the questions below with the listeners.
1. What was the climate of ancient Greece like? How did that affect the way people lived?
2. Which gods were probably the most important to the ancient Greeks?
3. What was the market-place of a Greek city-state called? What activities went on there?
4. What was the name of the hill in Athens where many Greek temples were located? What did these temples look like? Have these temples influenced the way we construct buildings today?
5. In which city-state were the Olympic Games held? Who did the games honor? Compare the ancient Olympic events with modern ones.
6. Name two forms of Greek drama? Describe each. Which kind would you most enjoy?
7. The Minoans were an ancient civilization that lived on which island?
copyright Jay D'Ambrosio 1998