Orestes and Nepheli are the children of Lysicrates, the foreman at the Penteli quarries, who was in charge of the work of separating the marble used to build the Parthenon. When several quarry tools and a carriage laden with marble go missing, two children, with the help of their dog Aristo, decide to solve the mystery of their disappearance, which threatens to delay the opening of the iconic temple of the goddess Athena. Looking for clues about the perpetrator of the sabotage, they learn how the Parthenon was built, the tools and methods used to quarry the marble, which they follow on their journey to the Acropolis along Lifagogia Street, they know the districts through which the street passed. , such as ancient Phlia, i.e. today’s Chalandri, and the southern “environment” of ancient Athens, on the outskirts of the Acropolis, and Kallikrates, Iktinos and Phidias meet.

Archaeologist Maria Munyai’s book Secrets from Penteli to the Parthenon is a game of exploration and mystery that transports readers to ancient Athens during the construction of the Parthenon. The idea for its creation, she recalls, arose from her desire for children to discover evidence of the Parthenon and the ancient quarries of Penteli. After all, it was the children, during the educational program she designed and implemented at the school in Penteli, who asked her to tell them the tale of the ancient quarries. “As an archaeologist, my main concern was the harmonious combination of fiction with archaeological data. Therefore, before I started writing, I looked in the sources and research of researchers for references to archaeological sites, monuments and everyday life in Athens in the 5th century BC,” explains Ms. Munyai. “In an effort to get closer to the common people behind the great monuments, I chose the children of the quarry from Penteli as the main characters of the story. As the story progresses, young readers experience an adventure and are encouraged to take part in the discovery of, for example, a lost carriage, ensuring continuous interactivity.”

The book, published by Proti Yli, is approved by the Cultural Resources Management and Development Organization of the Ministry of Culture for sale at archaeological sites such as the Acropolis and is a useful tool for the educational community. Directly linked to the 4th grade history material, it can be used as supplementary material and a parallel learning proposal in the context of history and reading lessons and skills workshop. The possibility of connecting adventure with theater education provides an additional opportunity for the teacher to use the book in the context of an interdisciplinary approach. “The traditional teaching of history has in recent years been enriched by experiential activities such as reading parallel literary narratives, dramatization, visiting museums and archaeological sites, and educational programs,” the author emphasizes. “Involving students in the above activities provides motivation for learning, increases interest and promotes their independence. When a child experiences his own experience through dramatization, he acquires an active role in the learning process, and therefore, there is a constant interaction between the student and the subject. Literary narration moves in the same direction. Fiction is an educational tool that awakens children’s interest and imagination. The depiction of monuments and the era helps students understand historical reality and bring the historical event to life with their imagination.”