Ancient History

Head of Department: Mr J D Gedye – jdg@barneyschool.org.uk
Teacher of Ancient History: Dr S T Nichols
Teacher of Ancient History: Miss C J Snaith

Introduction
This course is suitable for any pupil with an interest in history or the classical world, whether they have studied the subject before or not. The aim of the course is to provide an introduction to Greece and Rome through studying the works of Greek and Roman writers. No previous knowledge of the subject, or of Greek and Latin, is required.
GCSE Ancient History students are invited on Classics department trips, which take place every two years – Italy in 2015, taking in Pompeii and Vesuvius, and Greece in 2017, when students will visit Athens, Olympia, Delphi and other ancient sites.

Course/Exam board: GCSE OCR J151

Specification at a glance
Unit A031: The Greeks at War- Option 1: The Persian Wars
Unit A032: The Rise of Rome – Option 2: Hannibal’s Invasion and Defeat
Unit A033: Women in Ancient Politics – Option 1: Cleopatra
Unit A034: Controlled Assessment- Ancient Societies from original sources

Your route through the syllabus and assessment
Each unit is worth 25% of the GCSE.
There are three exams (A031, A032 and A033), each lasting 1 hour 15 mins.
Unit A034 is a Controlled Assessment (a 2,000 word project), undertaken in class time in Year 11.
There is the option to take a short course worth half a GCSE, where you can study one of the three examined units plus the Controlled Assessment.

What Ancient History can do for you
The subject can significantly improve your English and history skills whilst studying some amazing historical figures such as Cleopatra, Xerxes and Hannibal. Powers of analysis and comprehension are vital skills which are honed in this two-year course.