Classical Civilisation

Classical Civilisation offers the chance to explore the worlds of Ancient Greece and Rome without needing to know any Latin or Greek, as every text is studied in English. Students follow heroes on epic journeys, watch the birth of theatre on the Athenian stage, and look at the myths, religion and politics of the civilisations that shaped Western culture. Above all, it is a subject about people: how we behave, whom we admire, and how power works. It’s an essay-based subject that builds strong skills in reading, discussion, debate and writing, and because no prior knowledge of the ancient world is needed, it can also be a fresh academic start. Classical Civilisation sits especially well alongside Drama, Theology, Politics, English, History, Psychology and Law, and it complements any combination of subjects.

Course Details

OCR: Advanced GCE in Classical Civilisation (H408):

The World of the Hero: Students study the great epic poems of Greece and Rome in translation, reading Homer alongside Virgil’s Aeneid. They look at what makes a hero, the part the gods play in human lives, and how these stories reflected and shaped the values of the people who first heard them. This component makes up 40% of the A Level.

Culture and the Arts: Students explore Greek theatre, from the physical setting of the ancient theatre and the festivals where plays were staged to the tragedies and comedies themselves, including Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Euripides’ Bacchae and Aristophanes’ Frogs. This component makes up 30% of the A Level.

Beliefs and Ideas: Students trace the development of politics and radical democracy in Classical Athens, looking at how the world’s first democracy worked, who held power, and how ancient thinkers argued for and against it. This component makes up 30% of the A Level.