Ancient History 11–12 focuses on developing student understanding of the ancient past and how it was shaped by people and events. The course offers students opportunities to engage with written and physical sources from the past, developing students' analysis and reasoning skills.

What students learn

Through the study of Ancient History 11–12, students learn to:

develop an understanding of historical causation and the ways in which human societies have changed over time
develop an understanding of the variety of perspectives that have been and are held about the past
develop skills in analysis and reasoning to make judgements about the significance of various people and events in the past and form their own conclusions about the nature of historical development
construct logical and cogent historical arguments about the past, supported by evidence.

Course structure and requirements

The course numbers and units for each year of study are set out below.

Course numbers:

Ancient History (Year 11, 2 units): TBA
Ancient History (Year 12, 2 units): TBA

Year 11 course structure and requirements

The Year 11 Ancient History course comprises a study of:

120 indicative hours across 3 focus areas.

Year 11 focus areas	Indicative hours
Investigating ancient history The nature of ancient history Case studies Each case study should be a minimum of 10 indicative hours.	60
Features of ancient societies	40 (minimum)
Historical investigation	20 (maximum)

Studies undertaken in the Year 11 course should be selected from a range of societies.

Content may be integrated across the 3 focus areas of the course in the development of a teaching and learning program.

Investigating ancient history

The nature of ancient history
Case studies

Students undertake:

at least ONE option from The nature of ancient history, AND
at least TWO case studies
ONE case study must be from Egypt, Greece, Rome or Celtic Europe
ONE case study must be from Australia, Asia, the Near East or the Americas.

The list in the Investigating ancient history – Case studies focus area of this syllabus provides case study options teachers may use.

Case studies are investigations into historical features, people, places, events and developments of the ancient world. They are oriented towards the problems and issues of investigating the past.

Case studies in the Year 11 course are intended to provide students with opportunities to:

study the various ways in which historians and archaeologists investigate and construct the past, the types of questions they ask, the explanations they give and the issues they raise
analyse and interpret archaeological and written sources
generate hypotheses and weigh up contemporary theories and explanations on the basis of the available evidence.

Case studies can provide a historical context in which students learn about relevant methods and issues.

Case studies must not overlap with or duplicate significantly any option to be attempted in the Year 12 Ancient History or History Extension courses.

Features of ancient societies

Students study at least TWO ancient societies through an investigation of:

a different key feature for each society, OR
one key feature across the societies selected.

A range of possible options is provided in the Features of ancient societies focus area of this syllabus.

Learning in the focus area of Features of ancient societies is concerned with seeking explanations of the ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions of history. This includes an interpretation of the evidence for how people lived in the past and why they may have lived that way. This focus area provides students with opportunities to develop an understanding of:

the nature, range and limitations of the available sources
the social history of a people through an investigation of the remains of their material culture
significant developments, forces or individuals that may have shaped the selected feature(s).

Options selected must not overlap with or duplicate significantly any option to be attempted in the Year 12 Ancient History or History Extension courses.

Historical investigation

The Historical investigation is designed to further develop relevant investigative, research and communication skills. The investigation may be undertaken as a standalone study or integrated into any other focus area in the Year 11 course. The investigation should extend a particular area of individual student or group interest. It may be conducted individually or collaboratively.

The investigation must not overlap with or duplicate significantly any option to be attempted in the Year 12 Ancient History or History Extension courses.

Historical concepts and skills

The historical concepts and skills content is to be integrated throughout the course. The various studies and options provide the contexts through which concepts and skills are to be developed. These help guide students when engaging in historical analysis and argument.

Year 12 course structure and requirements

The Year 12 Ancient History course comprises a study of:

120 indicative hours across 4 focus areas
Core study: Cities of Vesuvius – Pompeii and Herculaneum
ONE Ancient societies option
ONE Historical personalities option
ONE Historical periods option.

Year 12 focus areas	Indicative hours
Core study: Cities of Vesuvius – Pompeii and Herculaneum	30
Ancient societies	30
Historical personalities	30
Historical periods	30

The Year 12 course requires study from at least TWO of the following areas:

Egypt
Near East
China
Greece
Rome.

The Core study: Cities of Vesuvius – Pompeii and Herculaneum is a Roman study.

Options in the Year 12 course contain a Context content group. This content group should be taught in a maximum of 3 hours.

Historical concepts and skills

The historical concepts and skills content is to be integrated throughout the course. The options provide the contexts through which concepts and skills are to be developed. These help guide students when engaging in historical analysis and argument.

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11–12Ancient History 11–12 Syllabus

Assessment