Timeless Tales

Posted on: 11/05/2022

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Pupils in our 9s enjoyed a trip to the National Gallery to look at how Greek and Roman mythology is depicted in some of its most famous paintings.

For thousands of years, artists from ancient Greek potters to European masters have painted and repainted stories drawn from classical mythology in their work. Our 9s enjoyed a fascinating tour of the National led by our Classics teachers that focused their attention on the gripping stories behind a few of the gallery's best known depictions of timeless myths, such as The Judgement of Paris by Rubens, below, and the two sequential paintings of the story of Diana and Actaeon by Titian, above.

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The trip consolidated and extended the pupils' knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology. The year group was led around the gallery by Head of Classics Mrs Seaton, Mr Lineker and Dr Mader, who each unravelled the story of each painting with the pupils all asking questions and adding their own thoughts, knowledge and insights. 

One of the accompanying parents was particularly enthusiastic about the trip. "It was amazing and Mrs Seaton, who was leading our group, was very knowledgeable and passionate. She really captured everyone's attention. The children already knew so much, they were very focussed and engaged in dialogue and were extremely inquisitive.' 

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The trip was amazing...the children already knew so much, they were focussed and engaged in dialogue and were extremely inquisitive.

Accompanying 9s parent

When they are in the 10s next year, the children will have to decide whether to continue to study Latin. With this trip, an earlier visit to Verulamium and a Roman Day to look forward to in the 10s, there is much to persuade them of the benefits of studying the subject further!

Meanwhile top-set Latin pupils higher up the school in the 12s do not need any persuading! So great is their love of Classics, that they have been offered the choice of studying Greek (new on the curriculum for September 2022) in the 13s. Mrs Seaton is delighted by this excitement for her subject and says, 'I am thrilled that so many Harrodians are enjoying Latin. The 12s have so impressed me over the last four years of their Latin journey with their enthusiasm, commitment and aptitude for languages, so by offering them the chance to learn Greek I wanted to give them the unique chance to further their language skills and their appreciation for the origins of language, whilst giving them a further taste of the Classical world."

[By offering Greek]... I wanted to give our 12s the unique chance to further their language skills and their appreciation for the origins of language, whilst giving them a further taste of the Classical world. 

Head of Classics Mrs Genevieve Seaton

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