Overview

Ancient History (OCR 9-1) is the study of the ancient civilisations, and how they shaped modern societies. This course will enable you to develop your understanding of these fascinating civilisations, Persian, Greek and Roman. You will learn how they worked through political problems, waged war, worshipped their gods, organised their societies and developed cultural ideas that still influence our own.

The puzzling thing about the societies and people you will study is that they will seem at the same time very familiar and very alien. The problems the Persians encountered in building and running an empire resemble those faced by Britain in the nineteenth century, just as the Greek struggle to create democracy mirrors our own efforts to create a more equal society. However, the Persians showed respect to the culture of the peoples they ruled while Greek democrats in Athens completely excluded all women and foreigners from having any political rights. Unlike modern Britain, the Romans had an obsessive hatred for kings, and politicians brutally murdered Julius Caesar in the senate after he made himself dictator for life. Alexander the Great conquered the known world only to drink himself to death (or be poisoned?) at the age of 32.

The key to ancient history is to try to understand these societies and the people who shaped them on their own terms, and to explain why they acted as they did. Ancient History is different from more modern history because there are fewer sources, and so we have to carefully reconstruct the history by using our investigative skills to examine ancient sources in a critical way, carefully judging their reliability before coming to sound conclusions about the ancient world. If you like the challenge of understanding people, of learning fascinating stories about history’s greatest cities, then Ancient History is the course for you. I

As an Ebacc qualification Ancient History is very well respected, and is ideal preparation for A-Level study at Bohunt Sixth Form.

Topics covered

Assessments

198/01: Greece and Persia

100 marks + 5 marks SPaG* 2 hours

Written paper

J198/02: Rome and its neighbours

100 marks + 5 marks SPaG* 2 hours

Written paper

FAQs

Why study this course?

• The opportunity to learn vital life skills like evidence analysis and critical writing skills.

• A chance to study the origins of our modern society, such as our; language, politics, philosophy, literature and more!

• Interesting and engaging lessons

What can you expect from this course?

• The chance to explore and analyse primary sources from the Greek and Roman age

• Develop your knowledge of some of the most important characters from the ancient world like; Cyrus the Great, Caesar, Alexander the Great and more!

• Develop a range of skills and qualities applicable to a variety of sectors and job roles such as; law, journalism and academia.

What can I do after completing the qualification?

• This qualification gives students many transferrable skills that could be applied to any number of further education course or careers. 

• Potential courses to go onto using Ancient History include: History, Archaeology, Law, Journalism, Religious studies, Theology, Philosophy, Politics, International Relations and more.

What additional activities are available within the course?

• Visiting masterclasses and lectures

• Trips and visits including; British Museum and our oversees trips to Rome and Naples

• Virtual and physical museum tours