A Symposium of Ancient Times

	*The word 'symposium' comes from an ancient Greek word 'symposion' which meant 'a feast with music and conversation'.* These days, feasting and music are no longer part of a symposium but talking is. Nowadays, it means 'a meeting for the discussion of some subject'.
After reading a book called "Language and How to Use It', children in Year 5G at Rochedale State School created their own symposium. In pairs, the children were given one of the following questions to try and answer. They used the Internet or Encyclopaedia CD's to research their topic, wrote out the answers in their own words, and typed them up. Here's our 'Symposium on Ancient Times'. Click below each question to see our answers.
1. The *Great Pyramids of Egypt* were among the Seven Wonders of the World. Find out if a 30-story building could fit into the biggest one. Find out what was inside the pyramids, what the shape of the sides was and how the huge stones in the pyramids got there.
*1. Answer*
2. The Colossus of Rhodes was another wonder of the Ancient World. Rhodes was a Greek City. The word 'colossal' comes from 'colossus', so you know the Colossus of Rhodes was something big. What was it? Why has no-one seen it for more than 1 500 years?
*2. Answer*
3. Papyrus was the writing material of Egypt and other Ancient countries. What did it come from? How was it prepared for writing? How did papyrus "books" differ from books today?
*3. Answer*
4. The lotus was sacred in Egypt. Did the Egyptians paint pictures of it, eat it, make carvings of the lotus in their temples or worship it?
*4. Answer*
5. Centaurs were Greek. A famous old centaur named Chiron was the teacher of some of the heroes in Greek myths and legends. Find out what you can about Chiron. Why would it be astonishing to come to school some morning and find a new teacher who was a centaur?
*5. Answer*
6. King Tutankhamen was an Egyptian king. If you look him up, perhaps you can explain why he was more famous when he was dead than when he was alive. You can also tell about some of the things that were discovered in his tomb.
*6. Answer*
7. The *scarab* was sacred to the Egyptians, who believed it had magic powers. Find out whether a *scarab* was animal, vegetable or mineral and why it was sacred.
*7. Answer*
8. Diana was a Roman goddess. Find out why women and hunters prayed for her help and why she belonged to the night. What kind of symbol would you design to stand for *Diana*?
*8. Answer*
9. Apollo was the brother of Diana. If you look him up, you will find that he also was her antonym in nature. Explain why. Poets and musicians made special offerings to *Apollo*, hoping for his help. Explain that too.
*9. Answer*
10. Pan was the Greek god of all wild places and of mischief and merrymaking. He invented the musical pipe and could make wonderful music with it. Explain why he never wore sandals or shoes and why you could hang your hat on his head.
*10. Answer*