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

7 dot points across 7 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

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

A focused answer to the QCE Ancient History Unit 3 dot point on written sources for the Cities of Vesuvius. Covers the eyewitness letters of Pliny the Younger, other Roman references, and the modern scholarship and excavation reports that interpret the site, with attention to origin, purpose, perspective, usefulness and reliability.

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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

A focused answer to the QCE Ancient History Unit 3 dot point on the economy of the Cities of Vesuvius. Covers agriculture and the hinterland, production and manufacture, retail and shops, banking and finance, and regional and Mediterranean trade, drawing on amphorae, the Caecilius Iucundus tablets, inscriptions and archaeological remains.

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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

A focused answer to the QCE Ancient History Unit 3 dot point on everyday life in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Covers occupations and the economy, food and dining, leisure, religion and household cult, and the social roles of women, freedmen and slaves, drawing on graffiti, electoral notices, wall paintings, inscriptions and artefacts.

6 min answer →

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

A focused answer to the QCE Ancient History Unit 3 dot point on the geographical setting of Pompeii and Herculaneum and the AD 79 eruption. Covers the Campanian environment, the AD 62 earthquake, the two-phase eruption of Plinian column and pyroclastic surges, and the eyewitness letters of Pliny the Younger to Tacitus.

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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

A focused answer to the QCE Ancient History Unit 3 dot point on the public and private buildings of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Covers the forum, temples, the Stabian Baths, the amphitheatre, the domus and insula, shops and workshops, and what the built environment reveals about urban planning, the economy and Roman social structure.

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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

A focused answer to the QCE Ancient History Unit 3 dot point on reconstruction, conservation and ethics at Pompeii and Herculaneum. Covers the history of excavation since 1748, Fiorelli's body casts and the Herculaneum skeletons, modern scientific techniques including DNA and CT scanning, conservation pressures, and the ethical debate over displaying the dead.

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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

A focused answer to the QCE Ancient History Unit 3 skills strand on reconstructing the ancient world. Covers types of sources, analysing origin, purpose, context, perspective and motive, evaluating usefulness and reliability, recognising gaps, bias and contestability, and synthesising sources into argument for the IA1 source examination.

6 min answer →