Ancient History at school and why your child should consider studying this powerful subject

The teaching of Ancient History at school has declined dramatically over the years, with more schools prioritising Modern History.

But, why?

Does ancient history matter? Can events that happened over a thousand years ago still be relevant to young adults today?

The answer is yes. In fact, the study of Ancient History is equally powerful as it is fascinating.

By understanding the successes and failures of people in the past, Ancient History provides us with the unique ability to anticipate the success of proposed solutions to today’s problems. At Living Waters Lutheran College, Ancient History is offered as part of the Humanities Faculty for Year 11 and Year 12 students and is one of only approximately 15 schools in WA that still offers this important subject.

Here are some of the benefits and why you should encourage your child to take up Ancient History:

1. 1. Cultural understanding and appreciation

Ancient History delves deep into the origins, cultures, and traditions that still exist today. Even the way we think has its origins in distant antiquity; modern western philosophy, morality, and ethics are all deeply rooted in ancient Greek, Roman and medieval Christian philosophies. The major world religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam all originated in ancient times and play a huge part in contemporary society.

1. 2. Cultivates skills for post-school and tertiary studies

Studying Ancient History is desirable for all university and post-school courses as it teaches skills in inquiry, questioning evidence, understanding different interpretations, perspectives and the importance of context. Research suggests that we need to expand the number of teachers trained to teach classical civilization and encourage qualified teachers of other school subjects – English, History, Modern Languages, Religious studies – to add classical civilization and ancient history to their repertoire.

1. 3. Limitless career opportunities ahead

Students who study Ancient History often use their unique understanding of research and reflection in roles such as of a Lawyer, Journalist, Politician, Teacher, Social Worker, Anthropologist, Archaeologist, Criminologist, Museum Curator, Historian, Judge, Library Technician, Novelist, Policy Analyst and many more. The study of Ancient History is unfortunately, misinterpreted and society is not always aware of the vast career opportunities that prevails as a result of studying ancient history.

1. 4. Knowledge is power

While there are plenty of practical reasons to learn about ancient history, it is also worth studying because it is simply fascinating to learn about important historical events, how people of the lived thousands of years ago and how we are still affected by things from the past. Although not all Ancient History students will continue to pursue further studies or a career within this scope, the study of Ancient History also prepares students to grasp modern literature, the ability to have intellectual conversations and depict and comprehend challenging novels and films.

At Living Waters Lutheran College, students are exposed to a wide range of opportunities throughout their Ancient History studies, including visiting Egyptologists from all over the world. Ancient History is delivered in-line with the School Curriculum and Standards Authority. The ATAR course enables students to evaluate life in early civilizations, based on the analysis and interpretation of physical and written remains which provide evidence for ancient sites, events and individuals.

Here’s to rethinking our perceptions of the study of Ancient History and appreciating the real worth of this remarkable subject.

If you are interested in finding out more about how our College builds bright futures, please download our Prospectus.