GCSE Classical Civilisation (OCR)

51 free revision lessons in 10 units. Open the course or go straight to a lesson.

Greek & Roman Mythology

The Olympian gods and their symbols, the universal hero Heracles, the foundation myths of Athens and Rome, myth as a symbol of power, and the journey to the Underworld.

1. The Greek Gods
2. The Roman Gods & Greek-Roman Comparison
3. The Universal Hero: Heracles / Hercules
4. Foundation Myths: Athens & Rome
5. Myth as a Symbol of Power
6. Journeying to the Underworld

Greek & Roman Religion

The temples and their architecture, the practice of worship and sacrifice, priests, priestesses and oracles, the great religious festivals, and beliefs and customs surrounding death and burial.

1. Temples & Their Architecture
2. Worship & Sacrifice
3. Priests, Priestesses & Oracles
4. Religious Festivals
5. Death & Burial

The Mycenaean World

The Bronze Age society behind Homer's poems — the dating and discovery of the Mycenaean age, the great citadels of Mycenae and Tiryns, their palaces, decorative arts and the burial customs of the shaft graves.

1. The Mycenaean Age & Its Discovery
2. The Citadel of Mycenae
3. Palaces & the Megaron
4. Decorative Arts & Material Culture
5. Burial Customs & the Grave Circles

Homer's Odyssey

Homer and the epic tradition, the wanderings and homecoming of Odysseus, the qualities of the Homeric hero, and the gods, values and household at the heart of the poem.

1. Homer & the Epic Tradition
2. The Wanderings of Odysseus
3. The Homecoming
4. Odysseus the Hero
5. Gods, Values & the Household

Women of Legend & the Home

Mythological women from Pandora to Medea, the rituals of marriage and coming of age, and the lives of Athenian, Spartan and Roman women in the home.

1. Women of Legend
2. Marriage & Coming of Age
3. The Athenian Woman & the Home
4. The Spartan Woman
5. Roman Women & the Home

Women, Religion & Power

Women as priestesses and in festivals, their exclusion from politics and informal influence, powerful queens and empresses, and the warrior women of myth and history.

1. Women & Religion
2. Women, Power & Exclusion
3. Powerful Women of Rome
4. Warrior Women
5. Notable Women & the Sources

The Roman City & Home

How a Roman city was planned and built, the forum and public buildings, the town house and the apartment block, and Pompeii and Herculaneum as our evidence.

1. Town Planning & the City
2. The Forum & Public Buildings
3. The Roman Domus
4. Apartment Living: the Insula
5. Pompeii & Herculaneum as Evidence

Roman Leisure & Society

How Romans spent their leisure - the baths, the amphitheatre and gladiators, the theatre and chariot racing - and the slaves, freedmen and religion of the city.

1. The Roman Baths
2. The Amphitheatre & Gladiators
3. Theatre & Chariot Racing
4. Slaves & Freedmen
5. Religion in the Roman City

Greek Warfare & the Persian Wars

How the Greeks fought - the hoplite and the phalanx, Spartan military society, and the great Persian War battles of Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis.

1. The Hoplite & the Phalanx
2. Sparta & the Idealisation of War
3. The Battle of Marathon
4. Thermopylae & the 300
5. Salamis & Naval Warfare

The Roman Army & the Values of War

The Roman war machine - the legion and the legionary, arms, armour and the marching camp, Roman campaigns, and the ideals of heroism and leadership in war.

1. The Roman Legion
2. Arms, Armour & the Camp
3. Roman Warfare & Expansion
4. Heroism & Leadership in War
5. The Material Culture of War

How to revise Classical Civilisation

• Retrieval Practice
• Spaced Repetition
• Interleaving
• Dual Coding
• Elaborative Interrogation
• Knowledge Organisers
• Timed Practice

All subjects