jennieTalia
Member
I loved every minute of Ancient. I had an awesome teacher, and I just adored the subject... but I didn't do more work than everyone else.
I came first, and first in every assessment, and Band sixed the exam with 96. There are defo going to be people on here that have done better than me... but heck, this is my input, and if you want all the help you can get then this is my guide on blitzing this topic. By far one of my favourite ones as well!
This is quick advice for NOTES that will HELP YOU WITH THE EXAM.
~~POMPEII AND HERCULANEUM~~
First thing to remember: flogging yourself over THIS particular topic is NOT WORTH IT. It is the easiest one of them all (due to the nature of the paper).
Remember IT IS SOURCE BASED. Short line space to write in, means short answers. Give a question only the time it should be given due to the points awarded.
Use the sources PROVIDED. As WELL as your OWN SOURCES.
Base your notes around source material. I would also recommend having "specialist" areas of your own. Basically, a really big house in Pompeii and Herculaneum that you know A LOT about. I'm talking knowing artefacts, the proper name, issues with preservation etc. If you allow each of the bullet points to spread across one house, then you know that you have the possibility of answering any question.
For example:
The Bakery of Modestus (possibly not the best example but hey, I'll do a couple)- 21 (or something, its been a while) carbonised loaves. This shows food, but you can also talk about it in conjunction with the type of society, how food was sold in bars, how there were few cooking areas in the home etc etc.
Villa of the Papyri- this could be talked about in terms of the literate population, that there were TWO libraries in two languages showing wealth and knowledge... but it could also be discussed in terms of poor practices with archaeologists as they broke the papyri scrolls trying to open them, and also in terms of the Pyroclastic surge that carbonised the scrolls.
See what I mean? One source can have many possibilities. Try and have a few very varied ones to get you started.
Divide Pompeii and Herculaneum up. They have been KNOWN to only ask about either/or. They can ask about both... but if they don't then you need to know THE DIFFERENCE.
Pompeii= Bustling commercial centre.
Herculaneum= Resort style with villas, more rustic
Imagine: That you are a citizen of the time. Think about all the aspects of your own life- religion, food, housing, leisure time, socialising, health, death etc and equate them with those of P&H. This will help you remember them more, particularly if you imagine yourself doing the things that those people did.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION: There is a great (I think BBC) documentary on Youtube about Pompeii and Herculaneum
YouTube - BBC - Pompeii - The Last Day 1/5
It isn't 100 percent accurate, but holy hell do you get a feel for it, and begin to RELATE to the people. Which to me is the whole idea of Ancient History, to remember it, to understand, you have to get into their mindset. There are also some really good vids about the body casts, erotic art etc.
Pompeii and Herculaneum is as FUN and gritty and raw as school gets. Prostitution, a God of wine and orgies (pretty much), porn painted elaborately over the bathrooms and bedrooms (debateable as to this is the rooms function). But seriously, enjoy it.
Divide your notes into the different areas.
Head it with:
Religion:
Cult of Dionysis (or whatever you want) then write down the main points, and then SOURCES underneath this.
If there is anything I cannot stress enough about this, then it is that you HAVE to REMEMBER YOUR SOURCES. Even if it means renaming your dog the Villa of the Mysteries and pinning quotes to it (no animal cruelty intended) then DO IT.
Learn quotes, Lean graffito, Learn the way an atrium is arranged, the way that the facades of the houses are plain and austere, with few windows and are directly onto the street. Imagine walking through there, WHAT WOULD YOU SEE?
Finally, the one thing to remember about P&H is to HAVE A DEBATE: Everything can be argued. If they ask for an opinion/side of a story (and quite often they will) then already be prepared if you will argue either way or be balanced. Have evidence. Know the names including Fiorelli.
P&H isn't difficult. It is about human nature. What do we all want? (typically):
Status, Wealth, Sex, Food...
Status- Client-Patron relations (sort of like todays networking). Think about the forum being just like where you hang out at lunch. If you're sitting alone you're a dorkP) If you don't have friends, you latch onto someone WITH friends.
Wealth- Shops had signs, and things engraved that expressed a desire for money. It is the same as today, except instead of "Sale" signs and signs enticing you to enter they had God symbols for the God of Wealth. They also had signs up that told you what they sold. Wealth is also important then in terms of the Ampitheatre... that was basically a way to show off ones wealth. Somewhat like Paris Hilton deciding to have a massive party with all the celebrities, except it's a politician, it's everybody and it's a gladiator fight!
Sex- Brothels. Hey, what else has changed. Mainly foreign women but some higher class courtesans.
Food- Bars everywhere, olive groves, grapes (wine is always a big thing), bread, garum (blehck)... Interesting is the WAY they ate, with the chairs to lie down on and everything. I always remember the way that they depict death on their mugs and plates. Sort of reminds me of kids nowadays that say "Hey, I'm gonna die some day, so I'm gonna enjoy myself!" haha.
There are heaps of other things- Sport (we have similar groups to the college today and similar things to their oval equivalents), Art (basically, how did who decorate their walls haha), Religion (Different "churches" etc).
But honestly, if you can equate things like that in your mind (with a lot more detail and very accurate sources) then you have a much better chance of remembering things!
