§-Ancient History syllabus
WA · SCSA← Ancient History
Ancient History syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the WA Ancient History syllabus, with a focused answer for each. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions and links to related points.
Unit 3: Study of an Ancient Society
Module overview →How do historians use and evaluate fragmentary ancient sources to reconstruct the past?
The identification, analysis and evaluation of written and archaeological sources for reliability, perspective and usefulness
How did the economy of New Kingdom Egypt work, and how did agriculture, trade, tribute and temple wealth sustain royal power?
The economy of New Kingdom Egypt, including agriculture, the redistributive system, trade, tribute and the temple estates
How did Egypt rebuild itself into an imperial power from Tetisheri to the reign of Tuthmosis III?
The expulsion of the Hyksos, the foundation of the New Kingdom, and the nature of power and authority from Tetisheri to Tuthmosis III
How did Hatshepsut achieve and exercise power as a female pharaoh, and how should we assess her reign?
The rise, reign, building, religion and assessment of Hatshepsut as a significant individual in New Kingdom Egypt
How was New Kingdom Egyptian society structured and governed, and how did this organisation sustain royal power and authority?
The social structure and administration of New Kingdom Egypt, including the role of the pharaoh, the vizier, officials and the bureaucracy
How did religion, the cult of Amun and the priesthood shape power and authority in New Kingdom Egypt?
Religion in New Kingdom Egypt, the rise of the cult of Amun-Ra and the growing power of the Theban priesthood
How did the New Kingdom army develop, and how did imperial expansion under Tuthmosis III build Egyptian power and authority?
The organisation of the New Kingdom army and the imperial expansion of Egypt, especially the campaigns of Tuthmosis III
How did empire, slavery and provincial wealth reshape the Roman economy and society in the late Republic?
The economy of late Republican Rome, including slavery, the latifundia, provincial revenue and the social effects of empire
How and why did Julius Caesar rise to dominate the Roman state, and what was his impact on the Republic?
The career, methods and impact of Julius Caesar as a significant individual in the late Republic
How was Roman state religion organised, and how did control of religion serve political power and authority?
Roman religion, priesthoods and the state cult, and the use of religion to legitimise political authority in the late Republic
How were Roman society and politics organised in the late Republic, and how did that structure shape the exercise of power and authority?
The social structure and political organisation of late Republican Rome, including the Senate, magistracies, assemblies, the orders and the patron-client system
How did the Roman army change during the late Republic, and why did military power become decisive in politics?
The organisation and reform of the Roman army in the late Republic and the link between military command and political power
How and why did the Roman Republic collapse and give way to the Principate of Augustus between 63 BC and AD 14?
The political, social and military forces that destroyed the Republic and the establishment of Augustan power and authority
How do you plan and write a high-scoring extended response in the WACE Ancient History examination?
The planning, structuring and evidencing of extended-response essays that argue a thesis using ancient evidence and historiography
Unit 4: Study of an Ancient Period
Module overview →What was the Amarna revolution, and how did Akhenaten transform Egyptian religion, art and politics?
The religious revolution of Akhenaten, the cult of the Aten, the new capital at Akhetaten and the Amarna art style
How did the Egyptian New Kingdom develop and recover through the Amarna revolution from Amenhotep II to Horemheb?
The peak of empire, the Amarna religious revolution under Akhenaten, and the restoration of order from Tutankhamun to Horemheb
How did Horemheb restore order and royal authority at the end of the Eighteenth Dynasty, and how did he treat the Amarna legacy?
The reign of Horemheb, the restoration of administration and order, and the erasure of the Amarna kings
How was the traditional order restored after Akhenaten, and what does Tutankhamun's reign and tomb reveal about the period?
The restoration of traditional religion under Tutankhamun and the historical significance of his reign and intact tomb
How did Pericles lead Athenian democracy and empire, and how did his leadership shape the path to and conduct of the Peloponnesian War?
The leadership of Pericles, the working of Athenian democracy, and the nature of the Athenian empire on the eve of and during the war
Why did Athens and Sparta go to war, and how did the Peloponnesian War reshape the Greek world between 431 and 404 BC?
The causes, key phases and consequences of the Peloponnesian War and the role of leaders such as Pericles, Alcibiades and Lysander
Why did the Sicilian Expedition fail, and how did Persian intervention and Spartan naval power bring about the fall of Athens?
The Sicilian Expedition, the role of Persia and Lysander, and the final defeat and surrender of Athens in 404 BC
How and why do historians disagree about the ancient past, and how should students use competing interpretations?
The analysis and evaluation of competing historical interpretations and the contestability of the ancient past
How was power and authority exercised, justified and contested by key individuals across the ancient period studied?
The nature and exercise of power and authority, the role of religion and ideology, and the significance of key individuals
How did imperial women such as Livia and Agrippina the Younger exercise power within the Julio-Claudian dynasty?
The role and influence of imperial women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty, including Livia and Agrippina the Younger
How did Augustus construct the Principate, and how did the settlements of 27 and 23 BC disguise monarchy as restored Republic?
The establishment of the Augustan Principate, the settlements of 27 and 23 BC, and the nature of Augustus' power and authority
How did the Principate develop and the exercise of imperial power change under the Julio-Claudian emperors from AD 14 to 68?
The consolidation of the Principate, the nature of imperial power, and the role of the army, Senate and imperial family under the Julio-Claudians
How did the army and the Praetorian Guard come to determine imperial succession under the Julio-Claudians?
The role of the army and the Praetorian Guard in imperial succession and the exercise of power under the Julio-Claudians