GREEK AS ANCIENT HISTORY
GREEK AS ANCIENT HISTORY
( OCR H044)( AB INITIO)
Those who have never studied Greek, or who did not take the GCSE, can pick up the language in Sixth Form and work towards an AS-Level over two years. Lessons( normally 3 Winchester hours per week) take place off timetable. The AS has two papers: one language, one literature.
This opportunity may appeal to those contemplating a university application for Classics( though Greek is not strictly necessary for this), or to those with an interest in languages or the ancient world.
( OCR H407)
The Ancient History A-level allows pupils to study( in translation) the ancient world from a wide variety of angles: while the main emphasis is on political, diplomatic and military history, social, cultural, intellectual and art history also feature. A distinctive feature of the course is the priority of source work: pupils learn how to handle a wide range of sources and to argue a case from the bottom up. The course is taught by Classics dons; pupils will have one on the Greek side and one on the Roman side each year.
In VIBk2( Year 12), pupils embark on two‘ Period Studies’:
–‘ Relations between Greek states and between Greek and non-Greek states, 492 – 404 BC’( i. e. Greek history from the Persian to the Peloponnesian Wars)
– The Julio-Claudian emperors, 31 BC – AD 68’( i. e. Roman history from Augustus to Nero)
In VIBk1( Year 13), pupils proceed to two‘ Depth Studies’:
–‘ The Politics and Culture of Athens, c. 460 – 399 BC’
–‘ The Breakdown of the Late Republic, 88 – 31 BC’
The final exam consists of two papers, one Greek and one Roman, each requiring response to a mixture of essay and source analysis questions.
Ancient History can be taken by itself or in combination with Latin and / or Greek. The subject can be studied very profitably in combination with( Modern) History, as each A-level has a distinct feel.
Considerable use is made of the ancient coins, vases, casts and other items in the school’ s classical collections – the inheritance of Winchester’ s superlative classical tradition. Each year Sixth Form Classics pupils have the opportunity to take part in a trip to Italy, Greece or another area of classical interest.