Subject description

Ancient Studies is a 20-credit subject at Stage 2.

In Ancient Studies, students learn about the history, literature, society, and culture of ancient civilisations, which may include those of Asia–Australia, the Americas, Europe, and Western Asia/North Africa, and the classical civilisations of Greece and Rome.

In Ancient Studies, students draw on many other fields of study. They consider the environmental, social, economic, religious, cultural, and aesthetic aspects of societies. Students also explore the ideas and innovations that shape and are shaped by societies.

Students critically engage with texts, including literary texts, and analyse archaeological sources, and primary and secondary historical sources. Students develop the inquiry skills that enable them to challenge or confirm beliefs, attitudes, and values in the ancient world.

Contemporary societies have a long heritage based on civilisations of the past. The study of ancient cultures, therefore, enables students to explore the universality and diversity of human experience and enhance their own cultural and intercultural understanding.

Capabilities

The capabilities connect student learning within and across subjects in a range of contexts. 

The SACE identifies seven capabilities.

Literacy

Students extend their literacy skills as they access historical and literary content through a variety of print, oral, visual, spatial, and electronic forms. These include inscriptions, reliefs, accounts of the past by ancient writers, photographs, films, artefacts, sites, and archived material. Students interpret and extrapolate meaning from a variety of sources to identify and consider historical and literary evidence. Students analyse and evaluate texts for authority, reliability, relevance, and accuracy. They analyse the stylistic features of ancient texts and in response create a range of texts to explore, discuss, explain, and argue a point of view, selecting and employing appropriate text structure and language. 

Numeracy

Students extend their numeracy skills through the historical inquiry process, which requires them to recognise patterns and relationships chronologically and spatially through the use of scaled timelines and maps. Students may support their views with data, some of which are numerical in nature. 

Information and communication technology (ICT) capability

Through the inquiry process students extend their information and communication technology (ICT) capability, particularly in relation to investigation, analysis, and communication. They investigate digital evidence available via websites, and the interpretations and representations of the past that are conveyed. This includes examining how and why such websites are constructed. Students develop an understanding of the issues involved in the use of ICT when practising ethical scholarship as part of the inquiry process in Ancient Studies. 

Critical and creative thinking

Critical and creative thinking is integral to the inquiry process. Students consider the implications of any missing or questionable information in their investigation of topics. They pose questions, and interrogate, select, and cross-reference sources. They develop interpretations based on an assessment of the evidence and reasoning. Students identify possible bias in their own interpretations, and analyse, evaluate, and synthesise alternative interpretations and representations of the past.  

Personal and social capability 

Through the study of individuals and groups in the past, and the impact of ideas and innovations that emerged from the ancient world, students develop an appreciation of the perspectives and experiences of others, including the complexities of societies and how they function. Students develop increasing social awareness through the study of relationships between individuals and diverse social groups in the ancient world. They enhance their personal and social capability through working collaboratively and communicating ideas and arguments appropriate to purpose and audience.

Ethical understanding

Students apply and extend their ethical understanding as they explore, understand, and compare the diverse perspectives and circumstances that shaped the actions and possible motivations of people in the past. They explore the beliefs, attitudes, values, and principles that form the basis of judgments and actions of people in the past, in ancient societies and among those who explore and study them. Students consider safe and ethical research processes, including respecting the rights and work of others, and acknowledging sources. 

Intercultural understanding

Intercultural understanding is central to learning about ancient societies. Students extend their knowledge of culturally diverse perspectives and roles, and learn how these can change over time. They develop an understanding of the diverse societies and cultures of the ancient world and how different ways of life provide a frame of reference for recognising and appreciating intercultural diversity in the contemporary world. They also explore different ideas and contexts, and the influence of ancient societies on other societies, including in the contemporary world. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, cultures, and perspectives

In partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and schools and school sectors, the SACE Board of South Australia supports the development of high-quality learning and assessment design that respects the diverse knowledge, cultures, and perspectives of Indigenous Australians.

The SACE Board encourages teachers to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and perspectives in the design, delivery, and assessment of teaching and learning programs by:

• providing opportunities in SACE subjects for students to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and contemporary experiences
• recognising and respecting the significant contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Australian society
• drawing students’ attention to the value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and perspectives from the past and the present
• promoting the use of culturally appropriate protocols when engaging with and learning from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.  

