In Ancient History, students study the key institutions, structures, and features of ancient societies and develop a broader and deeper understanding of the origins, impact, and legacy of the ideas, beliefs, and values of the ancient world. The Ancient History curriculum consists of four units. Each unit focuses on key concepts that define the discipline of history, such as cause and effect, significance, and contestability.
Students will explore a chosen topic such as the development of Ancient Rome, Hannibal and the Punic Wars, Rameses 11 and the Battle of Kadesh, the fall of Rome, Roman Games, Cao Cao, or Alexander the Great. This unit introduces the nature of the remaining evidence of the ancient past and issues relevant to the investigation of the ancient world. The unit involves an investigation of the evidence for an ancient site, individual, group or event and how it has been interpreted and represented.
Students will have the opportunity to examine topics such as Ancient Mycenae, Sparta, the Trojan Wars, Old Kingdom Egypt, Minoan culture or Qin & Han China. This unit examines how people lived in the ancient world by investigating the remaining evidence. The unit focuses on the study of significant features of ancient societies, such as slavery, the family, beliefs, rituals and funerary practices.
By investigating topics such as the fall of the Roman Republic, Persia or the late Han and Three Kingdoms, students will understand how power was used in the Ancient World. This unit examines the nature and exercise of power and authority in ancient societies across key periods, with reference to evidence of significant political, military, religious, and economic features. The study of an individual as part of this unit enables the study of the influence of the ‘individual’ on events and developments.
Exploring the Peloponnesian Wars, Pompeii, the 18th Dynasty in Egypt or the Athenian Agora and Acropolis, students will understand the challenges of interpreting and evaluating evidence. This unit focuses on a significant historical period to develop an understanding of the relevant institutions, practices, key events and individuals of the period, in the context of a wide range of sources. This unit allows for a deeper study of the challenges associated with interpreting and evaluating evidence.