An ancient history essay is a type of assignment that requires students to analyze events, historical figures, and past societies. Based on this research, you will make a claim that should be supported with proof and historical evidence.
That is why our experts prepared a list of tips and advice on how to succeed in writing your following paper in ancient history. At the end of the article, you will also be able to find free samples. Besides, here you’ll have access to ancient history topics that can be useful for practicing or coming up with your ideas.
Any ancient history essay should be based on factual proof and solid arguments regardless of the period it focuses on. A legitimate question might arise: where do I get the evidence? For that, you need to understand where to find information. For most of your papers, the use of primary and secondary sources is a requirement.
Let’s figure out the difference between the two:
Primary Sources are immediate first-hand accounts of a topic. Usually, people directly related to events write them. Primary sources include documents, laws, speeches, photographs, newspapers, and many more.
Secondary Sources are sources that quote primary sources. These resources focus on historical events as well. However, they add a level of interpretation and analysis. Secondary sources can include books, research papers, scholarly articles, documentaries.
A student who strives to produce a well-written ancient times essay should conduct historical analysis. However, what is it? It is a method of examining the evidence to understand the past.
While the past consists of all the events that happened, history is what we know about these events. We have to carefully examine who wrote the text or took the picture to avoid the “authority trap” confusion. One of the ways to do it is by applying the five “w”s:
Who?
Where?
When?
What?
Why?
History is not a straight line with only one perspective and one answer. Therefore, a good historian is not looking for the truth. They are looking at the forces that shaped history as we know it. Examining a wide range of sources will allow you to write a profound essay.
For a student to deliver a logical paper with solid argumentation, the research has to follow a specific structure:
First, you need to draft your thesis statement. Remember that it might change as you learn more and more about the topic. If you’re unsure about your wording, you can use our thesis generator.
Then, you should look once again at your sources to decide which are relevant for your paper. For that, you can annotate them and write a short paragraph that summarizes the main idea of the source. When you come back to them later on, it will be less confusing.
In the end, provide your arguments with supporting evidence from the sources. Make sure the order in which you list them is logical.
Outlining your ancient history essay is the critical way to keep it clear and straight to the point. The elements that you should include are as follows:
The research question from the prompt or developed by you.
Your thesis statement.
The main idea of the paragraphs.
The evidence that you will use in every paragraph.
16 Ancient History Essay Topics
To simplify your work, we’ve gathered a list of ancient history topics to write about. Here are issues you can use for practice or draw inspiration for your next assignment.
Try the following ideas:
What caused the fall of the Roman empire?
The construction of the Great Pyramids in Ancient Egypt.
A study of Gods and religious beliefs in Ancient Greece.
The governmental structure and organization in Ancient Rome.
Julius Caesar’s role in the expansion of the Roman Empire.
The structure of labor and slavery in Ancient Egypt.
The importance of the Pharaoh in the New Kingdom.
How did the Olympic Games become an international issue?
Odysseus as an epic hero in Trojan War.
Gods, Goddesses, and Deities of the city of Troy.
Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia comparison.
The significance of sports in Ancient Greece.
An analysis of the reign of King Xerxes of Persia.
Roman citizenship and human rights in Ancient Rome.
Similarities between Mesoamerica and Mesopotamia.
The means of communication in Ancient times during the war.
Thank you for reading our article till the very end. We hope you found it useful for your research. You can now look at the ancient history essay examples below.
The history of this great land can be traced through looking at the history of different people who occupied it who included the Sumerians, the Akkadians, the Amorites, the Hitites, the Kassites, the Assyrians, and [...]
Therefore, the term is associated with the tools and the equipments that the ancient people made from the stones. In the Neolithic age, there was development of weaving, pottery and metal weapons and tools began [...]
The Greek and the Roman civilizations are two of the most influential civilizations that have ever graced the face of this world and two civilizations started in the cities of Athens and Rome.
The historiography context of the Romans is quite distinct from the Greek one The Greek historiography began with oral tradition whereas that of the Romans was based on annals and pontifex maximus which were recorded.
Socially, the two civilizations were very different; the Greeks were known for their strong sense of democracy, while the Mesopotamians were ruled by kings and queens. The ancient Mesopotamian and Greek civilizations were two of [...]
Uthmann's assassination led to the outbreak of the first Muslims' civil war known as the Fitna. Therefore, the conquest of Mecca led to the conversion of Muawiya to Islam.
Almost a thousand years later, along the Yellow River sprang another civilization in the plains of North China; one that would go on to become the largest and most prosperous in the region.
He proceeded on tour to Athena, Egypt, the Black Sea, and the East of Europe, demonstrating the knowledge and was eventually referred to as "The Father of History".
The popularity of sporting competition in the modern society reflects that of the ancient Roman Empire's vision for its society. Chariot racing was one of the most popular sports in ancient Rome, it later spread [...]
The phrase human life as used in this essay encompasses all elements of life such as the system of government, the type of architecture, the religion of the people, and the recreation activities practiced by [...]
The former results were possible with the invention of the wheel, the chariot, and the sailboat, which allowed citizens to make the first trips in history.
