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SAAncient History

Power and Conflict

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How did Alexander the Great conquer the Persian Empire, and how reliable are the much later sources for his campaigns?

Analyse the causes, key campaigns and consequences of Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire (336 to 323 BCE), and evaluate the reliability of the surviving sources written centuries later.
The causes, decisive battles and consequences of Alexander the Great's conquest of the Persian Empire from 336 to 323 BCE, including Issus and Gaugamela, and the special source problem that our main accounts were written centuries after the events.
6 min answer →

What caused the Greco-Persian Wars, how did the Greeks defeat a vastly larger empire, and how reliable is Herodotus as our main source?

Analyse the causes, key events and consequences of the Greco-Persian Wars (499 to 479 BCE), and evaluate the reliability of Herodotus and other evidence.
The causes, major battles and consequences of the Greco-Persian Wars from 499 to 479 BCE, the role of Athens and Sparta, and the reliability of Herodotus as our principal ancient source.
6 min answer →

Why did Rome and Carthage fight three wars, how did Rome win, and how did the conflict transform the Roman world?

Analyse the causes, key events and consequences of the Punic Wars (264 to 146 BCE), including Hannibal's invasion, and evaluate the reliability of Polybius and Livy.
The causes, major campaigns and consequences of the three Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage from 264 to 146 BCE, including Hannibal and the battle of Cannae, and a critical evaluation of Polybius and Livy as our principal sources.
6 min answer →

How and why did political power and authority shift from the Roman Republic to the rule of Augustus, and how did he disguise that change?

Analyse the nature and transformation of political power and authority in Rome from the late Republic to the Augustan principate, and evaluate the sources for Augustus' settlement.
How political power and authority shifted from the Roman Republic to the Augustan principate, the constitutional settlements of 27 and 23 BCE, and the source problems in Augustus' own Res Gestae.
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How did political power and authority work in the radical democracy of fifth-century Athens, and how democratic was it really?

Analyse the institutions and operation of Athenian democracy in the fifth century BCE, including the Assembly, Council, courts and the role of leaders such as Pericles, and evaluate the evidence.
How political power and authority operated in fifth-century Athenian democracy, including the Assembly, the Council of 500, the law courts, ostracism and leaders such as Pericles, and an evaluation of how democratic the system really was.
6 min answer →