Ancient Greek Family Games, at the National Garden of Athens
- Visit the National Garden of Greece, an oasis right in the city center
- Learn about the toys and children's games of ancient Greece, while playing with unique replicas!
- Let your kids and yourself travel back in time, gain skills and have fun!
- Understand the timeless importance of playing and discover the connection between ancient Greek and today’s games.
Play like an Ancient Greek in the National Garden!
Enjoy a unique family experience, reviving a joyful aspect of the Ancient Greek culture; Playing! Learn about childhood in Athens and Sparta and play 5 family games, just like the ancient Greeks did. Led by an enthusiastic facilitator, this activity will bring knowledge through action & entertainment. Suitable for families with children 6 - 12 years old; the games' difficulty level is customized accordingly.
Watch a short video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBo8LoKZXyY
Language: Plain English, suitable for families speaking English as a foreign language
Duration: 90min approximately
At least one adult per family is required.
At the end of the activity, we will provide a map of the garden so that you can explore it with your children.
A few words about the Garden:
The National Botanical Garden of Greece is a vast area covering 15.5 hectares, full of unique and rare flora. It used to be the Palace’s Garden, as well as the hunting ground of the Kings of Greece in the 19th and 20th centuries (Free entrance). It is located in the city center, right next to the Parliament (ex-Palace), between Syntagma Square and Kallimarmaro (Panathenaic) Stadium, and right next to “Zappeio” a magnificent neo-classical building of 1874. Very convenient if you wish to visit the city center and see the Evsones (tsoliades) guard change outside the Greek Parliament.
Back in 1838, the Royal Agronomist planted more than 500 plants and tropical species. Not all of them survive today but still the garden is an oasis including narrow paths with wooden benches, a small lake, a children’s library, a Botanical museum, a playground, ancient ruins, statues and busts of significant Greek personalities, a traditional café (kafeneion) and a small zoo with birds, goats and other domestic animals. A wonderful place to visit and relax, away from the city’s noise and summer heat.
Our journey will start at the main gate of the National Botanical Garden. We will learn how to introduce ourselves as ancient Athenians and then we shall enter the Garden and follow its paths, among rare flora.
Then, we will settle under shaded trees and discuss interesting facts about education and childhood in ancient Greece, comparing Athens with Sparta, the two major cities of the Classical world. We will discover the patron gods of play, the toys and their materials and of course the children's games of antiquity; all through real objects, photographs and interactive dialogue!
And then it’s time for action! Following the ancient resources, your family will play five ancient greek games using exclusive replicas of ancient objects. You will have fun and a great deal of laughs while trying to prevail and win!
At the end of the activity you will receive a wonderful souvenir!
Outside the Main Gate of the National Garden: Leoforos Vasilisis Amalias 1, Athens 105 57
Same as pick up
- ID or passport for adults.
- Your booking confirmation voucher (printed or as a photo).
- Casual clothes and shoes, a hat and a bottle of fresh water.
- Your curiosity and imagination!
- Expert facilitator
- Commemorative gift (one per family)
- Map of the National Garden for self-exploring after our activity (one per family)
- Local Taxes 24%
- Liability Insurance
This experience is an activity on ancient Greek family games, it is NOT a guided tour.
Ancient Greece is renowned of its culture. Architecture, sculpture and, of course, democracy are merely some of the ancient Greek achievements which have influenced our lives today. However, another, less known, aspect of ancient Greek life can still be viewed nowadays; the games.
The ancient word for games is paignia < paizo < pais which means child.
Indeed games always played an important part in children’s life, since they help them to understand the world around them, develop skills, be entertained, learn rules and socialise. In ancient Greece, each region had its own perspective of games. The biggest difference was found between Athens and Sparta, as they followed totally different ‘educational’ systems.
Despite the games were numerous, the information we have today is limited. There were of course toys for babies, while as the child grew up, would learn to play more complex games.
However, if you think that the only one who had fun were the children, you are wrong! Young men and women used to play games, either for fun or to exercise or to guess whether their lover loves them back. As for the adults, they mostly played lucky games.
Gods like Hermes, Dionysus, Athena and Zeus were, directly or indirectly, connected with games. The great philosopher Plato recognized the significance of such activities, while the father of medicine Hippocrates used to suggest men to play ‘krikelasia’ to work out. Lucky or divination games were also very popular during symposia. Their importance and popularity are undoubtful, since many of them passed in Roman period and then in Byzantium, while many are being played even now across the world!
100% refund, if cancellation is requested up to 2 days before the start of the Service
All full or partial cancellations should be made only by the Charged Customer by contacting Hellas Revival at bookings@hellasrevival.com.
If your cancellation/alternation is accepted, you will receive a confirmation email. If no email arrives within 3 working days since your request, please contact us at bookings@hellasrevival.com
Moreover, this workshop is an outdoor experience therefore it requires good weather. In case it is cancelled due to poor weather, you will be notified at least 3 hours ahead, and will be offered the option to choose between a different date or a full refund.
For more information regarding our Cancellation policy, please check our general Terms and Conditions https://hellasrevival.rezgo.com/terms
- Confirmation will be received at the time of booking.
- The language is plain English. There will be no difficult words or terminology.
- The games' difficulty level is customized according to the children's age.
- In the case the National Garden is closed for any reason, the activity will take place in the green open area of Zappeion (right next to the National Garden). The meeting point remains the same.
- Our facilitators are First Aid trained and certified, however, by law, they are not allowed to provide any medication, so please make sure you have your medication with you (especially for allergies).
- The replicas of ancient toys are made by Thetis Authentics Ltd and George Sagonas www.paignidia.gr.