Year 10 — Classics

Term 1: The Gods

This topic examines the pantheon of gods, focusing on the twelve Olympian gods, as well as Dionysus/Bacchus and Hades/Pluto. We will discover what unique skills each of them had, and how the Greeks and Romans typically represented them in their art and literature.

GCSE style assessment on the Gods.

pantheon

Term given to the gods when we speak of them collectively.

polytheism

the belief in many gods

anthropomorphism

Giving human form or attributes to something that is otherwise not human

epithet

An adjective or phrase regularly added to a name to denote a personal or physical quality.

hiera

holy affairs

iconography

The symbols attached to a particular character when represented in an image.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:

The students develop their extended writing and evaluation skills with the use of ancient sources.

Create a supportive community:

The students develop their understanding of ancient religious culture similarities and differences to modern religions.

Term 2: The Universal Hero: Heracles/Hercules, Greek and Roman Temples

This topic is about the myths associated with Heracles (known to the Romans as Hercules) and how he is typically represented. For the Greek element of the topic we examine the twelve labours of Heracles and his importance to the site of Olympia. For the Rome element we study Hercules' victories against Achelous and Nessus as told by the poet Ovid. We also learn about Hercules' victory over Cacus and why this was important to the Romans by reading a section from Virgil's Aeneid. In this topic we also begin to study the design, function and importance of temples in Greece and Rome. In this topic we also to study the design, function and importance of temples in Greece and Rome. We are using the Parthenon and Temple of Zeus in Greece, and the Pantheon and Temple of Portunus in Rome as case studies. We also examine the various religious officials that existed in the Greek and Roman world and their roles and responsibilities. Finally, we examine the procedure and importance of animal sacrifices.

GCSE style assessment on both topics covered so far: the Gods and Heracles/Hercules.

seer

a person who is reputed to be able to see the future

pithos (pl. pithoi)

a large clay storage jar

pediment

triangular area at the top of each end of a temple, which could contain sculpture.

metope (pl. metopes)

square decorative spaces that ran around a Doric temple and could contain sculpture

centaur

a mythical creature with the upper body of a man and lower body of a horse.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:

The students develop their source analytical skills in relation to ancient Greek and Roman sources.

Create a supportive community:

The students develop their understanding of ancient Greek and Roman religious culture.

Term 3: Religion and the City, Foundation Stories and Festivals Part I

In this topic, we learn about the myth surrounding the naming of Athens and the role Theseus played in the development of Athens. For Rome, we explore the role Aeneas and Romulus played in the founding of the city. While exploring both cities, we look at how and why the myths are depicted as they are and what they meant to Athenians and Romans. In this unit we study some of the key festivals that took place in Greece, such as the Great Panathenaia and the Great Dionysia.

Students' classwork and homework will be assessed by teachers and students given feedback on their work.

sanctuary

an area of holy land dedicated to a god or gods.

frieze

a piece of marble that goes all the way around a temple

hiereus (pl. hiereis)

"one who sacrifices to a god", a Greek priest

hiereia (pl. hiereiai)

"one who sacrifices to a god", a Greek priestess

mantis (pl. manteis)

a Greek soothsayer who read entrails of animals or bird signs to predict the outcome of future events.

augur

a person who reads the flight of birds to predict the outcome of future events.

pax deorum

the peace of the gods

pontifex (pl. pontifices)

a Roman priest in charge of protecting temples, regulating religious law and overseeing the religious calendar.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:

The students develop their skills in comparative essay writing.

Create a supportive community:

The students develop their understanding of ancient Greek and Roman religious culture.

Term 4: Greece and Rome: Festivals Part II and Symbols of Power

In this unit we continue to study some of the key festivals that took place in Greece and Rome, such as the Saturnalia and the Lupercalia. We also explore the links between myth and the portrayal of power. For the Greeks we examine the Athenian use of the Centauromachy on the Parthenon. For the Romans we examine emperor Augustus and how he used popular Roman mythology and sculpture to promote his position as Emperor of Rome.

GCSE style assessment on religion and Foundation Stories.

Attica

the region around Athens in the south-eastern Greece

patron

a Roman who gives financial or other such such support to a client in return for work and favours

kylix (pl. kylixes)

a drinking cup

Gaul

a Roman province to the west of the Alps encompassing much of modern day France and northern Italy.

Public Penates

sacred objects dedicated to the city.

pietas

a Roman virtue that means "sense of duty".

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:

The students develop their skills in analysing ancient historical texts and comparing them to their own contextual knowledge.

Create a supportive community:

The students develop their understanding of the early history of ancient civilisations and the significance of mythology and legend within cultures.

Term 5: Greece and Rome: death, burial and the afterlife

In this topic we learn about Greek and Roman practices and beliefs surrounding death and burial including the preparation, funeral procession and burial of the body. We also study some of the festivals of remembrance that the Greeks and Romans held. The Greeks and Romans had various myths and beliefs regarding what happened to the dead once they left the world of the living. In this unit, we study some of the myths about journeys to the underworld, as told by Greek and Roman authors.

End of Year assessment. One paper 1h 30m combining all topics studied this year.

Great Panathenaia

an Athenian festival to Athena that took place every four years.

Panathenaic amphora

storage jars containing olive oil given as prizes at the Great Panathenaia

Apobates

a chariot race in which the rider would dismount and remount his chariot

Peplos

a Greek dress

Eponymous archon

an Athenian magistrate elected for one year.

Choregos

the financial backer of a set of plays at the City Dionysia in Athens

Lapiths

a mythical race of men based in northern Greece

Centauromachy

mythical battle between Centaurs and Lapiths

Consul

the most important public official in Rome after the emperor.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:

The students develop their source inference and provenance skills.

Create a supportive community:

The students develop their understanding of symbolism and propaganda in ancient societies and the impact they have had on recent historical societies.

Term 6: Roman City life: Roman Housing

The students begin their 'Roman City Life' option, which focuses on Roman society and culture in urbanised areas. In Term 1, the students will learn about the different types of Roman housing both for the poor and the rich. There will be a study of both urban blocks of flats as well as luxury town houses. The students also look at various case studies from the archaeological site at Pompeii.

GCSE style assessment on death, burial and afterlife. Preparation for holiday homework.

prosthesis

process according to which the body of the deceased would be laid our for two days to receive mourners.

lament

a passionate expression of grief or sorrow

ekphora

the funeral procession in ancient Greece

Anthesteria

a Greek festival to Dionysus and the dead held over three days.

Genesia

a Greek festival to the dead ancestors celebrated in late September.

atrium

the main room of the Roman house where the family received friends and clients.

funerary mask

a mask made by placing wax on the deceased's face to take their image.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural

Develop the individual:

The students develop their extended-writing skills with an emphasis on historical judgement.

Create a supportive community:

The students develop their understanding of ancient urbanisation and the foundations laid in antiquity.