VCE Ancient History case studies
VCE Ancient History · Put your knowledge to work in context.
VCE Ancient History is a Victorian Certificate of Education study stream administered by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), the body that publishes the study design, school-based assessment advice and examination specifications for the subject. It is designed for senior secondary students in Victoria who want to investigate the ancient world through evidence - written sources, inscriptions, archaeology and historiography - rather than through modern political or social history. The VCE Ancient History case studies are 5 cases and about 2,221 words.
1Reading Two Inscriptions on the Same Dedication
A student is comparing two inscribed statue bases from the same sanctuary, both dated by letter forms to roughly 450–430 BCE. Base A names a dedicant, a deity, and an artisan, and adds a single clause: 'having vowed'.
437 words, about 2 min2Evaluating a Battle Narrative with Conflicting Numbers
A student is writing on a fifth-century BCE land battle. Three sources give casualty and troop figures.
466 words, about 2 min3Assessing a Building Programme as Political Evidence
A student is arguing that a ruler's building programme proves 'popular support'. The evidence: a temple with a dedicatory inscription naming the ruler, a market colonnade funded by a private benefactor, an aqueduct whose inscription credits a neighbouring city's gift, and a monumental arch voted by the council.
460 words, about 2 min4A Coin Hoard and the Limits of Economic Inference
A student is writing on the economy of a province using a hoard of 412 silver coins buried around 260 CE and never recovered. The coins come from six mints; 71% are from one mint, and the latest coins are noticeably debased.
432 words, about 2 min5Using a Later Biographer Against Contemporary Evidence
A student is assessing a political figure using two sources. Source P is a contemporary honorific decree praising the figure's generosity and civic works.
426 words, about 2 min