Classical Studies - Classical Works Study Notes

This area of study examines epic poetry, one of the most enduring ancient forms. Students analyse a prescribed work of Greek or Roman epic poetry, exploring its key features, ideas, techniques, and relationship to its socio-historical context. They consider how epic poetry reflects the concerns, beliefs, and values of the society that produced it, and how it explores ideas of identity, heroism, legacy, war, fate, and the place of humans in the world.

This area of study examines the material culture of ancient Greece or Rome. Students analyse a prescribed work or collection of works of material culture, such as buildings, sculptures, or pictorial art, considering their features, techniques, ideas, and relationship to socio-historical context. Through close analysis, students explore how classical societies expressed their culture and ideas through physical and visual displays.

Students analyse a selection of prescribed materials and short written works that reflect a specified key concern of classical culture (such as Classical identities, Power and authority, or War and warfare). They evaluate how works of different forms, genres, and contexts express and exemplify a classical concern, and analyse the significance of these concerns in understanding classical culture.

Students undertake an in-depth comparative study of two prescribed classical works. They analyse and compare the key ideas and techniques in the works, evaluate the relationships between the works and their socio-historical contexts, and construct comparative arguments about similarities and differences in the presentation of ideas and techniques.

This area of study examines epic poetry, one of the most enduring ancient forms. Epics are long narrative poems typically set in the mythical world of gods and heroes, exploring ideas of identity, heroism, legacy, the pathos of war, fate and the place of humans in the world. Students study a work (a 'book') of either Greek or Roman epic poetry, examining its key ideas, the techniques used to express them, and its relationship to its socio-historical context. On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse the key ideas and techniques in a prescribed work of epic poetry and explain its relationship to its socio-historical context.

This area of study examines the material culture of ancient Greece or Rome, the visual and tangible remains of the culture. Students closely analyse a prescribed material work or works, such as a building, sculpture or pictorial art, examining its features, construction methods and original use, the ideas and themes it expresses, and the compositional and expressive techniques used to convey them within their socio-historical context. On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse the key ideas and techniques used in the production of the prescribed material work(s) and its relationship to its socio-historical context.

In this area of study students analyse a selection of prescribed materials and short written works that reflect a specified key concern of classical culture: Classical identities, Power and authority, or War and warfare. Among the prescribed works is a designated Work 1 from the pair of works to be studied in Area of Study 2, giving students an initial point of engagement with that work and its broader cultural context. Students evaluate representations of a classical concern through analysis and comparison of prescribed works across different forms, genres and times. On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse and evaluate expressions of a classical concern and its significance in classical culture.

In this area of study students undertake an in-depth comparative study of two written classical works. Building on their engagement with Work 1 in Area of Study 1, they closely analyse its presentation of key ideas and compare it with a second work, Work 2. Students compare the treatment of key ideas and techniques, focusing on the likely intention of the classical authors and how contemporary audiences would have perceived the works, and situate the works within their socio-historical contexts. On completion of this unit the student should be able to compare and evaluate the key ideas and the techniques in two classical works and evaluate the relationships between these works and their socio-historical contexts.