Games from Greece

THE TOYS AND TEAM GAMES OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS

Greek antiquity connected childhood with game. This is manifested at the linguistic level with noun pais and others words like play, h play, the play, which have their roots in verb I play, that is, I have childish behavior, which appeared for the first time in his Odyssey Homer and was not connected only to world of children, but also with carefree play and dance of the nymphs (for this reason this verb was synonymous with the verb dance).

The ancient Greeks loved the game and it shows of the numerous exhibits that have survived and that related to typical snapshots of everyday life of life. In some cases the names of the games are similar to the corresponding today. Definitely a lot of them have been passed down from generation to generation, but should not we also forget Plato's view that Toys for children up to the age of six are innate that is, they are discovered almost automatically.

The games were made by the children themselves with fabric, wood, nuts and clay, while others were made by parents or bought from the koroplathos, who had them from their benches.

The first gift-toy for newborns was the platagi, the rattle, in which out from its use as a toy since it was busy babies, also performed magical properties, why they believed that her sound removed evil.

One of the boys' most favorite toys it was the ankles, the guts that took them together wherever they went in a bag, the wheel, the hoop, the horse-rod which they rode and ran to street competing many times with each other, but also the game with the current name yo-yo that it belonged to in the popular playthings, small toys-objects that is antiquity.

For the girls, the most favorite pastime was play with the plangona or daughter, clay doll, which dressed in clothes. Boys and girls were holding toysuntil adulthood. Then they ofered them to me ceremony to the gods. The boys in Mercury, the girls, one day before their marriage to Artemis, Hera and Aphrodite, with most beloved of all their doll that symbolized her purity that departed and fertility that would they acquired.

HOMERIC ERA

In Homeric times, people reported its surplus their time with games and games. With the traditions, the religion and legends cultivated games throughout social classes.

OLYMPIC GAMES AND CLASSICAL AGE

After the Homeric era and at birth (776 BC) of the Olympics the games were developed in enviable point. They held an important position in in central squares during a celebration.

Games and especially in the 5th c. e.g. were considered important for the education of the character, its exercise body, social and political development consciousness, the delight of the soul and their preparation children for the future life. Many philosophers such as Solos, Lycurgus, Socrates stressed the great importance of the game for its physical and mental completion human. Plutarch and Galen wrote many works for from the pedagogical role of toys, especially spherical.

In Sparta where the education was strict the game did not lost his place. His playful circle was created lower and upper pentathlon. The children were playing at lower pentathlon based on simple jumping exercises and roads and ended up in ball games. At the top pentathlon young people trained in wrestling, javelin and in discus throw.

In Athens, where another system of education prevailed, games occupied a prominent place in their education children from a very early age, because the city-state considered it is necessary for the people to be educated from their childhood. THE Plato likened the earth to the multicolored sphere, to that is, a child's ball, the gods as playmates and them people with playthings, their toys and observed that the age between three and six years is strongly characterized from the game (Plato, Laws). For this reason should pediatricians, educators to check not only the stories that listen to children, but also their toys, if through these can be practiced in learning and development skills. In his work

"State" he characteristically stated that children should be taught through play and not by force.

Aristotle in Politics had divided the games in combat, sports, learned and vindictive.

Athyrma:

A favorite toy of older boys was "the play ", a clay horse on wheels, which dragged it all over the house.

Akinitinda (Statuettes):

The ancient immobility game is still played today with the name statuettes, only there are some diferences. In immobility, players once given the slogan must remain motionless in whatever position they are at. The one who will move comes out of the game. In the statuettes, all the children are in line except one. This kid is about five meters away from the other children and with his back turned he says:

"Statues unheard, unspoken, unsmiling, day or night other children shake when he speaks, but when he asks answer "day" or "night". If they say "night" it continues game and if they say "day" it comes back and everyone stays statues. Then whoever moves, enters the position of the child and the game restarts.

Trolley:

The toy that longed for all the boys it was a carriage who were usually dragged by their loved ones dogs and when they were tired they dragged it children alone.