HSC Ancient History - Integrated Ancient Near East study
Pedagogy: Thoughts on Integrated programming for HSC Ancient History by Dr Denis Mootz.
Suggested Scope and Sequence for an integrated Ancient Near East approach
Survey
9 hours (approx. 10 x 50 min lessons or 12 x 40 min lessons)
- The Ancient Levant
- Chronological context
- Geographical context
- Key regional powers
- Contact between societies (trade, war, foreigners, etc.)
- Ancient Israel
- Geographical setting of the land, natural features and resources
- Area of Israel vs. Judah and surrounding kingdoms
- Important sites within Israel and Judah
- Assyrian Empire
- Geography, topography and resources
- Relations with neighbours
- Organisation of empire
- Concept of kingship
- Overview of political, military, economic and social structure
- Overview of Assyrian and Babylonian religions
Focus of Study
81 hours (approx. 96 x 50 mins lessons or 120 x 40 mins lessons)
Society – Kingdom of Israel
- Social structure and political organisation, including the roles and features of:
- Israelite kingship, the Davidic dynasty
- Jerusalem temple and priests in opposition to Israel
- Prophets: Elijah, Amos, Elisha, Hosea
- Bureaucracy, merchant class, artisans, workers
- Women; royal and non-royal
- Army
- Economy
- Importance of agriculture
- Occupations, crafts and industry: wood, stone, metal, mining
- Technology: tools, weapons, engineering, water systems (Siloam tunnel)
- Economic exchange: trade with Judah and Assyria
- Features of fortified cities: silos, Megiddo stables
- Religion, death and burial
- Conflicting religious beliefs and practices: polytheism, Ba’al, Asherah, Yahweh
- Roles of priests and prophets
- Roles and importance of religious places: High Places – Dan and Bethel
- Importance of the Jerusalem temple
- Cultural and everyday life
- Art and architecture: Samaria, Jezreel and Megiddo, Samarian ivories, seals
- Writing and literature: biblical narrative and Samarian ostraca
- Leisure activities
Historical Period – First Temple Period
- Kingdom of Israel and kingdom of Judah
- Ancient Levant as a strategic geopolitical location and evidence for the presence of other peoples:
- Philistines
- Phoenicians
- Kingdoms of: Edom, Moab, Ammon, Aram-Damascus
- Expansion of population, trade and settlement
- Reign of Solomon and building the First Temple
- Division of the kingdoms Israel and Judah under Rehoboam c.931 BC
- Changing relations between the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah from 931-722 BC.
- Ancient Levant as a strategic geopolitical location and evidence for the presence of other peoples:
- Foreign relations with Assyria and Babylon
- Prosperity of the northern kingdom of Israel and contact with neighbours from mid 10th century BC.
- Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel and its capital Samaria in 722 BC.
- Contributing factors and outcomes of the campaign of Assyrian king Sennacherib against Judah in 701 BC.
- Judah’s prosperity in the 8th to 6th centuries BC as a client-state of Assyria
- Relations with the Babylonian Empire
Personality - Sennacherib
- Background and rise to prominence of Sennacherib
- Family background
- Education
- Early political and administrative career
- Key features and developments of the reign of Sennacherib
- Succession to kingship
- Military campaigns and defence of the empire
- Religious policies: promotion of Assur
- Imagery and representations of the king
- Technological innovations: public works and building programs
- Foreign policy: relations with vassal states, Babylon, Elam and Lachish
- Organisation and administration of the empire
- Manner and impact of his death
- Evaluation of the reign of Sennacherib
- Impact and influence on his time
- Assessment of his life and reign
- Legacy
- Ancient and modern images and interpretations of Sennacherib
- One particular source or type of source (e.g. royal inscriptions of Sennacherib, Lachish reliefs in Sennacherib’s throne room in Nineveh).
- Value and limitations of the source
- Evaluation of the source in the context of other available sources, including problems of evidence.