Department Vision
Our philosophy is to deliver relevant, exciting and thought-provoking lessons to engage our students with the ancient world of Greece and Rome. With smaller class sizes, we are able to tailor our activities to suit the individual girls’ interests, while still benefiting from open debate. Our philosophy is one of inclusion, where all are welcome to join the discussion, to learn about the past and what it means for the present.
Main Aims
Our aims are to instil a genuine love for the Greek and Roman worlds. One sixth form student described Classics as a ‘safe haven of a subject’, where she felt encouraged, challenged and inspired to work, ask questions and draw links. We aim to stay relevant, ask questions, and embrace two ancient civilisations which have shaped our modern world.
Our pupils acquire the skills of analysis, evaluation, interpretation and persuasion. Whether we’re studying texts or visual materials, we instil amongst our girls a spirit of inquiry and understanding, and above all, passion.
Years 7-9
One full set of girls typically continue with learning Latin in Year 9, while the rest embark on Classical Civilisation, where we have created our own, bespoke course, to introduce the subject. In the first term, we study women in the ancient world: “The Good, The Bad, The Mad.” We look at Cornelia, Cleopatra and Dido; an ordinary woman, an extraordinary queen, and a mythical figure from Virgil’s Aeneid. Our girls enjoy learning about the expectations of women in Roman society through these different figures, by reading extracts from ancient historians and epic, analysing inscriptions, coins and frescoes.
In the second term, we study the Culture of Athens, focusing on the fifth century BC. We consider the Athenian world through its religious festivals, Pericles’ ambitious building programme, the relationship Athens has with her allies, and the status and expectations of women through literary and archaeological sources. This gives our girls a good understanding about the Athenian society through a range of angles. Girls do independent research into the different buildings on the Acropolis and around Attica and present their findings in small groups to the class.
The summer term is spent exploring the god Dionysus/Bacchus and the myths that surround him. The notorious god of wine and revelry is considered through three main myths: his relationship with Ariadne, his interaction with the pirates, whom he turns into dolphins, and his tragic and horrific punishment of Pentheus. We study Titian’s artwork, extracts from Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Euripides’ Bacchae, exposing our girls to some of the best literature of the ancient world.
This course prepares girls for the GCSE without directly covering any of the same material. We give a good overview of Greece and Rome and end the year by focusing on myths. It’s great fun and girls get so involved and passionate about the limitations imposed on women, the nature of Athens’ relationship with her supposed-allies, and whether or not Dionysus was right to rip Pentheus to pieces.
GCSE
- Exam board – OCR
- Content:
At GCSE, students of Classical Civilisation study two key topics:
-Women in the Ancient World (a thorough examination of the lives of women in Classical Greece and first-century Rome, ranging from Women in Legend, to Women in the Home, to Women to be Feared)
-The Homeric World (a study of extracts from Homer’s Odyssey and the archaeology of the Mycenaean world).
- Rationale:
The Women in the Ancient World is a superb course, covering a huge range of fascinating characters, from Helen of Troy to Medea, from Lucretia to Cleopatra. It covers real life women, historical women, and legendary women. It gives our girls a real insight into the lives of girls and women thousands of years ago, which we compare to the status and position of girls and women today. In addition, it exposes them to a range of important events and sources from antiquity, such as Homer’s Iliad, the Parthenon frieze, Latin love poetry, and the Battle of Actium.
Reading Homer’s epic, The Odyssey at the age of 14, is truly a treat. One of the cornerstones of western civilisations, we read parts of Odysseus’ travels meeting famous characters like the Cyclops and Circe. We also read his return to Ithaca, where Penelope challenges the suitors to the famous contest of the bow. Alongside this, we study archaeological remains from Mycenaean cities, to investigate the sorts of people who lived and thrived at the time Odysseus was believed to have lived. This holistic approach to the Bronze Age enables us to appreciate a range of sources.
QG Super Curriculum
Here at QG, our aim is to make the Classical World as accessible and relevant as possible to all our girls. We pick topics that our girls care about and get invested in, and we actively support and pursue sources or news stories that enrich this. We regularly dedicate time to learning about a recent excavation or reading an extract from a newly-released mythical re-telling. During Black History Month, we study the Ivory Bangle lady and think about the movement of populations in the Roman world; during Science Week we investigate the contributions of ancient scientists to the modern world. We proudly also host an annual Classics Evening where girls from Years 7-13 present and perform on topics they have chosen relating to the ancient world, going beyond the curriculum into areas they are passionate about.
Trips, competitions and societies
We make the most of our prime location and frequently visit the British Museum to see the artefacts that we study. This also gives us the opportunity to study sources that are not on the syllabus, but which inspire a love of the ancient world. Likewise, we visit the Victoria and Albert Museum to see their collection of sculpture, much of which is inspired by ancient mythology; they also have an enormous cast of Trajan’s column, which gives insight into the Roman Army. We also keep a close eye on any theatre productions of ancient tragedies and organise opportunities to go to see them with interested pupils. We offer a year 9 Ancient Greek club to introduce this other fascinating language to our students. We have a mythology club for Years 7 and 8, which is run by our passionate sixth form.
