An Introduction to Classics: A student guide.

Introduction

Classical Civilization has been slowly developing interest within the younger generation through the works of Rick Rordian, Rachel Symthe's 'Lore Olympus' and many film adaptations such as Troy and the "300" sequels. This is sorely needed, as there is a dire need for more classy classical historians within education as well as in general daily life. But, as many current more experienced historians know, there is a rather glossed over version of ancient history that is portrayed to us, creating a naive view of the classical world that is very much different to the reality.

This, for me, was rather eye opening when I stepped into my Classical Civilization A-Level course. Much like many other students who take the same or somewhat similar course, there is a main theme that many have come because they loved Rick Rordian's 'Percy Jackson' so much that it somehow ended up into their educational careers. This was the case for my Classics class, and as an avid lover of Disney's 'Hercules' as well as any film linking to the Classical era, it was rather shocking to find out that Zeus wasn't as brilliant as he was portrayed and that the Pantheons of old weren't as fabulous as they seemed. What I later found out was that there is a certain way one has to look at the Ancient world, especially when it comes to their customs, views, mythology and their societies. So I believed it was a good idea to create a guide from a college student living in the UK to others, in order to assist those interested in classical civilization on how to understand, interpret, view and write about the aspects of the Classical world.

Now before we start the guide, I am only a recently finished College student who sadly was not able to do the course at GCSE but is going to do this at University, so this is purely from a A-Level course viewpoint. Also some of the things I will say or point out were pointed out to me via my course and so are my viewpoint. This may mean that some things I will say won't be agreed with and that is perfectly fine. Also for any international viewers, there are some things here that may make sense or be helpful but will be from a British student perspective of an 18 year old.

So, without further ado, here is a guide to Classical Civilization from a College student.