And remember, these issues are still current. Conservation is a problem continuing today. This is a history that, despite being far removed, is still ever present.
I came first, and first in every assessment, and Band sixed the exam with 96. There are defo going to be people on here that have done better than me... but heck, this is my input, and if you want all the help you can get then this is my guide on blitzing this topic. By far one of my favourite ones as well!
This is quick advice for NOTES that will HELP YOU WITH THE EXAM.
~~POMPEII AND HERCULANEUM~~
First thing to remember: flogging yourself over THIS particular topic is NOT WORTH IT. It is the easiest one of them all (due to the nature of the paper).
Remember IT IS SOURCE BASED. Short line space to write in, means short answers. Give a question only the time it should be given due to the points awarded.
Use the sources PROVIDED. As WELL as your OWN SOURCES.
Base your notes around source material. I would also recommend having "specialist" areas of your own. Basically, a really big house in Pompeii and Herculaneum that you know A LOT about. I'm talking knowing artefacts, the proper name, issues with preservation etc. If you allow each of the bullet points to spread across one house, then you know that you have the possibility of answering any question.
For example:
The Bakery of Modestus (possibly not the best example but hey, I'll do a couple)- 21 (or something, its been a while) carbonised loaves. This shows food, but you can also talk about it in conjunction with the type of society, how food was sold in bars, how there were few cooking areas in the home etc etc.
Villa of the Papyri- this could be talked about in terms of the literate population, that there were TWO libraries in two languages showing wealth and knowledge... but it could also be discussed in terms of poor practices with archaeologists as they broke the papyri scrolls trying to open them, and also in terms of the Pyroclastic surge that carbonised the scrolls.
See what I mean? One source can have many possibilities. Try and have a few very varied ones to get you started.
Divide Pompeii and Herculaneum up. They have been KNOWN to only ask about either/or. They can ask about both... but if they don't then you need to know THE DIFFERENCE.
Pompeii= Bustling commercial centre.
Herculaneum= Resort style with villas, more rustic
Imagine: That you are a citizen of the time. Think about all the aspects of your own life- religion, food, housing, leisure time, socialising, health, death etc and equate them with those of P&H. This will help you remember them more, particularly if you imagine yourself doing the things that those people did.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION: There is a great (I think BBC) documentary on Youtube about Pompeii and Herculaneum
YouTube - BBC - Pompeii - The Last Day 1/5
It isn't 100 percent accurate, but holy hell do you get a feel for it, and begin to RELATE to the people. Which to me is the whole idea of Ancient History, to remember it, to understand, you have to get into their mindset. There are also some really good vids about the body casts, erotic art
etc.Pompeii and Herculaneum is as FUN and gritty and raw as school gets. Prostitution, a God of wine and orgies (pretty much), porn painted elaborately over the bathrooms and bedrooms (debateable as to this is the rooms function). But seriously, enjoy it.
Divide your notes into the different areas.
Head it with:
Religion:
Cult of Dionysis (or whatever you want) then write down the main points, and then SOURCES underneath this.
If there is anything I cannot stress enough about this, then it is that you HAVE to REMEMBER YOUR SOURCES. Even if it means renaming your dog the Villa of the Mysteries and pinning quotes to it (no animal cruelty intended
) then DO IT.Learn quotes, Lean graffito, Learn the way an atrium is arranged, the way that the facades of the houses are plain and austere, with few windows and are directly onto the street. Imagine walking through there, WHAT WOULD YOU SEE?
Finally, the one thing to remember about P&H is to HAVE A DEBATE: Everything can be argued. If they ask for an opinion/side of a story (and quite often they will) then already be prepared if you will argue either way or be balanced. Have evidence. Know the names including Fiorelli.
P&H isn't difficult. It is about human nature. What do we all want? (typically):
Status, Wealth, Sex, Food...
Status- Client-Patron relations (sort of like todays networking). Think about the forum being just like where you hang out at lunch. If you're sitting alone you're a dork
P) If you don't have friends, you latch onto someone WITH friends. Wealth- Shops had signs, and things engraved that expressed a desire for money. It is the same as today, except instead of "Sale" signs and signs enticing you to enter they had God symbols for the God of Wealth. They also had signs up that told you what they sold. Wealth is also important then in terms of the Ampitheatre... that was basically a way to show off ones wealth. Somewhat like Paris Hilton deciding to have a massive party with all the celebrities, except it's a politician, it's everybody and it's a gladiator fight!
Sex- Brothels. Hey, what else has changed. Mainly foreign women but some higher class courtesans.
Food- Bars everywhere, olive groves, grapes (wine is always a big thing), bread, garum (blehck)... Interesting is the WAY they ate, with the chairs to lie down on and everything. I always remember the way that they depict death on their mugs and plates. Sort of reminds me of kids nowadays that say "Hey, I'm gonna die some day, so I'm gonna enjoy myself!" haha.
There are heaps of other things- Sport (we have similar groups to the college today and similar things to their oval equivalents), Art (basically, how did who decorate their walls haha), Religion (Different "churches" etc).
But honestly, if you can equate things like that in your mind (with a lot more detail and very accurate sources) then you have a much better chance of remembering things!
And remember, these issues are still current. Conservation is a problem continuing today. This is a history that, despite being far removed, is still ever present.
