Year 12 Ancient History – Object Based Learning

Object based learning is a powerful authentic learning experience for senior students fostering deep critical thinking. The Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney encourages students to carefully handle material culture to examine the value of the artefact in reconstructing past civilisations and the lives of influential ancient personalities. Santa Sabina students were able to carefully handle artefacts from the societies of Ancient Rome, Sparta and Egypt to complement their HSC studies and academic readings. Students were immersed in the museum collection, asked critical questions, and positively engaged in the learning process. 

Brigida Zagora
Head of HSIE (Humanities and Social Sciences)

Student Reflection

I found the visit to Chau Chak Wing museum at the University of Sydney beneficial to solidify myunderstanding of ancient civilisations in particular, Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece. During this excursion, we were able to have hands-on experience in identifying material culture objects in a similar fashion to archaeologists. I found this to be one of those ‘ah-ha’ moments, having a piece of Pompeii in my hands after thoroughly researching and analysing the remains of this society last term. Having the opportunity to touch material culture that was thousands of years old really put my studies into perspective. I found the exhibition on Egyptian mummies to be most relevant given the strong connections it has to the current topics we are studying. Connecting images on sarcophagi and mortuary objects to historical concepts such as religious propaganda and nationalism really gave me the opportunity to visualise and challenge my learning. Along with this, being able to see conservation techniques such as 3D imaging being used in real life was really interesting. I found this excursion to be extraordinarily beneficial in establishing the importance material culture has in reconstructing antiquity and has given me the chance to challenge and solidify my understanding of ancient societies. 

Gabriella Lennox

As an Ancient History class, we visited the Chau Chuk Wing Museum at the University of Sydney which gave us an amazing opportunity to not only explore the vast exhibits they have to offer but also to handle material culture that dates from centuries ago. This session involved us receiving an item from either Ancient Egypt, Greece or Rome to individually investigate first-hand. Our goal was to approach the study as if were archeologists: carefully handling the artefacts with gloved hands, sketching them out with as much precision as possible and noting key information. I was given a small shabti figure from Ancient Egypt which had entirely survived the centuries that had past since it was originally made, some of the detailings of hieroglyphs still peeking through. It was such a profound experience to be able to hold this piece of history in the form of an intricately carved figure from an era that, as a class, we are currently studying. Personally, Egyptology and the study of Egyptian society is particularly interesting to me and one of my favourite topics, so getting the opportunity to handle this material culture was nothing short of amazing. Overall, this excursion gave our class such an amazing experience to witness the material culture of history and gave us insight into the workings of ancient societies.

Charlie McFadden