Attic Inscriptions Online

A-Level Classical Civilisation

A-level Classical Civilisation Resources

OCR H407, first assessment in 2019

The OCR specifications for A-level Classical Civilisation, under the heading “Knowledge, Understanding, Skills”, require students to:

● “understand, interpret, evaluate and analyse a range of evidence from classical sources in their social, historical and cultural context”;

● “evaluate and use this evidence to produce analytical responses, and effectively substantiated judgement”;

● “make use of knowledge and understanding of relevant secondary scholars and academics in order to further develop their analysis and argument.”

We hope that these resources on Athenian inscriptions help students to develop these skills in an informed way. In particular, we explain arguments of modern academics relevant to the scholarship requirement of the qualification.

We have divided these notes into four parts, each pertaining to relevant components of the specifications for A-level Classical Civilisation.

● Invention of the Barbarian (H408/23)

● Greek Art (H408/24)

● Greek Religion (H408/31)

● Democracy and the Athenians (H408/34)

These four documents make reference to a single set of images which is divided into four parts. For a survey of ancient Athenian inscriptions relevant to the themes of fifth-century society (empire, democracy, religion, commemoration, the military, medicine), see Attic Inscriptions Online Papers volume 10.

Students should be encouraged to acknowledge the time period from which evidence derives and what it can tell us in relation to the questions posed. Any relevant use of additional non-prescribed sources will be credited by examiners. For Classical Civilisation, studying extra sources gives students a greater range to draw from for the longer 15-mark (GCSE) and 30-mark (A Level) essay answers. Going beyond the set sources, however, is not a requirement to get full marks in a particular question.