Advice for teachers -
Classical Studies

Unit 2 – Area of Study 1: Society through culture

Outcome 1

Analyse the ways in which classical works reveal and present aspects of ancient Greek and/or ancient Roman society.

Examples of learning activities

• Develop a presentation that outlines the development of ancient Greek society from palace to polis and/or ancient Roman society from agricultural to urban community. Focus on key figures, events and dates to provide a sociohistorcial outline for the works studied.
• Create a glossary with definitions of key terms relevant to the study. Include terms that explore aspects of society; for example, ‘monarchy’, ‘aristocracy’, ‘oligarchy’, ‘tyranny’, ‘democracy’, ‘republic’, ‘emperor’, ‘senate’. Add to this glossary during the unit.
• Consider works by Homer, Virgil, Euripides, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Herodotus, Thucydides, Aristophanes, Plato, Livy, Tacitus, Cicero and Petronius. Also consider Greek and Roman architecture and sculpture such as the Parthenon, temple of Zeus, the Ara Pacis or Colosseum. Answer a series of structured questions on a passage or image of the classical work, analysing the ways in which classical works reveal and present aspects of ancient Greek and/or Roman society.
• Explore aspects of society (such as the social, cultural and political life of ancient Greek and/or ancient Roman society) through works such as epic and lyric poetry, tragedy, history, comedy, philosophy as well as architecture, sculpture, vase and wall painting. Examine and analyse the sociohistorical context, the features of the form, the ideas and techniques used.
• Explore and describe the nature of Athenian democracy and the role of the Athenian citizen in the fifth century BCE. Use sources such as Pericles’s Funeral Oration in Book 2 of Thucydides. Using selected extracts, analyse the ideas and techniques presented.
• 
  Using Thucydides’s account of Pericles’s Funeral Oration and the Plague in Book 2 of his history, read and annotate it to explore the values, issues, ideas and techniques. Consider the impact of the sociohistorical context in the change in attitudes depicted during the plague. Focus on specific extracts and complete a passage analysis with structured questions.
• Investigate an aspect of ancient Greek society, such as the evolution of law and the concept of justice in Athens during the sixth and fifth centuries BCE, as explored by Aeschylus in his tragic play Agamemnon (or the whole trilogy).
• Study the events and outcomes of the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars in selected sections of the works of Herodotus and Thucydides. Compare the techniques, beliefs and sociohistorical contexts of these authors and their works.
• Read, annotate and analyse an Athenian tragedy; for example, Aeschylus’s Agamemnon, Sophocles’s Ajax or Euripides’s Trojan Women. Consider what each says about aspects of society; for example, the values of the hero and how heroes should behave.
• Read and annotate sections of Virgil’s Aeneid and consider the influence of the
  sociohistorical context on the work. Select specific extracts to examine and complete a passage analysis exploring this influence through structured questions or an essay.
• Evaluate the Colosseum as a historical source that provides insight into aspects of the society; for example, different social classes in ancient Rome.
• Read and annotate Aristophanes’s Lysistrata. Use it to explore aspects of society such as the social and political impact of the Peloponnesian War on Athens.
• Read and annotate a Roman literary text that illustrates life in the Roman Empire; for example, The Millionaire’s Dinner Party by Petronius or the writings of Pliny.
• Research the sociohistorical context, architectural and sculptural techniques, ideas, issues and values found in Greek and/or Roman architecture and sculpture; for example, the Parthenon, temple of Zeus, Ara Pacis or Colosseum. Study them individually or conduct a comparison.
• Explore different aspects of Greek and Roman society by writing an essay on the following topic: ‘The Parthenon celebrates a city; the Ara Pacis honours one man’. In the writing, analyse ways in which classical works reveal and present aspects of ancient Greek and Roman society.

 

Detailed example

Passage analysis of a written work

This activity uses Thucydides’s account of Pericles’s Funeral Oration and the Plague in Book 2 of The History of the Peloponnesian War.

Teacher reads aloud and students annotate and complete a detailed study of the ideas, techniques and sociohistorical context of sections of this work to reveal the social, cultural and political life of ancient Athens during the fifth century BCE.

1. The study of Thucydides begins with an introduction to the author and the history. The introductory notes provided at the beginning of the text are useful. Also, viewing the second half of episode 2 and all of episode 3 of the series ‘The Greeks’ provides an excellent overview of the relevant sociohistorical information.
2. Teacher reads the work aloud to class.
3. As the work is read, students annotate their copy of the text for the following information: content, ideas, techniques, sociohistorical context. One way in which students can identify this information is to consider the ‘who, what, where, when, why and how’ as they relate to the work.
4. Students take detailed notes and discuss the ideas, techniques and sociohistorical contexts. Teacher fills in any gaps during these discussions and corrects any misunderstandings.
5. Teacher selects a range of passages from the sections studied (each one around 20 to 40 lines) that provide students with enough scope to explore in detail: ideas, techniques and sociohistorical context.
6. Teacher designs questions based on a specific passage, using the skills and knowledge listed in the outcome and including a range of levels: 25% lower order questions (e.g. list, identify and/or describe); 50% mid-range questions (e.g. discuss, explore and explain); 25% higher order (e.g. analyse, evaluate, discuss and to what extent?). Examples of questions include:
• Who was Pericles?
• When and where was this speech delivered?
• What values does he praise here and why?
• How does Pericles speak about Sparta and why?
• Explore the techniques used by Thucydides here, particularly his ‘set speeches’ and his inclusion of ‘what he believed was called for at the time’.
• Evaluate Pericles’s motivations for delivering this speech.
7. Teacher gives students hard copies of the passages and the questions. They practise answering them in class.
8. Teacher provides students with model answers to help them develop their own skills, particularly in regard to finding relevant evidence to support the construction of an argument. When students are adequately prepared, a different passage is used for analysis and for final assessment. It could be a passage they have already studied in detail, but with different questions; alternatively, a passage from the work they have not studied in detail but with similar questions to the ones already completed.