How do you study for ancient? (1 Viewer)

[Kelvy]

Ancient was the worst!!!!! Required the most work throughout the year and it scaled only average and in the end it didn't count for me.....I was completely sick of it by the trials. But, if any of you love to remember quotations then ancient is your subject Just go into a quotation overdrive in your essays and you win!! (as long as you can discuss as well)

 

[Magister]

How do you study for Ancient History?

My advice to my students is:
*Know the syllabus requirements and recommendations.
*Read widely on each topic, including a balance between ancient and modern
sources. Go beyond the usual modern texts and try to find quality material
from reputable sources.
*Examine the main theories, arguments and trends that come up in your study
of your topics.
*Make effective notes, using a method that best suits you. Incorporate quotes
references and citations in your notes, annotate them where appropriate, &
be prepared to add new material as you go.

Some suggestions for using sources:
*You can access whole texts online as well as fragments of incomplete works.
The Internet Ancient History Resource Guide is excellent!
*If you can access the JSTOR database through a library (especially uni ones),
you can look up the index for a wide range of Ancient History, Classical and
Archaeological journals. The articles in these journals are very useful in
providing information and arguments that will broaden your perspective of
particular topics and perhaps provide you with a new approach to a topic.
Uni libraries also have collections of these in their stacks dating back several
decades.
*Go to the writers who are authorities on certain areas, such as Sparta,
Athenian Imperialism, Athenian Democracy, The "Roman Revolution", the
Age of Cicero, the Julio-Claudians, etc..etc..

I am currently working on an annotated bibliography of texts and sources and shall post it when I manage to complete it. In the meantime, I hope that the above will help some of you.

 

[classics_chic]

Summarise your notes. Make a timeline of events (very important for orienting yourself around things). Get essay questions and work out how to answer them, then answer them. Read primary sources from the time and study the archaeology. Then go to secondary sources and see what they say. (As is clear from my Bradley post, I regard her as a tertiary source).

 

[Mm_cookies]

all the historys are the hardest to study for, but ancient takes up alot of my time
i just take notes in class and then go home and rewrite in my own words
and each different subject has a different colour highlighter so in an exam when im trying to think, i think of the colour nd things come back to me!
trust me! it works!

 

[MuffinMan]

hmmz i just read tried writing essays out but in the end its too much

 

[wrong_turn]

just as i do for all of my literal subjects. just to write up summaries, though i use to read about as much about it as i could.

 

[MuffinMan]

meh i finished studying the Minoans...err now to egypt

 

[xeuyrawp]

Since exams are soon, it'd be a good time to bump.

I typed up all my notes on the PC, then printed them out. This didn't work as well for me; for English, I wrote out all my notes and highlighted quotes and underlined key words.

I think it's better if it's in your handwriting, personally. I divided my periods into rulers, ie Pharaohs or princeps. I divided my personalities by themes, and the same with my society.

Re: remembering quotes- Do NOT, I repeat do not get too hung up on remembering quotes. Paraphrasing a historian in the exam is preferable to forgetting a key piece of information.

Finally, do a lot of essays- sometimes these can act as your notes. Do a whole essay on even tricky things that they wouldn't ask in isolation, like, for example, the military of Akhenaten- then when you get to the exam, you combine everything.

I'd also do essays under both exam and leisurely conditions.

 

[ebsha]

if u find it difficult to quote, just make reference to historians, just remember a few historians and then say 'Bradley states that Ramases use of propoganda was key to gaining the support of the people' If Bradly didn't say that, who cares, they won't look it up.

I hope you're not actually planning on quoting Bradley? She's not a historian, she just writes the textbook.

 

[xeuyrawp]

I hope you're not actually planning on quoting Bradley? She's not a historian, she just writes the textbook.

Look. This argument has gone for ages. Kemp calls himself "only an archaeologist", and he says that he steers away from history, which he does. Yet he's the best person to quote and look at. Historians come in many forms, and Bradley is in one of them- a collectivist historian. Of course she wrote a text book, but the book is not even just an HSC one, they do use one of hers at uni.

Even if you don't care about being proper, I can assure you that myself and many other quoters of Bradley have gotten good marks, so who really cares if she's not a historian- don't you just want good marks? The markers know no year 12 is going to read Anatomy of a Civilisation or Gardiner's The Egyptians, and I think that quoting really hidden (ie, really specific) quotes can work against you- ie, you could have 1. made it up, or 2. not remembered the whole quote, because the marker has know way of knowing.

That's why it's good to use popular books like bradley, like Pharaoh Triamphant, etc.

 

[Magister]

Re how to study (and Bradley)

I wonder how poor Pam Bradley must be feeling after the protracted (and unnecessary) debate about the merits of her works. She must be wondering was it worth the bother of writing decent texts for you guys! I remember when her books first became available; they were a vast improvement on the other class texts of the time (i.e. Moe, Bury which were quite standard back then). Not only were they well set out, they incorporated primary sources and had good reference lists at the end of each chapter. My kids loved them, but we didn't rely solely on them-Hammond, Forrest, Cary, Scullard, Andrews et al were also used. No-one to my knowledge was ever crucified for referring to her in the HSC! I still think her texts have a place in schools, and her "Ancient Egypt" is a marvellous resource. Anyway, since when did HSC students become so qualified to criticise texts to the extent done with Bradley?

Keep them texts coming, Pam!!

Magister

 

[Zhang San Feng]

well... u also have to remember theres 2 bradleys... theres also a roman historian called bradley (paul or something) ... whos quotes i quite like "i quite liked claudius"
but if u want to quote him u should mention his first name first... and in case u want to know where he is...i think hes mentioned on that empire series with rome

how i study for ancient...
i just write notes (point form) ...with some historians name on it... or some arch. evidence...
in fact my notes sort of end up becoming a bunch of quotes or ideas from historians, but i guess thats all u need if u can remember the general picture.... just add on the quotes and historians ideas and u have what u need

learning some basic ancient greek and latin helps too

 

[suger_plum]

my history teacher told us to quote bradley only when we are stuck. hsc markers get sick of her being referred to. as well he told us to not directly quote her, just use her. e.g
as bradley tells us in.........