Summer Reading Assignment
7th Grade
Ancient Civilizations
Book title: Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Assignment is due on the first day of class in September
Read Phaethon, the first of “Four Great Adventures” in chapter 8 and Baucis and Philemon in chapter 6.
The ancient Greek story, Phaeton, is a story about the virtue of prudence, of thinking about consequences of
your actions and choosing to act wisely. Phaethon is a young teenager who is motivated by peer pressure—
he wants to impress his friends—to do a dangerous deed. Phaethon chooses poorly, and unfortunately never
has the chance to learn the lesson of the story.
The ancient Roman story, Baucis and Philemon, is a story about justice, of treating human beings with dignity,
regardless of their circumstances. It is also a story about consequences; in this story, rewards and
punishments are handed out according to the characters’ generosity.
What are the moral of the stories? Write a two-page essay (it’s okay if you go over a little) about the lessons
the authors are trying to teach their audiences. As we study several ancient civilizations next year, we will see
that the stories told orally and through literature reveal something important about those civilizations’ values.
What values do you think the ancient Greeks and Romans held? Why was it important for them to
encourage particular behavior through their stories?
Please be sure to use good grammar and punctuation in your writing, even though this reading is for your
background in history! I look forward to meeting you in September and reading your ideas through these
papers.