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Journey to the west - part 1

This is the first part of a Chinese folk story called Journey to the west: the adventures of Monkey, which dates back 1,300 years. The story is about a monkey that gets magical powers. In the second part of the story the monkey becomes a companion of a monk on a dangerous journey. The resource is 15 web pages in length ...

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ABC Open: A special day for Buddhists

Watch this clip to learn about a Buddhist festival called Vesak (or Buddha Purnima). It's a special day that commemorates the Lord Buddha's birth, enlightenment and death. Vesak is celebrated on the day of the full moon in May and in India it's a public holiday. How is Vesak day celebrated? Do some research and find out ...

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Religion in late imperial China, 1644-1911

This online resource offers a comprehensive overview of the many forms of religion in late imperial China. It includes a detailed overview of religion under the following four headings: Religion in China: an overview; Popular religion and beliefs; Institutional religion: the three teachings; and Religion, the state and ...

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Viking religion

This resource is about the Vikings attitude to religion. It includes text and some images. The resource is organised under six topic headings: The age of conversion; Pagan belief; Gods and giants; Pagan and Christian together; Conversion in Scandinavia; and Find out more. Interposed in the text are images of an amulet, ...

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Ancient China: geography - how Nu Gua created human beings

This is an animated text accompanied by notes that recounts two myths about the goddess Nu Gua and the Yellow River. The first describes how Nu Gua created human beings, first by making models of the gods from the yellow clay of the river to create the rich and fortunate, and then by flicking droplets of clay to create ...

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Ancient China: religion

This is a rich teacher resource about religious and funerary practices in ancient China. It contains: seven background information sheets; three lesson plans for whole-class discussions to introduce particular topics connected to tombs and the goods found within them; an inquiry-grid worksheet for gathering information ...

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BTN: Easter symbols

What comes to your mind when you think of Easter? You may have known that some of the traditions we currently enjoy around Easter holidays have their roots in religion, but did you know some may have their roots in pagan traditions? This video explains what some Easter symbols mean and how they came about.

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Roman Times: Looking for a place to live in ancient Rome?

What was it like to live in a flat in ancient Rome? The majority of the city's population lived in apartment buildings. Discover what features the flats did, and did not, include, and how the lives of their occupants compared with those of the wealthy.

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Fair and reliable reporting on Medieval Angkor

What are the dangers of relying on one historical source for an understanding of an ancient society? How important is it for historians to verify information? In this animation of one of history's most significant documents, Zhou Dugaun's 'A Record of Cambodia: the land and its People', consider the reliability of Zhou's ...

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Foreign Correspondent: The Battle of Hastings, again!

How was England changed forever by one battle in 1066? In that year, a Norman army led by Duke William of Normandy sailed to England and defeated the Saxon army of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. Visit the site of the battle during a re-enactment by medieval history buffs. This is the first of two clips.

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Life in Medieval Europe: Rough justice

How do we determine whether someone is innocent or guilty of a crime? Our legal system is quite different to the one that was practised in Medieval Europe, where trials by combat or ordeal were not uncommon. In this clip, consider the merits of the medieval legal system. This clip is one in a series of five.

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Zhou Daguan's account of Medieval Angkor

The city of Angkor was the centre of the mighty Khmer Empire for five hundred years, beginning around 900 CE. It was not only one of the most populous cities in the world, it featured some of the most sophisticated architecture and infrastructure, particularly in regards to water distribution. In this beautiful animation, ...

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Journey to the west - part 2

This is the second part of a Chinese folk story dating back 1,300 years called the Journey to the west: preparing for the great journey. The story is about finding three magical companions - a monkey, a pig and a strongman - for a monk who is going on a dangerous journey. The resource is 15 web pages and includes text, ...

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Ramayana: an introduction to the great Indian epic

This is a resource that provides detailed information about the epic story Ramayana, with an enlargeable image and hyperlinks to further resources. Below the information there is space for readers to comment and contribute to a discussion about the story. Ramayana is a most important Hindu story from southern and south-eastern ...

Interactive

Vikings: the north Atlantic saga - online exhibition

This is an online exhibition rich in historical information, animations and source material about the Vikings in general and their westward expansion in particular. The exhibition, developed by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, contains three elements, two intended for students and one for teachers. ...

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Roman Times: Eating and entertaining in ancient Rome

Discover a world of ancient Roman entertainment that was, in some respects, remarkably similar to modern times and gruesomely different in others. In this clip, find out about such things as the games children played and the meals they ate. Also explore the types of entertainment they enjoyed at the theatre, Circus Maximus ...

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Roman Times: Growing up Roman

Imagine living in ancient Rome, when your father could decide whether you lived or died, sell you into slavery and decide who you would marry. Explore the dynamics of ancient Roman families, along with fascinating facts about housework, family pets, schooling and names.

Online

Learning from Confucius

This learning sequence explores the life and importance of Confucius. Through research, students examine the historical context of the achievements and significance of Confucius and how his sayings are relevant today.

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Treasures along the Silk Roads

This is a teaching resource about the cultural, economic and artistic exchanges promoted by the Silk Roads in China. It gives step-by-step advice to teachers about how their students could be encouraged to make personal literary responses to images of artefacts from a hyperlinked online exhibition, 'Monks and merchants: ...

Assessment

Year 8 history assessment - Medieval eclipse

This is an assessment package that uses the Year 8 Australian Curriculum history achievement standard to gather evidence about how well students have demonstrated what they know, what they understand and what they can do for the depth study 'The Western and Islamic World: Medieval Europe' (c.590–c.1500). Students use researched ...