History / Year 8 / Historical Knowledge and Understanding

• TLF-IDM019421

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 ...

• TLF-IDM015630

Did you know that around 800 years ago the world's biggest city was in Cambodia? From the 10th century, Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which ruled a huge part of South-East Asia for around three centuries. But Angkor was abandoned in the 15th century. Discover how modern archaeological techniques are now helping ...

• TLF-IDM019045

Theatre can tell powerful stories. In the 1950s, the early years of the Cold War, some Aboriginal people were removed from their land at Maralinga in South Australia to make way for British atomic testing. Ngapartji Ngapartji, a play combining traditional Aboriginal story-telling and contemporary theatrical styles, explores ...

• TLF-IDM015567

Imagine leaving your home to travel back to a time over 150 years ago, to live and work on an outback farm. Sixteen Australians take part in a reality TV show about life on Oxley Downs, a sheep station built to look and work as a real station would have in the 1860s. Join the women and children as they arrive at the station ...

• TLF-IDM017752

Who are the major gods and goddesses of the Hindu religion and what do their followers believe about their nature, power and influence in the world? In this clip from a 1965 'University of the Air' program you will encounter several Hindu gods and goddesses and learn some of the most widely held beliefs about them. This ...

• TLF-IDM017835

In megacities, finding room for millions of people to live and work sometimes pushes other land uses aside. In Beijing, space for recreational activities is extremely limited, so one group of 'grannies' has taken to dancing in the streets! But even this space-saving solution is not without its detractors.

• TLF-IDM017886

Construction of the Sydney Opera House began in 1959. The Opera House was intended to be more than a building; it was meant to be a landmark that would put Sydney on the world map as a centre of culture. In this short, silent clip, discover some of the work that went into constructing this huge, unique and very complex building.

• TLF-IDM020790

Do you know what a carbon footprint is? Join Dirt Girl, Scrap Boy and Costa to find out! In this video, carbon emissions are measured in balloons. The Sydney Opera House measured the carbon footprint of Dirt Girl's recent show. How many balloons worth of carbon did it produce? What did the Sydney Opera House do to offset ...

• TLF-IDM025098

What do you know about the Sikh faith? Meet Harjit from the Australian Sikh Heritage Association and learn about the history of Sikhism. What are the three principles that Sikhs believe in? How do Sikhs express their religious identity? Harjit explains that Australian Army slouch hats have puggarees on them. What is a puggaree?

• TLF-IDM017791

What experiences help you to understand what it means to be Australian? How do you think Australians define themselves? Listen as Akram Azimi, the 2013 Young Australian of the Year, shares the joy he finds in spending time in a remote Aboriginal community. He speaks of how this contributes to his sense of Australian identity. ...