Peer Review

Cultural Map of Hellas

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Dec 16, 2002 by History

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: The site offers an online tour of Hellenic Culture. Museums, archaeological
sites, and monuments are selected by district from a map of Greece or from a
table enabling the user to gain access to ifnormation about a site. Many of the
sites are unfamiliar outside Greece. A search engine is available.
Type of Material:: Each site provides photographs and brief descriptions. Sites are associated
with museums, archaeological digs, monuments, and festivals and events. Links
on the bottom of the start page offer web pages published by the Ministry of
Culture on current cultural events and organizations.
Recommended Uses:: The site offers a virtual tour of Greece for those interested in the history,
planning a trip to Greece, and those wanting to learn more. The sites great
advantage is the array of pictures.
Technical Requirements:: None.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The site was prepared by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture with the intent to
provide viewers with information on significant archaelogical sites within
Greece. The emphasis is on the culture of the past from the Hellenic and
Byzantine periods.
Target Student Population:: Advanced high school course,college courses, and adult use. Guidance by teachers
is probably necessary.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: A familiarity with the names for the different regions of Greece would be
helpful. A basic knowledge about the history of Greece and its mythology would
be useful. Viewer can randomly explore any section of the map or use the search
engine to locate a place of interest.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: The Hellenic Ministry of Culture prepared the site and maintains it. The
descriptions may appear dry and factual to the average student but each is
accurately done. The map identifies four areas on the map of Greece:
Thessaloniki (for Alexander the Great), Athens, Patras, and Herakleion (for
Knossus). Charts below each map are detailed by region based on museums,
ancient and Byzantine monuments, and recent monuments.
Concerns:: While the site offers information about each item based on archaeolgoical
exploration, the historic item is not placed into a broader historic, religious,
or literary perspective.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: The site provides a great deal of detail on the material culture of ancient and
medieveal Greece along with specific monuments, buildings, sites, and museum
collections. Students will benefit from the easy accessibility to information.
Concerns:: There is no introduction to Hellenic culture or Greek antiquity. Advanced
students in a world history or anicent history class would find the site a
useful addition to the regular course. However, the vast number of sites could
be overwhelming. It is recommended that the instructor offer a short list of
sites to examine. A complete tour would become tedious and overwhelming.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: The interactive map and table is an easy and effective way to locate sites
provided the user is familiar with Greece and its divisions.
Concerns:: Students unfamiliar with Greek geography and place names will have difficulty
using the map and tables to locate particualr sites. The web page has a link to
a search engine which can be used to locate a specific place by name.

Other Issues and Comments:: The vast array of information on Greek history and culture can be overwhelming
to a first time user. It is recommended that some direction be offered the user
to provide effective guidance in using the valuable informat ion provided.
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