Learning requirements

The learning requirements summarise the knowledge, skills, and understanding that students are expected to develop and demonstrate through their learning in Stage 2 Ancient Studies.

In this subject, students are expected to:

1. understand and analyse historical concepts
2. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of texts, artefacts, ideas, events, people, and institutions of the ancient world
3. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the political, social, cultural, and/or economic diversity in the ancient world
4. apply inquiry skills to analyse and evaluate sources and perspectives, and synthesise evidence
5. research and understand the ideas and innovations that emerged from the ancient world, and consider their influence
6. communicate ideas and arguments, using a range of evidence and subject-specific language.

Content

Stage 2 Ancient Studies is a 20-credit subject that consists of the study of three topics selected from a list of seven topics. Students also complete an externally assessed individual inquiry developed in consultation with the teacher.

Students study the topics in the context of one or more societies. They use both primary and secondary sources to develop knowledge and understanding of the society. Students evaluate the significance of relevant selections from the works of ancient historians, writers, poets, philosophers, and/or thinkers, and of later historians and/or archaeologists, in the study of these societies.

The inquiry skills, societies and cultures for study, and topics are detailed in the following pages.

Inquiry skills

The following are integral to the teaching of inquiry skills in Ancient Studies.

Students:

• research historical and/or archaeological materials and select information on the basis of relevance
• evaluate the authenticity, origin, reliability, usefulness, limitations, and contestable nature of sources
• analyse and synthesise evidence from different types of sources to develop an informed and persuasive argument
• pose hypotheses and/or ask focusing questions to guide inquiry and to develop a coherent plan for inquiry
• analyse texts to place events in their historical and/or literary context and appreciate that the past can be explained through a variety of narratives and perspectives
• evaluate differing perspectives on the past to understand the contestable nature of historical and/or archaeological knowledge and to draw reasoned conclusions
• analyse evidence of the historical concepts of evidence, continuity and change, cause and effect, perspectives, interpretations, and contestability
• communicate ideas and arguments appropriate to context, purpose, and audience
• examine and explain the contributions of past civilisations to contemporary cultural understandings and perspectives
• analyse how texts have been adapted for modern audiences in representing the past through creative works, such as film, novels, drama, visual arts, music, fiction, poetry, video games, web pages, and other texts
• practise ethical scholarship, including use of appropriate referencing techniques. 

Ancient societies and cultures for study

For Stage 2 Ancient Studies, teachers must select societies and cultures from the following table. Teachers should select content according to student interest, resources, and teacher expertise, and should select content for study in Stage 2 that is different from what was studied in Stage 1 Ancient Studies.

Topics

Students study three topics from the list of seven topics.

• Topic 1: Daily life
• Topic 2: Military conflict
• Topic 3: Political power and authority
• Topic 4: Religion
• Topic 5: Material culture
• Topic 6: Literature — prose, narrative, or epic
• Topic 7: Literature — drama and poetry.

More details of the seven topics follow.

Topic 1: Daily life

In this topic students explore the social history and daily life of one or more societies.  Examples include:

• fifth-century BCE Athens and Sparta (Greece)
• Republican Rome
• New Kingdom Egypt to the death of Horemheb
• Han Dynasty (China)
• Gupta Empire (India)
• Sargonid period (Assyria).

Students study the organisation of the chosen society, including the class structure, the role of the family, and political structures. They extend their social understanding and awareness through the study of relationships between individuals and social groups, and how these have shaped ancient and contemporary societies. Students consider the ideologies and values of the society. Through studying the daily life of people and their status and position, including gender divisions and roles, participation in community life, and social rights and duties, students understand domestic and public life. They explore the experience of childhood and education as preparation for adult life, and occupational and leisure opportunities. Students consider how evidence about daily life from the ancient world is authenticated, including the origins of artefacts and documents, and how differing perspectives have been contested. 

Topic 2: Military conflict

In this topic students explore the causes, processes, and outcomes of conflict. One or more of the following conflicts are recommended:

• Persian Wars or Peloponnesian Wars
• Punic Wars
• wars between the Egyptians and Hittites, e.g. Kadesh
• Later Han and the Three Kingdoms period
• Gupta Empire and Huna Wars
• reign of Shalmaneser III.

