Classical Civilisation

Classical Civilisation is an amazing subject to study. In 20,000 years, we will be thought of as merely living just at the end of the Roman Empire. Through a better knowledge of the ancient world, a world that lasted far longer than ours, we will know ourselves better. You're born, you live and you will die within a space of, at most 120 years. Why wouldn't you want to know the totality of human experience? The study of the ancient world gives us that totality and is a mirror to better understand the world we currently live in.

Paper 1: The World of the Hero - 2hrs 20 mins

- 40% This compulsory component consists of an in-depth study of Homer's Iliad or Odyssey and Virgil's Aeneid. These works of literature from Ancient Greece & Rome are studied in their English translation and will open your eyes to the full wonder of Classical Civilisation & thought.

Paper 2: Culture & The Arts -1hr 45 mins

- 30% This component consists of the study of how the first Roman Emperor Augustus created and manipulated an image of himself and of his rule, opening up questions of the relationship between man and the gods, and providing the defining example of political spin and control of the public through propaganda. Here, history, art, architecture and literature all interweave to create a pageant of Roman power and glory.

Paper 3: Beliefs & Ideas - 1hr 45 mins

- 30% This component centres on the politics of the later Roman Republic, investigating how civil strife led to the eruption of civil war and the rise of competing warlords such as Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar. This study is a master-class in statecraft and governance, looking at what holds societies and cultures together, and what happens when they fall apart. Through the study of the works of Cicero, we will investigate some of the most famous events in the whole of human history.

Paper 1: The World of the Hero - 2hrs 20 mins 40%

Paper 2: Culture & The Arts - 1hr 45 mins - 30%

Paper 3: Beliefs & Ideas - 1hr 45 mins - 30%

Students who study this course should have achieved five 5 to 9 grades at GCSE, including Grade 5 or above in English. You do not need to have studied History at GCSE level, but an interest in History would definitely help!

Classical Civilisation is a well-respected course, relevant to careers in law, journalism, teaching, the police, archaeology, and any subject based around the humanities, societies and communication. More than this, Classical Civilisation will help to open your eyes to the true scale of human existence.