Belvedere Classics Blog

Garden Fountain at the Villa d'Este, Tivoli

Over the Easter, a number of fifth year students travelled to Italy for this year’s Classics trip. 

They took in a lot of sites in their 5 day trip, including Colosseum, the Arch of Titus, The Arch of Constantine, the Fora Romano, Trajan’s Column, The Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.  They explored the underground tunnels of the Catacombs of St. Sebastiano, visited the Villa d’Este in Tivoli and a managed to fit in a visit to the ruins of Ostia.  Of course, no trip to Rome would be complete without a visit to the Vatican.

From there, they travelled south to visit  the  ill-fated town of Pompeii and braved the rain to hike up to the volcanic crater at the top of Mt. Vesuvius.  There was also plenty of time for RnR, with a trip to a theme park, evening pizza in the Piazza Navona and the consumption of our collective body weight of Italian ‘gelato’.

The trip was a huge success and thanks to everyone who was involved!

Looking forward to next year already!

Soaking up the atmosphere in the Colosseum

Sussing out the Arch of Constantine

View of the Colosseum

Checking out an ancient wine bar in Pompeii

Dramatic masks in the theatre at Ostia

In the forum at Pompeii

If anyone has any more photographs from the trip that they would like to share, please forward them on to rodonohoe@belvederecollege.ie or upload them on to the common server and send me a mail to let me know that they are there.

This week, the fifth years are busy discussing the Battle of Guagamela, one of Alexander’s most decisive battles. 

Below are some of the notes they generated in a class brainstorm.

Before the battle:

• Alexander crosses eastwards over Euphrates and Tigris rivers.
• Parmenio suggests night attack. Alexander declines. He says he doesn’t want to steal a victory at night, but will win fairly in open day.
• Alexander meets his generals before battle to reinforce importance of battle. If they lose, they will have to return home defeated.
• Darius learns from previous mistakes at Issos and has lined his army up on an open plain.
• Darius levels the land to ensure his chariots are effective.

The battle formations:

    Alexander’s side

• Parmenio and cavalry on left.
• Phalanx in middle (Ceonus) .
• Alexander’s companion cavalry on right (with Kleitos).
• Forms second line behind each wing of cavalry and centre.  This is an attempt to avoid being outflanked by the vast Persian army.

    Darius’ side:

• Mainly cavalry. 
• 200 scythe-chariots.
• War elephants.

The Battle:

• Battle won and lost between confrontation between Macedonian right and Persian left, commanded by Bessos.
• Alexander’s cavalry travelled sideways to prevent the Persions outflanking manoeuvr.  They eventually reached rougher plain which didn’t suit Persian cavalry and chariots.
• Scythe chariots attack phalanx but phalanx breaks ranks and chariots pass through and are destroyed by Macedonians skirmishers. (Archers, spears etc)
• Alexander drives through gap in Persian line.
• Darius sees this and flees in terror.

Aftermath:

• Alexander pursues fleeing Darius but can’t catch up.
• Alexander seems unstoppable.
• Breaks organised Persian resistance.
• Opens up the Persian Empire…Alexander can march on unchallenged.
• Heads towards Babylon and Persepolis.

It’s that time of year again when Transition Year students are busy trying to decide what subjects to choose to study for their Leaving Cert.

Classical Studies – Subject Choice Presentation

Below are some examples of comics the students made based on Alexander the Great.

1. Liam Conneely

Today is the official birthday of the Classics blog…ONE YEAR old today!!

If we were in Ancient Rome today, we would also be celebrating the festival of Parentalia which was a festival dedicated to honouring one’s dead parents and family ancestors.  It began on the 13th February and lasted for nine days.  During this time all temples were closed, marriages were forbidden, and public officials suspended business for the duration of the festivals.  Ovid describes sacred offerings (sacrificia) of flower-garlands, wheat, salt, wine-soaked bread and violets to the “shades of the dead” at family tombs, which were located outside Rome’s sacred boundary. These observances were meant to strengthen the mutual obligations and protective ties between the living and the dead, and were a lawful duty of the paterfamilias (head of the family).

Both 5th and 6th years are studying Alexander the Great at the moment.  They are focusing on the main pitched battles and sieges of his campaigns. 

Can you identify the famous siege depicted in the image below? 

One of Alexander’s most important elements of Alexander’s army was the phalanx, an infantry formation which he inherited from his father Philip II.  The phalanx consisted of professional, highly-trained soldiers.  They fought packed in a close rectangular formation, typically eight men deep, with a leader at the head of each column and a secondary leader in the middle, so that the back rows could move off to the sides if more frontage was needed. 

Each soldier carried as his primary weapon a sarissa, a spear almost 18ft in length.  Before a battle the sarissa were carried in two pieces and then slid together when they were being used.  At close range such large weapons were of little use, but an intact phalanx could easily keep its enemies at a distance. 

Based on these pictures, what would you consider to be the strengths and weaknesses of the phalanx?

The Belvedere Italian Classical Trip is fast approching.  It won’t be long until our group of 5th year students and their teachers will be departing from Dublin Airport on Friday, 22nd March for 5 nights. (22nd-27th March) 

There will be a meeting for all studentas involved in the trip on Tuesday, 29th January.

Time?     10.45 sharp (small break)

Where?  Rudiments Xavier (Ms. O’Donohoe’s classroom)

Bring?    Your school journal

It is important that anyone traveling on the trip is at this meeting.  Looking forward to seeing you all there to outline the itinerary!

Both the 5th and 6th year Classical Studies classes will be spending time studying Alexander the Great this term.  Based on the writings of Arrian and Plutarch, students will learn about the life and conquests of Alexander the Great.  Here is a brief summary of his life to spark your interest!!

Click on the link below for a question sheet to test your knowledge of Alexander after watching the above clip.

Question sheet based on Alexander the Great

Why not create your own Facebook page for a Roman of Greek god/goddess?

Click on the link below for a template and email your page to rodonohoe@belvederecollege.ie.

     Facebook Page template

        

The Annual Schools Lectures will take place on Saturday, 19th January in UCD.  A draft timetable for the day is included below.  The order of the lectures may change but the start time and topics will not.  

Registration will begin at 9.30 in the John Henry Newman (Arts) building.

The exact location for registration is to be confirmed and will be circulated in due course.

The UCD restaurant does not open on Saturdays so lunch will NOT be provided. The total cost per student is five euro and can be paid on arrival. 

Bookings MUST be made in advance as places are limited.

For all bookings contact Ian Maguire on 087 2998184 or ianmaguire77@gmail.com.

Provisional Timetable - Note the lectures relevant to Belvedere Classical Studies students are highlighted in orange.