Students study the factors that give rise to and shape conflict, such as social and cultural differences, and political, economic, and military ambitions. They examine conflict as initiating change in societies, and reflect on the consequences. They consider the roles and influence of both military and political leaders, the consequences of conflict, and the formation, maintenance, and breakdown of alliances. Students examine the use of specific military strategies and tactics. Studies could include investigating the nature of weapons, armour, morale, and the size of the forces, and how these factors contributed to the nature and outcome of the conflict. Through considering the significance of various events, students evaluate the usefulness of relevant primary and secondary sources, and recognise differences in interpretations among historians. 

Topic 3: Political power and authority

In this topic students explore the nature and influence of power and authority. One or more of the following empires are recommended:

• the Hellenistic Empire (Alexander the Great)
• Fall of the Roman Republic and the transition to empire
• New Kingdom Egypt
• Qin Dynasty
• Gupta Dynasty
• Neo-Babylonian Empire.

Students examine the nature of power and authority in the society and ways in which this was demonstrated through political, military, religious, social, and economic life. They consider how individuals and small groups exert influence leading to large-scale change in society. They study the roles of individuals in politics, their rivalries and policy differences, and the use of political and/or family positions to gain and maintain power. Students investigate the formation, maintenance, and breakdown of alliances and the development of political, economic, and cultural influence. They consider what artefacts, documents, and other primary and secondary sources suggest about political power and authority. Students analyse the authenticity and reliability of source materials, including the context of their construction and the perspectives presented.

Topic 4: Religion

In this topic students explore religious phenomena within or across one or more ancient civilisation. Examples of recommended studies include:

• the Olympian religion, the mystery cults (Greece)
• state religion, emperor worship, the mystery cults (Rome)
• polytheism, monotheism of Akhenaten, funerary beliefs and practices (Egypt)
• folk religion, ancestor worship, Taoist and Buddhist influences (China)
• Hindu culture and religious practices (India)
• polytheism (Mesopotamia).

Students develop an understanding that religions are based on unique traditions with individual beliefs and values, and play a significant role in the everyday lives of citizens. They study myths and legends and what these reveal about belief, gods, death, the afterlife, and the relationship between mortals and immortals. Students develop an appreciation of religious experience, which may include magic, meditation, sacred places or texts, rituals, the cosmos, and the natural world. Students interpret and analyse the nature of ancient religious sites, practices, and artefacts, and the importance of these to ancient and contemporary societies. 

Topic 5: Material culture

In this topic students explore material culture in the ancient world. Studies may focus on a particular civilisation or a specific aspect of material culture across civilisations.

Students develop an understanding of the terms and concepts involved in the study of material culture, and their correct use. They analyse and comment on technique, layout, subject matter, and the use of materials, and explore their significance. The study may include, for example:

• public, religious, or private architecture
• advances in technologies and public infrastructure
• sculpture, such as free-standing figures, portraits, or narrative reliefs
• propaganda
• painting styles
• jewellery
• pottery
• gardens
• house decoration, including wall-painting and mosaic styles.

Students learn to distinguish between the works of different periods and between the works of individual potters, painters, sculptors, and/or architects. They consider developments in technologies, art, and architecture and develop an appreciation of change and continuity. Studies could include problems of authenticity, including the identification and origin of artefacts. Students explore how evidence about the material culture of ancient societies has been variously lost, destroyed, and rediscovered. They interpret and analyse the nature of ancient sites and/or artefacts, including their condition and threats to conservation and preservation, such as tourism, terrorism, and pillaging.

Topic 6: Literature — prose, narrative, or epic

In this topic students study one or more of the following:

• Homer, The Odyssey or The Iliad
• Virgil, The Aeneid
• Wu Cheng’en, Journey to the West (Monkey)
• The Egyptian Book of the Dead
• Valmiki, Ramayana
• Vyasa, Mahabharata
• The Epic of Gilgamesh.

In studying the text or an extract from the text as a literary genre, students analyse literary features to develop an understanding of the construction of characters, including the exploration of gender and power relationships. They consider features specific to the text, such as the use of physical and social settings, narrative and stylistic features, and the themes or issues explored. Students complete a reading from a literary and/or historical perspective, considering the origins of the text, the purpose of the writer, how the text was understood and received at the time it was written, and how this differs from contemporary readings.

