Ancient History GCE A Level

Ancient History GCE A Level

Qualification: AS/A2 - 2 year course

Course type: Level 3 (advanced)

Entry requirements:
Students must have 4 B grades at GCSE, and at least C grade in English Language. It is not essential to have History or Classics at GCSE, but if you have taken either of these subjects then you must have at least a C grade.

Head of Department: Miss Julia Clayton

Course assessment:
All four modules in Ancient History are assessed by examination in the June of each year (there is no coursework, and no option to sit January modules). Each AS module is assessed by a 90 minute exam; each A2 module is assessed by a 2 hour exam. All the exam papers follow the same format - you answer one context question (based on an ancient written source) and one essay question for each module.

What can this course offer me?
This course offers an detailed introduction to one of the bloodiest, most controversial and exciting periods of history - the history of ancient Greece and ancient Rome. If you have been intrigued by watching 300, Gladiator or Rome, or you enjoy playing video games set in the ancient world (such as Rome: Total War), then Ancient History may be the course for you.
Our Ancient History course is designed to help you to develop the skills used by historians, but using evidence which is often fragmentary, distorted, non-contemporary, biased or embellished. The course is based entirely on original sources (historical writing, biography, inscriptions & coins) from the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome. If you like military history, you will have the chance to study the Persian Wars, Peloponnesian War and the Roman Civil Wars of the Late Republic. You can extend your knowledge of British history by studying topics like the Roman Invasion of Britain, Boudicca's Revolt and Hadrian's Wall. You will also get the opportunity to study an ancient society - Sparta - whose unique social and economic structure has fascinated modern readers as diverse as Karl Marx and Hitler.

What will I learn?
Students study one Greek and one Roman module in each year:

AS Course

AH1: Politics & Society in Ancient Sparta

AH2: Britain in the Roman Empire

A2 Course

AH3: Conflict & Culture: Greece & Persia 499-449 BC

AH4: The Fall of the Roman Republic, 81-31 BC

What Makes a good Ancient History student?
Do you enjoy studying History, but want to study an earlier period, such as the cultures of Greece and Rome? Ancient History students need to enjoy reading, discussing ideas and writing essays. You'll also need an open mind and a good sense of humour.

Which other courses link well with this subject?
There is no direct overlap between Ancient History, Classical Civilisation or Archaeology, so students may wish to take two or even three of these as complementary subjects. Other popular subject combintations would be Politics, History, English, Geography or Economics.

Future Opportunities
Ancient History is regarded as a challenging A level subject and it provides excellent preparation for the study of any essay-based subject at university. It would be a particularly good foundation for university courses in: Ancient History, Classical Studies, History (of any period), War Studies, Archaeology, Politics, Law or Journalism. Our department has an excellent record of helping students to win places at Oxford, Durham, London, St Andrews and other highly competitive universities.

Employers welcome the intellectual discipline that comes from studying Ancient History. Possible careers for graduates in Ancient History include: museum work; journalism; the heritage industry; teaching; publishing; the media & financial services.

Is there anything else I need to know?
Some students have difficulty deciding whether to take Classical Civilisation or Ancient History at AS/A2, as both subjects focus on ancient Greece and ancient Rome. The main difference is that in Classical Civilisation you study the cultural objects produced by these societies - literature, sculpture, buildings, drama - whereas in Ancient History you study the history of the Greek and Roman worlds. Both courses contain a strong element of social history (eg. gender roles, social classes, slavery) but there is more political and military history on the Ancient History course.