GREECE

Who would think that this small country would become the cradle of Western civilization? Greece has contributed not only Aesop’s fables and the Olympics, but also many important principles in the fields of law, government, drama, art, philosophy and architecture. Discover the ancient and modern-day worlds of Greece through the direct links on the Times Launch Point Web site: https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint.

Here are the best sites for getting your schoolwork done or for just having fun.

Level 1

Greetings from Greece! Fables such as “The Hare and the Tortoise” and “The Dog in the Manger” by Aesop are still with us today because the stories tell important lessons about life and behavior. Experience Greek culture through some of its folk tales, recipes, holidays and games, and visit a few of its museums.

https://www.ipl.org/youth/cquest/europe/greece/greece.html

Voyage Back in Time: Ancient Greece and Rome: The ancient Greeks developed Doric and Ionic columns to support roofs. Learn about this ancient civilization’s architecture, government, agriculture, arts, sports and daily life and compare them with the achievements of the ancient Romans.

https://www.richmond.edu/~ed344/webunits/greecerome/

Kids’ Almanac: Greece: Only 19% of land in Greece is suitable for farming. Learn basic facts about this country and view its map and flag.

https://kids.infoplease.com/ipka/A0107588.html

Level 2

Encarta: Greece: At 9,570 feet, Mt. Olympus is Greece’s highest mountain and was once considered the home of the gods. Learn about this country’s geography, government, arts and history, including the story behind the Trojan War, described in Homer’s epic poem, “The Iliad.”

https://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=1&pg;=2&ti;=053AC000

Daily Life in Ancient Greece: In ancient Greece, children were considered to be “youths” until the age of 30. Learn about Greek customs and family life and compare how the lives of citizens in four Greek city-states--Sparta, Athens, Corinth and Argos--reflect very different values.

https://members.aol.com/Donnclass/Greeklife.html

The National Historical Museum: Modern Greece: View art and artifacts that tell the story of modern-day Greece, such as relics from the 18th and 19th centuries when Greece was under Turkish rule and portraits of fighters from the Greek War of Independence.

https://www.fhw.gr/projects/vouli/en/museum/museum.html

Level 3

Greece--A Country Study: Explore Greece in the modern age by learning about its geography, economy, society and government. Trace the history of Greece from the Stone Age through the politics of the 1990s.

https://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/grtoc.html

Athens News Agency: Keep up to date on Greece today through news of the past 48 hours, an online magazine with articles on Greek culture, sports and politics and a collection of biographies of Greek government officials.

https://www.ana.gr/

Greek Mythology: Did you know that in Greek mythology there was a monster named Chimaera who was part lion and part dragon? Explore the magical world of gods, goddesses, heroes and monsters, and discover how these myths were incorporated into ancient Greek pottery, sculptures and buildings.

https://library.advanced.org/26264/

Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This column was designed by Francine Rodriguez Kim, Elizabeth Cave, John Caroompas and Anna Manring.

EXPLORER’S QUEST

The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.

How did education differ between Sparta and Athens, two ancient Greek city-states?

CLUE: See Daily Life in Ancient Greece

Find What You Need to Know: Have a project on California history? Need help doing a math problem? Launch Point covers more than 100 topics for getting your schoolwork done. Go to https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/ for the full list of subjects and direct links to the best Internet sites.

Answer to last week’s Quest: The $19 shirt at 30% off would be $13.30, 30 cents less than a $17 shirt at 20% off.