Greek Olympic Amphora
3rd Grade Art
by Karen Buhr
October 14, 2008
Students at Titan Hill learned the history of the original Olympic Games. The Olympics began in 776 B.C. in Greece. The first Olympic game was the stoele ( A Greek word for stadium). Several events were added and became very popular. Winners of the events received purple ribbons and an olive leaf wreath as a crown. The winners were heroes. Songs and statues were made in their honor.
How do we know this? Artifacts have been found. Olympic scenes were painted on amphoras. An amphora is a Greek vase with two handles on the top. It was used to carry liquid such as water and oil. Stories of everyday life, celebrations, and events were illustrated on the pottery.
Students created their own amphora by creating two pinch pots together and added handles. After they were fired, the students painted their amphoras with black and orange tempera paint with Olympic events on their pottery.
