SOME QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT KALOKAGATHIA, by Sara Catastini and Virginia Stortini

KALOKAGATHOS..

1) What do Καλός and Αγαθός mean?

Καλός = good; noble and handsome
Ayaoòç = person’s bravery or ethics

2) Which famous philosopher used the neuter form of kalokagathia in his work to attempt to define ideals?

Plato in his work used the term to kalòv in his attempts to define ideals.

3) The Greeks invented athletic contests and held them in honour of their gods. Where did the most famous games take place and for who?

Famus games took place in Olympia, for Zeus.

4) Which of these phrases is a recent translation of "Kalos kagathos" emphasizing the military element?

“war hero”


5) Besides translating "Kalos kagathos" as "handsome and brave" how else can we translate it? As an intersection of which words?

“Good and upstanding” is a translation of Kalos Kagathos.

6) At the which Greek's poet times being not experienced in gymnastics was considered as a disgrace?

At Homer's times not being good at gymnastics was considered as a disgrace.

7) Because of the Kalokagathia schools of sports in ancient Greece, the Gymnasia, were devoted not only to bodily training but also to the mental training. In which country (in connection with that fact) the term "Gymnasium" became the general title of high schools?

This became the general title of high schools especially in Germany.

8) As a result of what the idea of "kalos kagathos" lost its sense?

On the one hand because of the development of professional sports and on the other by the development of the strictly intellectual disciplines.

9) When did the idea of Kalokagathia lose its sense?

It lost its sense in the 6th century bc.

10) What is the opposite of Kalokagathos?

Thersites is the opposite of Kalokagathos.

MEN AND WOMEN IN ANCIENT GREECE by Diletta Giacomelli, Hristina Petkova and Marco Salvadori

Womens’s life

Greek women had no political rights; they had to bear children and to run the household. Duties of rural women were agricultural works .When men weren’t at home the wife with slaves had to run the household.

In the poorest homes the wives had to do the household by themselves.

Greek women could go outside the house only to visit her female neighbours , or for weddings or funerals

The clothes of the women were normally made at home from locally available wool.

Later women spent much of their time in the courtyard of the house, the one place where they could regularly enjoy fresh air .

Men’ s life

Men’s activities encompassed politics, arts and crafts, construction, agriculture, sea-faring, manufacturing and trade

The most important men’s pastimes were hunting and horseback riding which took place far from constraints of family life.

In the school philosophy, mathematics, logic and rhetoric were taught only to aristocratic boys.

The difference

While the men spent their free time going hunting and horseback riding, women had to look after their children and run the household.

Women couldn’t neither take part in the politic life or vote while man had important activities in politics, art, crafts and trade.

Men could study and become important in the social life; while women had to stay at home without going to school or studying.

Women could enjoy only in the courtyard of the house; while men usually could go out for work or for spare time activities.

While women had to wear poor and simple clothes men wore smart and classical clothes.

OUR OWN KALOKAGATHIA RULES

by Sara Abbatiello e Eriada Bullari
SOME RULES FOR HARMONY BETWEEN THE MIND AND THE BODY

1. Do regular physical exercise:- it maintains the mind elastic;
- it makes the body loose;







2. Healthy eating:- fresh foods;
- fresh vegetables;
- fresh fruits;
- drink some water;












3. Take a moment to relax:
- do massages to overcome stress;









4. Do yoga and shiatsu.








5. No smoking:
- it seems the right solution for the moment
but it is not in effect.









6. Do not abuse alcohols:- not a good remedy.











7. Try to sleep well:- it supplies energy
- in order to begin the day well;
- it is better to go to sleep before midnight;










8. Don’t think about the things that could hurt you: to begin the day with a smile;

9. Go out with friends:- to have fun;
- to try not to think;












10. Take care of the aesthetics:- you’re better when you feel beautiful;

OUR OWN KALOKAGATHIA RULES, by Bettina Granchi and Viola Londi

Our Own Rules of Kalokagathia

There are 10 rules in the life of a person to be in harmony with the mind and the body:

1. The best way to start a day is to having a healthy breakfast with a hand-made cake and a fruit juice. The lunch must be based on carbohydrates, sugars or protein to give power, while the dinner must be very light to have a good sleep and a good digestion (two very important features for both the mind and the body).

2. Spending the time playing sport is the best way to remove tension and stress. It’s very important for the mind. Moreover playing sport frequently helps to get the body better, and so to feel good.

3. Spending a lot of time with friends it’s a beautiful way to be happy.

4. Reading many books is useful to learn new things. This is important to get better the harmony with the mind.

5. Listening to music can be salutary to relax, but if the music is too noisy it can be dangerous for the mind.

6. Doing extra school/work activities (like doing voluntary work or helping someone) is very important for the mind, in fact a lot of people can be happy doing something useful for the community.

