History 7-10 / Year 7 / Knowledge and understanding / The ancient world

Curriculum content descriptions

key beliefs, values and practices of an ancient society, with a particular emphasis on one of the following areas: everyday life, warfare, or death and funerary customs (AC9HH7K11)

Elaborations
  • Topic: Greece
  • describing the role of the Delphic Oracle in informing decision-making regarding future warfare
  • investigating significant beliefs and values associated with warfare, such as the heroic ideals revealed in the Iliad, and military practices such as army organisation, the hoplite phalanx and naval warfare,456,Topic: Rome
  • investigating significant beliefs associated with daily life (for example, the evidence of household religion) and practices (for example, the use of public amenities such as baths, and the forms of entertainment in theatres and amphitheatres)
  • analysing the role of the military in the organisation of Roman society and politics, in both the Republic and the early Empire,456,Topic: Egypt
  • investigating beliefs associated with death, such as belief in an afterlife, and funerary customs and practices (for example, burial in tombs and techniques of mummification)
  • describing how the prominence of male and female gods changed based on locality and time,456,Topic: India
  • developing criteria to evaluate the significant beliefs, values and practices of Indian society associated with, for example, the role of the family and religious ceremonies, such as rites of passage for boys and men, and rites of passage for girls and women, and marriage rites
  • formulating questions to analyse how Vedism and later, Brahmanism shaped death and funerary customs,456,Topic: China
  • identifying how the Mandate of Heaven assisted people in understanding and justifying periods of warfare
  • investigating the significant beliefs, values and practices of Chinese society associated with daily life; for example, irrigation and the practice of agriculture, the teachings of Confucius, the evidence of daily life from the Han tombs
General capabilities
  • Ethical understanding Ethical understanding
  • Intercultural understanding Intercultural Understanding
ScOT terms

Classical antiquity,  Nobility,  Chinese history,  Political systems,  Egyptian history,  Slavery,  Law,  Indian history

Interactive

Syllabus bites – Ancient China

This resource outlines the geography, social structure and daily life of Ancient China. Includes links to interactive web resources and quizzes.

Interactive

Syllabus Bites: Ancient India

This resource is a webpage with information, study guide and resources on the depth study, The Asian world: India, to support the Australian Curriculum in History.

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Discovering democracy: Federation timeline

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Pocket Compass, Ep 4: History of Indigenous rights in Australia

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The British arrive in Tasmania

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Gold rush

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The history of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy

The Aboriginal Tent Embassy was established on the lawns of the Old Parliament House in 1972 only to be forcibly removed a few months later. Why do you think the reporter compares the protest in Canberra to events in Louisiana and Mississippi in USA? What are the protesters chanting? See if you can find out what happened ...

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BTN: Aboriginal astronomy

Many ancient cultures studied the night sky, and we know this because it is reflected in some of the earliest stories we have on record. Learn about one of these stories in this video. Other than the Dreamtime stories, what other evidence might there be that the Aboriginal people studied the stars?

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The convict voyages

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ABC News: Mungo man goes home

The discovery of Mungo Man in 1974 rewrote history by revealing that Aboriginal people had been in Australia twice as long as previously thought. Named after the location at which it was found, the skeleton is around 42,000 years old. When discovered in 1974, Mungo Man was moved to a university in Canberra for scientific ...

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Welcome to Bonegilla Migrant Camp

Following World War II, the Australian government was eager to increase the country’s population. The war reminded Australians that their small population would not withstand an enemy invasion. Further, a larger workforce was needed to develop the postwar economy. European people, many displaced by the war and the spread ...

Interactive

North West Sydney has an ancient history

Students examine the diverse roles that historians and archaeologists play in investigating our ancient Aboriginal past. Coverage focuses on several key Aboriginal sites and then narrows to examine recent archaeological finds in Sydney’s North West and what they reveal about the nature and longevity of Aboriginal occupation ...

Video

Counted: Australian culture in the 1960s

What was Australia like in the 1960s? Why does reporter Stan Grant say that "change is coming" at this time, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people? Choose one of the people mentioned in this video and do some research into their sporting, artistic or political achievements.

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Counted: A new referendum

Today people are campaigning to hold a referendum that seeks to fully recognise Indigenous people in the Constitution. Why does Marcia Langton believe this is a crucial thing to do? What do you think? What makes Stan Grant Snr angry about the prospect of holding another referendum?

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Benalla Migrant Camp

While many postwar immigrants were sent to Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre when they arrived in Australia, others lived at the smaller Benalla Migrant Camp. Like Bonegilla, Benalla is in north-east Victoria. Unlike at Bonegilla, however, many immigrants remained at Benalla for over a decade. Listen as Sabine ...

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The Making of Modern Australia: Aunty Beryl Carmichael on spirit and culture

Ngiyaampaa Elder Aunty Beryl Carmichael speaks in this clip about how important it is that Aboriginal people care for, or nurture, their spiritual self. She discusses the way things are connected and the importance of Dreaming stories. She also explains why she passes on knowledge and cultural heritage to younger members ...

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Examining Australia's Constitution

In this clip, reporter Stan Grant visits the National Archives of Australia to revisit the moment when Australia became a federation, on 1 January 1901. Stan examines the original Australian Constitution and reads out Section 127. What does it say? To try to understand why Indigenous people were so excluded, Stan considers ...

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Nexus: Holden, the 'all-Australian car'

What made Holden cars symbols of Australia during the 1950s, 60s and 70s? During this period, more than any other vehicle, the Holden came to reflect changing lifestyles in Australia, and helped to define for many what it meant to be 'Australian'. Find out the impact that generations of Holden vehicles have had on the lives ...

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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.

Video

BTN: History of voting

Australia's first parliamentary election was in 1843. What was different about voting then? When and how did that change to resemble elections we have now? This 4-minute video explores three significant dates in Australia’s history of voting and the changes that occurred on those dates.