Ancient History

Course summary

The Lower Sixth Course is made up of two Period Studies. • Relations between Greek states and between Greek and non-Greek states, 492-404 BC. This unit examines the most important century in Greek history, from the heroic defeat of the Persian invasions, through the development of the Athenian empire, to the exhausting 27-year Peloponnesian War in which Sparta and her allies finally broke the power of Athens. • The Julio-Claudian Emperors, 31 BC-AD 68. This unit explores the reigns of the first five Roman emperors, from Augustus, whose long rule restored stability to Rome after years of civil war, through his erratic successors Tiberius, Gaius Caligula and Claudius, to the infamous and unstable Nero, whose suicide brought an end to the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Pupils will study in detail a wide range of literary and archaeological evidence, reading (in translation) a variety of ancient authors, as well as looking at inscriptions, coins and other relevant physical evidence. Those pupils taking the two-year GCE course will also analyse and evaluate modern historians' interpretations of the events and topics studied.