7. Getting to know new people and new places is a great way to avoid boredom.

8. Crying is a good way to remove the stress in case of fear and sadness.

9. Thinking positively is the best way to have good relations with family and friends and it helps to go on when life isn’t very good.

10. Staying a lot of time outdoors is important not to become lazy.

MEN AND WOMEN IN ANCIENT GREECE by Serena Benvenuti and Sara Salvini

WOMEN

· The duties of a Greek woman were to bear her children and to manage the family. The woman was responsible of raising her children and sewing the clothes of the family.

· The women had to also pick up olives and fruit. The women spent much of their time in the courtyard of the house.

· The Greek women didn't have pastimes, but they were slaves: they had to cook, clean, and carry water from the fountain.

MEN

· The activities of the Greek man were the politics, arts and crafts, construction, agriculture, sea-faring, manufacturing and trade.

· For the Greek men agricultural work was the overwhelming reality of their lives.

· The favourite pastimes of the Greek men were hunting and horseback riding.

PROJECT OUTLINE

The ancient Greek ideal of education is depicted in the term of Kalokagathia - in a human being harmony consists of reaching balance between their two dimensions - body and mind. Education in Athens did not divide the mind from the body, people were educated towards harmony. There were two kinds of education that helped to develop a human being - "music" and "gymnastics". Both, "music" and "gymnastics" were taught at the same place and belonged inseparably to each other. They were both necessary for a human being to become harmonious. "Music" meant learning not only music, but also to appreciate the works of famous poets, to play musical instruments and to acquire general knowledge, and "gymnastics" meant exercising in order to have a strong and healthy body, to learn noble manners, to develop physical abilities and to achieve good taste. In our project we would like to learn more about kalokagathia and find ways to incorporate the idea into our everyday school practice. It should not only improve the quality and attractiveness of education but also promote the idea of lifelong learning, active citizenship and intercultural dialogue.

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE PROJECT?

The project is aimed at enhancing a positive attitude to the social, moral and psychological development of students by improving their lifestyle with regard to healthy eating and active living. Teams of Italian-Polish students will carry out surveys and the resulting materials will be posted on the project website in order to lead an open discussion concerning various topics connected with promoting a healthy and active lifestyle (e.g. ancient idea of Olympics and drugs in modern sports; questionnaire about fitness and dietary habits of young people; anorexia and bulimia in connection with the world of fashion and pop music celebrities). Students and staff will have the opportunity to practice a wide range of sport and leisure activities focusing on the culture of active participation, in each school and also in international teams during the class exchanges.

We want to encourage our students to use the Internet as a supportive tool for learning. One of the main methods of working on the project are WebQuests. This innovative, student-centered and inquiry-based method challenges students to explore the web for information. WebQuests include the links that are appropriate for students to research as well as suggestions for further research. The first WebQuest will be created by teachers but we want to teach the students how to create their own WebQuest and we expect our students will share the knowledge they have gained and the information about their town and region using WebQuests and/or PowerPoint presentations

We will also create a website with a special forum space for students and teachers to discuss the main topic of the project and to exchange information, opinions, good practice. The Skype peer-to-peer network will be also used

Contacts with the students from the other country, discussing interesting topics chosen by students, research on their town and region, creating WebQuests and PowerPoint presentations to show their partners the culture of their country, receiving information and knowledge of the same kind from them, visiting their school and town, staying in their families for several days etc. will promote tolerance and mutual understanding. Students will also improve their English communication skills and motivation to communicate in a foreign language for real purposes.

WHAT ARE WE DOING, AND WHEN?

November 2008 General WebQuest on kalokagathia
December 2008 Students learn how to create a WebQuest
January 2009 Students’ WebQuests in Word about various aspects of kalokagathia
February 2009 Students learn how to make a PowerPoint presentation
March 2009 Students’ PowerPoint presentations about kalokagathia
April 2009 Italian students prepare leaflets and PowerPoint presentations about their town and region
May 2009 Class exchange (Italy).Presentation of students research on healthy lifestyle and following open discussion on the project website
June 2009 Students’ and teachers’ discussion “How we understand kalokagathia in our times and what we can do/change/improve in our schools to incorporate the idea in school practice”Preparation of the materials about each school for the official website of the project
October 2009 Polish students prepare leaflets and PowerPoint presentations about their town and region. Class exchange (Poland).
December 2009 Students learn how to build a website. Students’ website presenting the results of their artistic activities
June 2010 Final version of the official website of the project with the best results of our work, anthology of students artistic achievements on CD, DVD

Questionnaire - First Part

Questionnaire - second part