§-Ancient History syllabus

Ancient History syllabus, dot point by dot point

Every dot point in the QLD Ancient History syllabus, in syllabus order, with a focused answer for each. Open any dot point for the answer, exam-style questions and links to related points.

Unit 3: Reconstructing the ancient world (Cities of Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum)

Unit overview →

What do sources reveal about the economy, trade and commercial life of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and how do historians reconstruct it from physical evidence?

Investigate and interpret sources for the economy of Pompeii and Herculaneum, including agriculture and the local hinterland, production and manufacture, retail and the role of shops, banking and finance, and the regional and Mediterranean trade networks revealed by amphorae, inscriptions, archaeological remains and the writing tablets of Caecilius Iucundus

6 min read →

What do sources reveal about everyday life, work, leisure, religion and social structure in Pompeii and Herculaneum?

Investigate and interpret sources for everyday life in Pompeii and Herculaneum, including occupations and the economy, food and dining, leisure and entertainment, religion, the roles of women, freedmen and slaves, and the evidence of graffiti, inscriptions, wall paintings and artefacts

6 min read →

How do physical and written sources allow historians to reconstruct the geographical setting of Pompeii and Herculaneum and the events of the AD 79 eruption of Vesuvius?

Investigate and interpret physical and written sources for the geographical setting of Campania and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, including the natural environment, the warning earthquake of AD 62, the eruption sequence, and the evidence of Pliny the Younger

6 min read →

What do the public and private buildings of Pompeii and Herculaneum reveal about urban life, the economy and social organisation in a Roman town?

Investigate and interpret sources for the public and private buildings of Pompeii and Herculaneum, including the forum, temples, baths, amphitheatre, the domus and insula housing, shops and workshops, and what they reveal about urban planning, economy and society

6 min read →

What issues of excavation, conservation, interpretation and ethics arise in reconstructing and preserving Pompeii and Herculaneum?

Investigate issues relating to the excavation, reconstruction, conservation and display of Pompeii and Herculaneum, including the history of excavation since 1748, the body casts and human remains, modern scientific techniques, and the ethics of studying and displaying the dead

6 min read →

How do historians reconstruct the ancient world from fragmentary evidence, and how should sources be analysed and evaluated for the IA1 source examination?

Apply the historical skills of the syllabus to reconstruct the ancient world, including identifying types of sources, analysing origin, purpose, context, perspective and motive, evaluating usefulness and reliability, recognising gaps, bias and contestability, and synthesising ancient and modern sources into a sustained historical argument

6 min read →

What do ancient written accounts and modern scholarship contribute to reconstructing Pompeii and Herculaneum, and how reliable is each kind of source?

Analyse and evaluate ancient written sources for the Cities of Vesuvius, including the eyewitness letters of Pliny the Younger and references in Roman writers, alongside the modern scholarship and excavation reports that interpret the archaeological record, judging each for origin, purpose, perspective, usefulness and reliability

6 min read →

Unit 4: People, power and authority (Octavian to Augustus)

Unit overview →

How did Octavian win and consolidate sole power, and how did he use image and propaganda to transform autocracy into a restored Republic?

Investigate how Octavian gained, presented and consolidated power, including his use of Caesar's name, the propaganda war against Antony and Cleopatra, the victory at Actium, the settlements of 27 and 23 BC, the title Augustus, and his projection of authority through coinage, monuments, the Res Gestae and the imagery of the restored Republic

6 min read →

How did Julius Caesar rise from the late Republican political elite to sole power, and what do the sources reveal about his use of military command, alliance and reform?

Investigate the rise of Julius Caesar within the late Roman Republic, including his family background and early career, the First Triumvirate of 60 BC, the conquest of Gaul, the crossing of the Rubicon in 49 BC, the civil war against Pompey, and his accumulation of power as dictator

6 min read →

How did Cleopatra VII secure and exercise power in Ptolemaic Egypt, and what do the sources reveal about her rule and self-presentation?

Investigate the rise and rule of Cleopatra VII, including the Ptolemaic dynasty and the situation of Egypt, her accession and dynastic struggles, her government of Egypt, her relationship with Julius Caesar, and her use of religion and image to project royal authority

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How did Mark Antony gain and exercise power after Caesar's death, and why did his bid for authority end in defeat by Octavian?

Investigate the rise, power and fall of Mark Antony, including his role under Julius Caesar, the Second Triumvirate and proscriptions, his command of the eastern provinces, his alliance with Cleopatra, the Donations of Alexandria, and the propaganda war with Octavian that culminated in Actium and his death

6 min read →

How do historians reconstruct an ancient figure's exercise of power from biased and fragmentary sources, and how should sources be evaluated for the External Assessment?

Apply the historical skills of Unit 4 to figures of power, including evaluating ancient written sources, coins, inscriptions and monuments for origin, purpose, perspective, motive, usefulness and reliability, recognising propaganda and the perspective of the victor, distinguishing the historical figure from the legend, and synthesising sources into argument for the External Assessment

6 min read →

How did the alliance of Cleopatra and Mark Antony lead to war with Octavian, and how have sources and later tradition represented Cleopatra's fall and legacy?

Evaluate the alliance of Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony, the propaganda war with Octavian, the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra in 30 BC, the end of Ptolemaic Egypt, and the ancient and modern interpretations of Cleopatra

6 min read →

Why was Julius Caesar assassinated in 44 BC, and how have sources and historians represented his power, his death and his legacy?

Evaluate the assassination of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March 44 BC and his legacy, including the motives of the conspirators, the role of his honours and dictatorship, the aftermath and rise of Octavian, and the differing ancient and modern interpretations of Caesar

6 min read →