Skip to content

A NSW Government website

Welcome to the NSW Curriculum website

NSW Curriculum
NSW Education Standards Authority

7–10History 7–10 Syllabus

Record of changes
Implementation from 2027
Expand for detailed implementation advice

Content

Stage 4

Historical context 2 (options): The medieval world (c. 500 – c. 1600)

Teachers select at least ONE option from:

  • Medieval Europe
  • The expansion of Islam*
  • Polynesian expansion across the Pacific*
  • The Vikings
  • The Angkor/Khmer Empire*
  • Japan under the Shoguns*
  • Mongol expansion*
  • The Ottoman Empire*
  • The Black Death in Asia, Europe and North Africa*
  • Renaissance Italy
  • The Spanish conquest of the Americas

At least ONE depth study option to be chosen from a non-western option (marked with an *).

Depth study (option) – The Angkor/Khmer Empire (c. 802 – c. 1431)

Content in Working with historical concepts and skills outlines how historical concepts and skills are to be integrated with all other content in this focus area as part of the process of historical inquiry.

Loading...
Working with historical concepts and skills
  • Use relevant historical concepts and skills

  • Engage in historical inquiry, using information from a range of sources as evidence where appropriate

  • Create written texts to explain historical concepts related to the Angkor/Khmer Empire

Background and origins of the Angkor/Khmer Empire
  • Geographical context and natural features that shaped society under the Angkor/Khmer Empire

  • India’s influence on religion, language and trade

  • Jayavarman II and the founding of the Angkor/Khmer Empire

Significant groups, individuals, ideas, beliefs, practices or events in the Angkor/Khmer Empire
  • The nature of kingship: the god-king (devaraja) and the universal sovereign (chakravartin)

  • The features of trade, commerce and diplomacy, including goods and exchange, the role of women and Zhou Daguan’s The Customs of Cambodia

  • The nature of Angkor/Khmer warfare, including the role of the army and navy

  • The features of Angkor/Khmer art, architecture and technology

Impact and legacies of the Angkor/Khmer Empire
  • Changing interpretations about the decline of the Angkor/Khmer Empire

  • The significance of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom as UNESCO World Heritage sites

Related files