11–12Ancient History 11–12 Syllabus
The new Ancient History 11–12 Syllabus (2024) is to be implemented from 2027.
2025 and 2026
- Plan and prepare to teach the new syllabus
2027, Term 1
- Start teaching new syllabuses for Year 11
- Start implementing new Year 11 school-based assessment requirements
- Continue to teach the Ancient History Stage 6 Syllabus (2017) for Year 12
2027, Term 4
- Start teaching new syllabuses for Year 12
- Start implementing new Year 12 school-based assessment requirements
2028
- First HSC examination for new syllabus
Content
Year 11
Students study TWO case studies, choosing ONE from List A and ONE from List B. The studies may incorporate methods and issues involved in investigating the ancient past, as relevant.
Teachers may develop their own case studies. These may be designed to provide a context for options selected in the Year 12 course. However, case studies must not overlap with or duplicate significantly any option to be attempted in the Year 12 Ancient History or History Extension courses. Teacher-developed case studies must follow the geographical division indicated in Lists A and B.
List A: Case studies from Egypt, Greece, Rome and Celtic Europe
- List A: Old Kingdom Egypt
- List A: Tutankhamun’s tomb
- List A: Deir el-Medina
- List A: Alexandria
- List A: Thera
- List A: Troy
- List A: The Roman games
- List A: The Celts
- List A: Boudicca
List B: Case studies from Australia, Asia, the Near East and the Americas
- List B: Ancient Australia
- List B: The Shang dynasty
- List B: Ashoka
- List B: Nineveh
- List B: Persepolis
- List B: Civilisations of the river – Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley
- List B: Masada
- List B: Palmyra and the Silk Road
- List B: Teotihuacan
Other possible case studies related to List A could include:
- the Valley of the Queens
- Mycenae
- Greek drama
- the Etruscans
- the impact of expansion on Rome
- Tiberius Gracchus
- the city of Rome
- Roman Britain.
Other possible case studies related to List B could include:
- Jericho
- Lachish
- the Akkadian Empire
- Carthage
- Hannibal and the Punic Wars
- the Battle of Red Cliffs
- the Moche
- the early Maya.
Teacher-developed case studies must include the aspects of study identified in the following framework:
- the geographical and historical context
- the range and issues of sources
- the historical features, people, places, events and developments of the ancient world selected for study
- differing interpretations and representations.
The natural features, resources and key sites of Old Kingdom Egypt, such as Memphis, cemeteries of Saqqara, Giza and Dahshur
An overview of the Old Kingdom period, including its establishment
Early excavations and archaeological discoveries
Written sources, such as the Narmer Palette and the Pyramid Texts
Archaeological sources, such as royal and noble tombs and the Giza pyramid complexes of Dynasty VI
The roles and images of the king, the concepts of Ma’at and Isfet, the roles of the official class and the roles of women
Trade, commerce, industries and employment, and the significance of the Nile
Cults of Re and Osiris, cultural beliefs and practices, the sciences and literature
The nature of funerary customs, royal tombs and tombs of the nobility
The reasons for the collapse of Old Kingdom Egypt
Differing interpretations and representations of Old Kingdom Egypt