What can we learn from ancient inscriptions, coins and writers? How did the Roman Emperors obtain and maintain their power? Were the societies of Sparta and Rome really as brutal as they seem? Find out the answers to all this and more in Ancient History A-Level!
Subject Information
Ancient History provides you with a unique opportunity to learn about the history and culture of Greece and Rome from a historical perspective. In particular, we study ancient Greece in the fifth century BC, and late Republican Rome and the first emperors of Rome. You will look at a variety of original sources, all in English, investigating the writings of the very first ancient historians such as Herodotus and Plutarch. We will also look at the political careers of influential movers and shakers from classical Athens and Republican Rome including Themistocles, Pericles, Julius Caesar and Pompey Magnus.
On the Greek side, we will cover the Greek wars of the fifth century BC – The Persian War and the Peloponnesian War – and the effects they had on the Spartan political and social system. On the Roman side, topics include the dramatic and violent events that marked the fall of the Roman Republic, such as the death of Caesar, a civil war, political conspiracies and the ultimate ascension of Augustus Caesar to Emperor.
At Chesterton Sixth Form we firmly believe in giving students as many opportunities beyond the classroom as possible. We will aim to run our popular trip abroad, to either Greece or Italy. We will also be attending regular lectures, visiting museums both in and beyond Cambridge and participating in national competitions for Ancient History students. Students are also offered the opportunity to study a crash-course in Classical Greek alongside their A levels, earning them an extra GCSE by the end of their time with us.
Course Details
A-Level Ancient History students do two general period papers, which are compulsory, and two in-depth study papers.
The period papers we look at are ‘Relations between Greek states and between Greek and non-Greek states, 492–404 BC’, which covers the Greek world of the 5th Century BC, and ‘The Julio-Claudian Emperors, 31 BC–AD 68’, which looks at the very first Roman Emperors.
The two depth study papers we do at Chesterton are:
- ‘The Politics and Society of Sparta, 478–404 BC’, which allows students to develop an understanding of the lives, contributions and experiences of the different groups and individuals in Spartan society during this period.
- ‘The Breakdown of the Late Republic, 88–31 BC’, which focuses on the interplay of political, military, social and economic factors that were faced in the late Roman Republic.
Ancient History is assessed through a series of extended writing questions, which will be developed and enriched by focused study time alongside super-curricular trips, study days and lectures.
Subject Specific Entry Requirements
- Grade 6 in GCSE in History.
Where could Ancient History take me?
We have a wide range of trips, lectures and museum visits on offer for Ancient History students at Chesterton.
Ancient History is a respected university degree subject and can lead to careers including archaeology, museum curator, journalism, the Civil Service and more.
