Lesson overview:
Students will examine an artwork, a kylix cup, used in the game of Kottabos. After discussing the artwork, its form and meaning, students will draw their own new cup with a modern symposium scene. Then, students will play Kottabos VR to see the artwork and game in an interactive ancient context. Finally, they will discuss how their understanding of the artwork has changed. You can optionally also have them create their own kylix cup from clay.
Learning objectives:
- Learn about ancient gaming.
- Learn about the symposium.
- Learning about the social context of ancient art.
- Use technology to learn about how ancient people and art interacted.
Materials:
- Handout about the Symposium (CC-BY J. Paul Getty Trust: Education pdf).
- Images of the artwork (pdf).
- Handout to draw modern scene (pdf).
- Handout with questions to answer (pdf).
- Handout to make a kylix (Copyright J. Paul Getty Trust: Education pdf) (https://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/tips_tools/downloads/aa_cup_symposium.pdf).
- Kottabos VR from Steam (https://store.steampowered.com/app/2626890/Kottabos_VR/).
Lesson Steps:
- Review the symposium handout with your students. Look at an artwork, the symposium scene kylix (ancient cup) by the Malibu Painter*.
- Handout with Questions: Have each student answer a question (2-3 sentences) on what they thought the artwork was used for before doing this assignment today.
- In a group: Discuss what they thought the artwork was used for before today. Discuss the symposium.
- Discussion Points:
- Where have they seen this type of artwork before? (Museums, classrooms?)
- Does it look breakable or like something that can be handled easily?
- What types of images are depicted on it? What do you think the purpose of those images was?
- Point out the table with food on it. Point out the couches for reclining and eating.
- Why are the people reclining? Can they imagine eating that way?
- Talk about the symposium and kylix with your students. Have them draw their own cup.
- Handout for Sketch: Have each student drawn their own cup with a scene from a modern dinner party.
- In a group: Discuss how the cup would impress the guests of the host of a symposium.
- Discussion Points:
- How is the ancient symposium like modern dinner parties?
- What would you want to show on a cup for a dinner party to impress your guests?
- Play the game Kottabos VR. Have the students watch in a group as each student plays and cheer for each other!
- Handout with Questions: Have each student answer a question (2-3 sentences) on how their understanding of the game of Kottabos and their understanding of the artwork have changed today.
- In a group: Discuss the context of the artwork in the 3D world as opposed to the museum.
- Discussion points:
- How has their understanding of the game of Kottabos and this type of artwork changed since doing this assignment and playing the game today?
- What are artworks in our daily lives that function similarly now to how this work functioned for ancient Greek people?
- How does the museum context change how you think about this artwork than how you think about it in a dining space?
- *Optional* Have students make their own kylix cup out of clay using the Getty handout.
Lesson Assessment:
Assess this assigned based on the following.
- Group participation in discussions.
- Individual participation in playing the game.
- Written answers to the two discussion questions (handout).
- Effort placed in the sketch (handout).
* 3D model created by Allard Pierson and the 4Dresearchlab (CC-BY). https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/drinkschaal-kylixsianaschaal-symposium-scene-19f91ca0e7944e3ebd22ecd8d9c9c4b6
