NZ Scholarship Classical Studies case studies
NZ Scholarship Classical Studies · Put your knowledge to work in context.
This page is an independent study guide for candidates preparing for New Zealand Scholarship Classical Studies, an award administered by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). Scholarship is a top-tier secondary-school award that sits above NCEA Level 3: it is designed for high-achieving students who want to demonstrate depth of classical understanding rather than accumulate credits. The NZ Scholarship Classical Studies case studies are 5 cases and about 3,078 words.
1The 310 and 378 Ships at Salamis
Prize question: 'Aeschylus was at Salamis; Herodotus was not. Therefore Aeschylus is the better source for the battle.' A Year 13 student has 1,200 words and three sources: Aeschylus, Persians 337–343 (310 ships), Herodotus 8.44 (378 ships), and a fragmentary casualty list from the Athenian Agora that preserves only '...and of the Athenians...' The student's draft argues that Aeschylus' eyewitness status makes his number authoritative and dismisses Herodotus as 'oral gossip.' The teacher's feedback says the draft 'confuses genre with testimony' and asks for a revised paragraph that treats the discrepancy as evidence rather than error.
653 words, about 3 min2Is Creon a Tyrant in Antigone?
A student's 1,500-word essay proposes: 'Creon is a tyrant in the technical Greek sense; Sophocles signals this by the chorus's hostility.' The teacher objects that the chorus initially praises Creon's decision and only turns after Teiresias, and that in 5th-century Athens 'tyrant' could mean simply 'one who rules without hereditary right,' not necessarily a cruel despot. The student must engage with two critics: one who reads Creon as a legitimate ruler defending the polis, and one who reads him as a tyrant whose temper destroys the city.
625 words, about 3 min3Labelling the Parthenon Frieze
A museum's new label for the Parthenon frieze must be 150 words. The curatorial team is split.
577 words, about 3 min4Cicero's Verrines: Rhetoric or Record?
A student is writing a 2,000-word essay on 'Cicero as a source for Roman provincial government.' The student has two texts: the published Verrines (70 BCE), which describe Verres' extortion in Sicily with vivid anecdotes (the crucifixion of a Roman citizen, the theft of statues), and a private letter to Atticus written during the prosecution, in which Cicero admits that the case is a career opportunity and that he is managing his political risk. The draft quotes the Verrines as factual evidence of Verres' crimes.
619 words, about 3 min5The Spartan Mirage and the Orthia Finds
A student is scripting a 500-word podcast episode on 'Spartan austerity.' The sources are Plutarch's Life of Lycurgus (early 2nd century CE), Thucydides 1.6–7 (5th century BCE) on Spartan dress and customs, and the archaeological finds from the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia: thousands of lead figurines, many of warriors, alongside imported luxury items. The draft says: 'Plutarch tells us the Spartans were austere and banned luxury; the Orthia finds confirm this.' The teacher says the finds may complicate Plutarch rather than confirm him, and that the student has fallen for the 'Spartan mirage.' The student must also explain why Plutarch, a Greek writing under Roman rule, would idealise Sparta.
604 words, about 3 min