VCE ANCIENT HISTORIES
The Hellenic Museum offers a broad range of curriculum-aligned education workshops for students studying VCE Ancient Histories (Unit 3-4).
The Hellenic Museum VCE Ancient Histories Workshop Program is designed to immerse students in ancient worlds and develop their confidence, passion and critical abilities in investigating and writing about ancient history. All workshops are aligned with the content knowledge and historical skills outlined in the Ancient Histories Study Design (2022 – 2026) Units 3 and 4, with a focus on ancient Greece in contact with the broader Mediterranean world.
Workshops connect students to the Hellenic Museum’s artefact collections, spanning over 8,000 years of Greek history, fine arts and archaeology (from Neolithic to Modern Greece). Through Socratic and Object- based learning approaches, students handle and evaluate artefacts, secondary sources and diverse historical perspectives.
Workshops connect students with our friendly network of archaeologists, curators and educators. Our rich and supportive learning environment brings to life and contextualises the period under study; Ancient Greece 800-454 BCE.
Explore our VCE Ancient Histories Workshops below.
Unit 3-4 Ancient Histories Area of Study 1
Greece: The political, social and economic elements of living in an ancient society
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A WOMAN'S WORLD:
Gender, sexuality and status
Using knowledge processing tools, students work in groups to handle and decode artefacts and texts that reveal the complexities of female in comparison to male roles in ancient Athens and Sparta. This will open broader discussions about the ancient landscape of gender politics and sexuality.
AVAILABLE FROM EARLY AUGUST
TRADE: Changing economic reality and policy
In this object-based learning session, students analyse ancient trade pottery and coins to interpret dynamics of Greek economic life including; industry, policymaking, effects of colonisation and national/international trade routes that shaped Athens, Sparta and the broader Mediterranean.
COMING SOON
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ANCIENT CULTURES: Greece & Rome
Analysing literature and artefacts, students explore the cultural, political and economic intersection between Greece and Rome, two of the most influential civilisations in the Western world. Critical conversations are opened about the inheritance, power and limitations of the Western world, and historians’ interpretations about links between civilisations.
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HOW TO DISCOVER DAILY LIFE IN ANCIENT GREECE
Students will become archaeologists for a day. Using historical and archaeological techniques, they will interpret artefacts to discover what life was like in ancient Greece from food eaten to city life, trade and rituals.
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THE POLEIS: Political philosophy, features and practice
Analysing artefacts and texts through Socratic discussion circles, students investigate the development of the Greek poleis (Archaic - Classical Period). Comparing Athens and Sparta, students expand their understanding of the Greek poleis as a theatre of ideas and self-criticism.
COMING SOON
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WARFARE: Changing societies at war
Through Socratic discussions students analyse artefacts of war to assess the significance of warfare and its role in and impact on; ancient Greek identity, civic and social life, economy, institutions and relations among states.
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HISTORIA: Discover the Methods of Historians through Time
In this seminal workshop students investigate the ancient origin of history, and how historical thinking has developed overtime to interpret the past. Decoding a range of primary and secondary sources, students interrogate the nature of historical interpretation and the archaeological record.
COMING SOON
Unit 3-4 Ancient Histories Area of Study 2
Greece: People in power, societies in crisis
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THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR Part 1 & 2
This workshop contextualises the Peloponnesian War for a nuanced investigation of this defining conflict.
Part 1: During a Socratic seminar, students interpret ancient artefacts and texts to evaluate the nature of the war, campaign strategies and the flashpoint Sicilian Expedition.
Part 2: Students use ancient rhetorical techniques to construct arguments about war policies and decisions made by key figures, unlocking their vision and states of mind.