The A level course is divided into a Greek history component and a Roman history component, each divided into a period study and a depth study. In the Lower Sixth, students begin the Roman course with the depth study, which considers the breakdown of the Late Republic, 88-31 BC, and the crises Rome faced as the system of government it had used since the sixth century BC failed. Meanwhile, on the Greek side, students start with the period study, which looks at relations between Greek states and non-Greek states, 492-404 BC, covering Greek victory in the Persian Wars, as narrated by Herodotus, followed by the rising tension between Athens and Sparta that led to the cataclysmic Peloponnesian Wars, as largely narrated by Thucydides. During the Upper Sixth students then encounter the Roman period study, which looks at the (often-unpleasant) character and rule of the Julio-Claudian emperors, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero, through the eyes of various Roman sources such as Suetonius and Tacitus. Meanwhile, on the Greek side students face a depth study that considers the politics and society of Sparta, 478-404 BC, which is fascinating for many reasons, not least because the sources are almost universally non-Spartan, causing students to question whether our received view of Sparta is just a mirage.