Here's episode 22 of the podcast, where we let you peek your head round our classroom doors here at History At Our House!

Athens and Sparta always had very opposed ideologies and, even though they were not at war with each other for much of their existence, the peace between them was very uneasy. Sometimes it's best to just avoid each other... but when one group of people goes out of their way to help another group, and is then spurned, well... things can get messy!

Don't forget, if you're streaming via podbean, you can also subscribe via iTunes here and not miss any new episodes: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/history-at-our-house-ancient/id457257170

Here's episode 22 of the podcast, where we let you peek your head round our classroom doors here at History At Our House!

Athens and Sparta always had very opposed ideologies and, even though they were not at war with each other for much of their existence, the peace between them was very uneasy. Sometimes it's best to just avoid each other... but when one group of people goes out of their way to help another group, and is then spurned, well... things can get messy!

Don't forget, if you're streaming via podbean, you can also subscribe via iTunes here and not miss any new episodes: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/history-at-our-house-ancient/id457257170

Here's episode 21 of the podcast, where we let you peek your head round our classroom doors here at History At Our House!

The period of the Greco-Persian wars is one of those triumphant moments in history, where something incredibly good actually happens. History tends to have a lot of muddling forward, and a lot of people making bad decisions. The Greco-Persian wars themselves aren't utterly bereft of any of this, but they are still a mighty triumph, one which made possible a golden age in Athens which gave us a lot of art, science and philosophy which we still enjoy and are moved by today!

Don't forget, if you're streaming via podbean, you can also subscribe via iTunes here and not miss any new episodes: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/history-at-our-house-ancient/id457257170

Here's episode 21 of the podcast, where we let you peek your head round our classroom doors here at History At Our House!

The period of the Greco-Persian wars is one of those triumphant moments in history, where something incredibly good actually happens. History tends to have a lot of muddling forward, and a lot of people making bad decisions. The Greco-Persian wars themselves aren't utterly bereft of any of this, but they are still a mighty triumph, one which made possible a golden age in Athens which gave us a lot of art, science and philosophy which we still enjoy and are moved by today!

Don't forget, if you're streaming via podbean, you can also subscribe via iTunes here and not miss any new episodes: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/history-at-our-house-ancient/id457257170

Here's episode 20 of the podcast, where we let you peek your head round our classroom doors here at History At Our House!

As anyone from the United States well knows, slavery can cause massive tensions and rifts in any state. Particularly when that state is establishing itself as a "free" state, and trying to figure out what that word means. Greece had its own trouble with this (something students will see repeated in the Roman empire!). Although the slaves were "self-made" in a certain sense (they forfeited their and their family's freedom when they went bankrupt), it was still a cruel system, creating a lot of resentment - with tensions that came close to exploding!

Don't forget, if you're streaming via podbean, you can also subscribe via iTunes here and not miss any new episodes: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/history-at-our-house-ancient/id457257170

Here's episode 19 of the podcast, where we let you peek your head round our classroom doors here at History At Our House!

One of the things we're hot on here is the significance of events. It's not enough to know that such-and-such a people believed this or that such-and-such an event happened. We want to make sure students understand why it all matters. The Athenians had what is in many ways a strange form of government (one that went through many changes in its lifetime). In the period looked at here, we look at the significance of a certain aspect of their form of government: namely that there existed "monarchs", but these were very different creatures from the Kings we know of Europe. Indeed, because of the limits placed on this monarch it was very difficult to build any lasting legacy as a monarch, to have an enduring thing which could be called "The Monarchy", as we'll see!

Don't forget, if you're streaming via podbean, you can also subscribe via iTunes here and not miss any new episodes: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/history-at-our-house-ancient/id457257170

Here's episode 18 of the podcast, where we let you peek your head round our classroom doors here at History At Our House!

This week we're with the High School class, where students grapple a lot more with the ideas being bandied about in each period. They work to understand what these ideas are and how they influenced events. In this particular class the students studied why the Spartans were one of history's earliest examples of a Communist culture, and how understanding this is important in integrating ancient events with modern events. Students gain a better grasping the nature of various forms of governments as well as forming an enduring picture of humans as having a certain nature, as reacting in characteristic ways to similar conditions.

Don't forget, if you're streaming via podbean, you can also subscribe via iTunes here and not miss any new episodes: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/history-at-our-house-ancient/id457257170