Meet Antia: An Ancient Athenian Girl, An Exploration of Childhood in the Ancient World through Story

Meet Antia is a series of three short stories about childhood in ancient Athens during the Fifth Century BCE. Antia is a young girl between the ages of nine to ten and she experiences life in Ancient Athens. Her experiences teach the intended audience, children ages nine to eleven, about life in ancient Athens by showing how young girls lived in the ancient world. The main focus of the story is to include four key elements of ancient Greek childhood: birth and infancy, work and play, education, and cult and ritual. Antia experiences important milestones in ancient Greek culture through education and participation in ancient rituals. She learns how to weave, dance, and is able to participate in the Brauronia, a festival to Artemis, and even a funeral. Through the stories she learns practical life lessons that are applicable to a modern audience. Her best friends help her learn important lessons about friendship and teamwork and her mother is always there to give sage advice. The formula for the stories was inspired by the six-book-series published by American Girl to accompany their historic characters and dolls.