Why did the ancient historians write history, and what did they set out to do?
The work of the ancient historian: the purposes for which ancient historians wrote, from preserving great deeds to teaching moral and political lessons, and how purpose shaped the history they produced.
Why the ancient historians wrote history in SQA Advanced Higher Classical Studies: the purposes from preserving great deeds to teaching moral and political lessons, and how the historian's purpose shaped the kind of history produced.
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What this key area is asking
The History and historiography section begins with the work of the ancient historian: why they wrote. Ancient historians wrote for purposes, to preserve great deeds from oblivion, to teach moral and political lessons, to explain a war or the rise of a power, and the purpose shaped the kind of history they produced. The section studies how purpose governed selection, emphasis and tone, and so how it should shape the way we read.
Why the historians wrote
History in the ancient world was written with an aim, and the aim mattered. To preserve deeds, to instruct, to explain causes: each purpose produced a different kind of history. Reading for the theme means catching a historian's purpose, often set out at the start, and seeing how it governs the work that follows.
How purpose shaped the history
Purpose is not a label on the cover; it is a force running through the whole work. A historian aiming to teach a moral lesson selects and shapes events differently from one aiming to explain a war's causes. So a historian's purpose tells us how to read them: what to expect them to stress, and where their aim may have bent the account. A strong reading traces purpose through selection, emphasis and tone.
Reading the historian for the theme
Whichever historian your centre teaches, read them as evidence for how purpose shapes history: the declared aim, and how it governs what is included, emphasised and left out. The marks come from arguing how far purpose shaped the work and how it should shape our reading, supported by specific evidence, not from summarising the narrative.
Examples in context
Try this
Q1. Name three purposes for which ancient historians wrote. [3 marks]
- Cue. To preserve great deeds, to teach moral and political lessons, and to explain events (such as a war or the rise of a power).
Q2. Name three things a historian's purpose shaped in their work. [3 marks]
- Cue. Selection (what to include), emphasis (what to dwell on), and tone (how to present it).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA AH (essay)20 marksTo what extent did an ancient historian's purpose shape the history they wrote? Argue your case.Show worked answer →
Decide a position, then argue it with evidence. Ancient historians wrote for purposes, to preserve great deeds from oblivion, to teach moral and political lessons, to explain a war or the rise of a power, and the purpose shaped selection, emphasis and tone. Use specific evidence for a historian's stated or implied aim.
But the question invites qualification: purpose is not the only force, as the available sources and the historian's own outlook also shape the work. Weigh the influence of purpose against these other forces. Conclude with a judgement on the extent to which purpose shaped the history, supported by evidence and scholarship.
SQA AH (essay)20 marksHow does a chosen historian's stated purpose affect how we should read their work? Discuss.Show worked answer →
Take a position on how the purpose affects the reading, then analyse it. Examine the historian's declared aim, often set out in a preface, and trace how it governs what is included, emphasised and left out.
Support each point with specific evidence and weigh the alternative reading. Use scholarship on the historian. The skill is to argue how purpose should shape our reading, not to summarise the narrative, and to reach a judgement grounded in the evidence.
Related dot points
- The methods and sources of the ancient historian: how they gathered material from eyewitnesses, oral tradition, documents and earlier writers, and how their methods differ from modern historical practice.
What methods and sources the ancient historians used in SQA Advanced Higher Classical Studies: eyewitness testimony, oral tradition, documents and earlier writers, and how ancient historical method differs from modern practice.
- Assessing reliability: weighing an ancient historian's bias, access to evidence and purpose to judge how far their account can be trusted, and the danger of either naive trust or blanket scepticism.
How to assess an ancient historian's reliability in SQA Advanced Higher Classical Studies: weighing bias, access to evidence and purpose to judge how far an account can be trusted, and avoiding both naive trust and blanket scepticism.
- The craft of the ancient historian: how they used speeches, dramatic narrative, characterisation and structure to shape their histories, and what this craft means for reading them as evidence.
How the ancient historians used the craft of writing in SQA Advanced Higher Classical Studies: composed speeches, dramatic narrative, characterisation and structure, and what this literary craft means for reading their work as historical evidence.
- Using scholarship: bringing ancient and modern scholarly interpretations into the argument, weighing them against the evidence, rather than naming scholars as decoration.
How to use scholarly views in SQA Advanced Higher Classical Studies: bringing ancient and modern interpretations into the argument and weighing them against the evidence, in the Part B essay and the project dissertation, rather than name dropping scholars.
- Reading classical literature as evidence: treating an ancient text as a source for the ideas, values and assumptions of its society, not just retelling its story.
How to read an ancient text as evidence in the SQA Advanced Higher Classical Studies source questions: drawing out the ideas, values and assumptions it reveals about its society, rather than retelling the plot.