Topic 7: Literature — drama and poetry

In this topic students study any two dramas or poets or a combination of both poetry and drama from the following:

• Chinese poetry
  • Tang Dynasty poetry, including works by Li Bo, Wang Wei, Du Fu
• Greek drama
  • Sophocles: Antigone, Oedipus
  • Euripides: Bacchae, Hippolytus, Medea
  • Aristophanes: The Frogs, Lysistrata, The Clouds, The Birds
• Indian drama
  • Shudraka, Little Clay Cart
• Roman poetry
  • Juvenal: Sixteen Satires
  • Catullus: suggested poems may include 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 23, 34, 35, 39, 49, 61, 65, 70, 73, 83, 84, 85, 93, 101, 107, and 109
• Roman drama
  • Plautus: The Ghost, The Rope, Amphitryon.

In studying drama and poetry, students analyse textual features to develop an understanding of the conventions of drama and/or poetry. They analyse stylistic features, including imagery, figurative language, contrast, symbolism, personification, allegory, and irony. Students consider the choices made by the writers, which may include the exploration of nature, gender, power, relationships, and other themes within or between texts. Texts and/or authors may be studied individually or comparatively. Students complete readings from a literary and/or historical perspective, considering the origins of the texts, the purpose of the writer, how the texts were understood and received at the time they were written, and how this differs from contemporary readings.

Inquiry

The inquiry gives students an opportunity to:

• explore an area of specialisation of individual interest
• extend their skills (including skills in research and acknowledgment of sources), and
• enrich their understanding of the significance of an idea, a value, a belief, a practice, an innovation, a person, or an event, from the ancient world to its own culture or to another culture/s, or to another time or to another time and culture

Each student should negotiate a proposal with the teacher, undertake the inquiry, and present their ideas in an informed and persuasive argument.

At least 50% of the inquiry should be located in the period from c. 2000 BCE to 907 CE. An inquiry may focus on:

• any aspect of the ancient world not listed in any topic
• an aspect of a topic undertaken in class when used as a comparison with another aspect of the ancient world, provided that the aspect of the topic studied in class is not greater than 50% of the inquiry
• an aspect of personal interest when used as a comparison with another aspect of the ancient world, provided that the aspect of personal interest is not greater than 50% of the inquiry.

Evidence of learning

All Stage 2 subjects have a school assessment component and an external assessment component.

The following assessment types enable students to demonstrate their learning in Stage 2 Ancient Studies:

School assessment (70%)

• Assessment Type 1: Skills and Applications (50%)
• Assessment Type 2: Connections (20%)

External assessment (30%)

• Assessment Type 3: Inquiry (30%).

Students provide evidence of their learning through seven or eight assessments, including the external assessment component. Students produce:

• at least four skills and applications tasks
• at least two connections tasks
• one inquiry. 

Assessment design criteria

The assessment design criteria are based on the learning requirements and are used by:

• teachers to clarify for students what they need to learn
• teachers and assessors to design opportunities for students to provide evidence of their learning at the highest possible level of achievement.

The assessment design criteria consist of specific features that:

• students should demonstrate in their learning
• teachers and assessors look for as evidence that students have met the learning requirements.

For this subject, the assessment design criteria are:

• knowledge and understanding
• research and analysis
• application.

The specific features of these criteria are described below.

The set of assessments, as a whole, must give students opportunities to demonstrate each of the specific features by the completion of study of the subject. 

Knowledge and Understanding 

The specific features are as follows:

Research and Analysis 

The specific features are as follows:

Application  

The specific features are as follows:

School assessment

The school assessment component for Stage 2 Ancient Studies consists of two assessment types:

• Assessment Type 1: Skills and Applications
• Assessment Type 2: Connections.

Assessment Type 1: Skills and Applications (50%)

Students produce at least four skills and applications tasks, which taken together comprise a maximum of 4000 words, or equivalent in oral or multimodal form. They should use a variety of forms to present evidence of their learning.

Tasks could include, for example:

• an interactive map presentation
• creation of a virtual museum
• a seminar, tutorial, or debate
• a character study
• an assessment of the accuracy of a virtual tour of a site
• an alternative construction of a text or event from another character’s view
• a script for a radio program (spoken or written)
• creation of a computer game or a concept for a game based on a historical civilisation
• a web page
• creative writing, such as a journal or letter
• a fictional interview with a character, or a transcript of an imaginary court case
• a stand-alone multimedia presentation or film
• a scripted role-play or presentation for an audience
• an essay (discussion or argument).

