HISTORICAL INVESTIGATIONSuggested Ancient History topics for

INTRIGUING PERSONS & GROUPS

The romance of Cleopatra & Marc Antony

The rise and fall of Julius Caesar

Spartacus the rebellious slave

The rise and rise of Caesar Augustus

Pericles or Themistocles, clever strategists

Xerxes - winner or loser?

AMAZING EVENTS

The Slave Revolt of Spartacus

The Gallic Wars The Roman Civil

Wars Fall of the Roman

Republic The Battle of

Marathon Assassination of

Caesar

FASCINATING SOCIETIES

The Athenians, the US of the ancient Greek world?

The fierce German tribes feared by Rome

Scythians, considered barbarians by Greeks & Romans

The Celtic warrior farmers of Gaul

Rome’s greatest enemy, the Parthians

Cleopatra’s Egypt

INTERESTING THEMES Slavery / Gladiators Pater familias – a father’s

power of life and death Child exposure – leaving

babies to the wolves Religion / Greek Philosophy Women / marriage in Rome

or Greece Warfare & military

organisation Dishes and delicacies Athenian “extreme”

democracy The Senate of Republican

Rome

HOTLY DEBATED TOPICS

Julius Caesar – saviour of Rome OR destroyer of the Republic

Was civil war inevitable?

Cleopatra – true love OR political seduction?

Who was the real power in Rome – the mob, the army or the Senate?

INCREDIBLE HISTORICAL SITES

The Port of Alexandria (Egypt)

The Acropolis (Athens, Greece)

Petra the cave city

The ruins of Timgad (North Africa)

The ruins of Roman Cuicul (Algeria)

The ruins of Tarragona (Spain)

CONSTRUCTIONS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD IN THE MEDIA

Spartacus Ben Hur Cleopatra Julius Caesar Asterix* Online communities Alexander

ENDURING MYTHS & LEGENDS

The Greek Delphi Oracle

Romulus and Remus in Roman legend

The divinity of Julius Caesar

Vestal Virgins The doors of the

Temple of Janus which never close

The power of Roman Army Standards

UNUSUAL ARTEFACTS

Coins Mosaics Armour Jewellery Busts and

sculptures Architecture

GETTING A TASTE FROM MUSEUMS & WEBSITES

The Stolen Treasures of the British Museum

Small Treasures in the Louvre (Paris)

The latest discoveries at Archaeology.org

Online communities e.g. www.unrv.com

THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM WRITTEN ACCOUNTS

Gallic Wars by Julius Caesar

The Biographies of Plutarch

The amusing stories of Herodotus

De re publica by Cicero

The controversial and banned work of Virgil

TOPICS YOU

CAN DO BUT DEFINITELY NOT

Anything or anyone connected with Rome in the time frame 78BC – AD14BC e.g. Egypt under the rule of Rome

Anything or anyone connected with Greece (but not Sparta) in the time frame 500BC – 440BC e.g. The Persians, arch-enemy of the Greeks

Pompeii (place) Herculaneum (place) Agrippina the Younger

(person) Roman Emperors or

Roman Empire after Augustus (after AD14)

Roman Britain Ancient Sparta

HOMEWORK!!

Read and summarise Antiquity1 chapter 7