At least two of the skills and applications tasks must be completed under supervised conditions. At least one task must be in a written format.

Each supervised task is completed without teacher assistance, and is timed as well as supervised. Up to 90 minutes, and up to 10 minutes of reading and planning time, should be allowed for each supervised task. Students should have choices for each task. They should be made aware of the general requirements in advance, but must not receive the options until the set time.

The supervised tasks may be word-processed or handwritten. Students may use a dictionary and/or a computer program to check spelling and grammar. Students may also use prepared notes or texts during the supervised tasks if appropriate.

For this assessment type, students provide evidence of their learning in relation to the following assessment design criteria:

• knowledge and understanding
• research and analysis
• application. 

Assessment Type 2: Connections (20%)

Students produce at least two connections tasks, which together comprise a maximum of 2000 words, or equivalent in oral or multimodal form. This assessment type has a focus on researching and making connections in one or more of the following contexts:

• between different ancient societies
• between an ancient society and a contemporary society
• between an ancient society and another society
• within an ancient society.

At least one connections task should focus on the ideas and innovations that emerged from the ancient world and include consideration of their influence.

A connections task could include, for example:

• an interpretation of how the artwork on pottery represents social roles and responsibilities in different societies
• a comparison of the forms and purposes of gardens in Babylon and Rome
• a comparison of approaches to the conservation and/or preservation of two ancient sites
• a comparison of the themes of Roman and Chinese poetry
• research into the significance of ancient sites to contemporary communities
• research into the influence of one or more classical works on a 19th-century poet
• a multimedia presentation discussing how classical myths and legends have influenced or are represented in one contemporary film
• a report on an architectural field trip analysing how contemporary buildings have been influenced by ancient civilisations
• a comparison of the roles and responsibilities of slaves in two different societies.

For this assessment type, students provide evidence of their learning in relation to the following assessment design criteria:

• knowledge and understanding
• research and analysis
• application.

External assessment

The external assessment component for Stage 2 Ancient Studies consists of an inquiry.

Assessment Type 3: Inquiry (30%)

Students produce one literary, societal, or historical inquiry, which is presented as an informed and persuasive argument. The inquiry gives students an opportunity to explore an area of specialisation of individual interest, extend their skills (including skills in research and acknowledgment of sources), and enrich their understanding. Students propose and develop a particular point of view about an issue, as negotiated with their teacher.

At least 50% of the inquiry should be located in the period from c. 2000 BCE to 907 CE.

An inquiry may focus on:

• any aspect of the ancient world not listed in any topic
• an aspect of a topic undertaken in class when used as a comparison with another aspect of the ancient world, provided that the aspect of the topic studied in class is not greater than 50% of the inquiry
• an aspect of personal interest when used as a comparison with another aspect of the ancient world, provided that the aspect of personal interest is not greater than 50% of the inquiry.

Both primary and secondary sources should be used, and acknowledged appropriately.

Students may produce their informed and persuasive argument:

• in the form of a written essay to a maximum of 2000 words, or
• in multimodal or oral form to a maximum of 12 minutes or equivalent.

Relevant visual material may be integrated into the argument.

The following specific features of the assessment design criteria for this subject are assessed in the inquiry:

• knowledge and understanding — KU1, KU2, and KU3
• research and analysis — RA1 and RA2
• application — A1, A2, and A3.

Performance standards

The performance standards describe five levels of achievement, A to E. 

Each level of achievement describes the knowledge, skills, and understanding that teachers and assessors refer to in deciding how well students have demonstrated their learning on the basis of the evidence provided. 

During the teaching and learning program the teacher gives students feedback on their learning, with reference to the performance standards.

At the student’s completion of study of each school assessment type, the teacher makes a decision about the quality of the student’s learning by:

• referring to the performance standards
• assigning a grade between A+ and E– for the assessment type.  

The student’s school assessment and external assessment are combined for a final result, which is reported as a grade between A+ and E–.

Performance standards

Stage 2 performance standards for Ancient Studies can be viewed below. You can also download in Word format [DOC 323KB].

To learn more about what performance standards are, how they are used, and other general information, see performance standards and grades. 

Subject changes

Any changes to this subject will be recorded here.