Some of the ancient trading activities included the exchange of food crops which led to development of agriculture in various territories."Ideas also spread and developed through trading activities". At this time many people were concerned [...]
The work of the famous and great Ancient Greek mathematicians has played a vital role in permeating every aspect, section, and part of life, especially from the sector of sending the rockets into space, accounting, [...]
These pyramids symbolized the power of Egyptian pharaohs and the idea of wealth that was inherent to the Egyptian nation in the Old Kingdom."Though the kings of the Old Kingdom built pyramids not for the [...]
These observations on Egyptian civilization assisted many in understanding the daunting challenges human beings experienced in terms of: the nature of human relationships; the nature of the universe; and the role of the divine forces [...]
Camilla Townsend endeavors to establish the true foundation of the origin of the thought that the Spaniards were gods and to dispel the wrong belief by arguing that that the Indians regarded the Spaniards as [...]
The presenter of this video talks about the importance of theater culture to the people of ancient Athens. In the days of the ancient Greeks, the people of Athens learned the latest news from theatrical [...]
The most important similarity, which also explains the prosperity of the Sumerians and Egyptians, is the territory and environment. Some similarities can be traced to the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians and the Sumerians.
In this paper, I aim to examine how the concept of entertainment and its types changed in the history of Western civilization, addressing particular timeframe, i.e.from the Neolithic Period to the Middle Ages.
One of the greatest strengths of Alexander's character is his vision, ambition, and thirst to succeed. The same corruption leads to Philotus disrespecting the king by claiming that he is enjoying the fruits of his [...]
Furthermore, the Romans were influenced by the Etruscans, a neighboring tribe to the northwest of Rome, who were allied with and then conquering the newly formed city-state.
Thanks to the flooding of the river, the Egyptians received irrigation of the land, and it was also used for fishing and hunting. The specific situation of the country was the key to the highest [...]
From the various examples presented in this paper it can be seen that the various developments that started from 10,000 B.C.were pivotal in mankind's history since not only did they necessitate the creation of modern [...]
If the territories of the Aztec and the Inca civilizations were invaded by the Spaniards and that situation resulted in the civilizations' decline, the causes for the Mayan civilization's collapse are not determined clearly.
As long as the fallacies of integrity and closure are upheld, a desire to penetrate becomes a desire to rape.[3] The above statement also reveals an important feature of the act of rape that it [...]
This was just before they sailed to Troy for battle where Agamemnon's insults resulted to them being disciplined as the winds died so that they were unable to navigate, until Agamemnon made a sacrifice to [...]
They include: the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts, the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers, and The Himalayas. To the Egyptians, the Nile River was also a source of transport, facilitating the movements of the people up and [...]
Alexander the Great used the Roman Empire to spread Greek civilization to Europe and the rest of the world. The Greek Macedonian Empire that was established by Alexander the Great extended to many parts of [...]
The elite were the rich people, and majority of the population that comprised of the common farmers, artisans, and merchants known as the plebeians occupied the low status.
The civilization of ancient Egypt happened at the same time Mesopotamian civilization was taking place in other areas in the nations of the Akkadians, Babylonians and the Sumerians. Indeed, religion in ancient Egypt led to [...]
In this paper, the researcher seeks to investigate the extent to which Ancient Egypt became Greek and the extent to which it remained the same during and after the rule by Ancient Greece.
The society was located in the Valley of Mexico, and its capital was Tenochtitlan, now the site of modern Mexico City. The Mexica religion was a major part of their culture and played a significant [...]
In the cultural sense, the phrase 'ancient Greece' refers to the way of life of the ancient Greek people as depicted in their mode of worship, language, governance, entertainment and their understanding of the physical [...]
Due to the plentiful water supply, the civilizations were able to boost their farming activities and start agricultural revolutions a rapid increase in the crops harvest powering the development of the cities and the population [...]
The decline of the Roman Empire in the West that began in the 5th century had multiple interconnected factors. However, the economic and military rise of Constantinople led to the crisis in Rome.
In the 440s, Herodotus became a citizen of the pan-Greek colony of Thurii, which Athens funded, and appears to have completed his work around 425 BCE, in the early years of the Peloponnesian War."The Histories" [...]
The brightest period of this ethnic group's development is the time of the Oyo Empire which impacted the Nigerian culture and today remains the largest and most influential state.
It was the accuracy and correctness of the prediction that daunted astronomers for years to come. This event hailed a new set of astronomers who tried to figure out the means to predict such future [...]
In terms of the former, Rome's and Cartago's ambitions can be considered the origins of the War. 1 Regarding the causes, Polybius emphasizes the "wrath of the Barcids," Hannibal's family members, the Roman seizure of [...]
Importantly, the physical composition of the land and natural resources alongside artifacts of ancient Egypt had a substantial impact on the country's growth and development.
The importance of water for Babylonian infrastructure, thus, became leading, influencing the lives of peasants through the necessity of irrigation and the lives of city-dwellers through the integration of water canals into the city's infrastructure.
However, considering the focus dedicated to private ownership, contracts, salaries, and markets, it is possible to argue that Hammurabi was interested in the economic challenges of the Babylonians. The death penalty is sentenced to both [...]
The main question in this paper is: what were the names and functions of the aqueducts in ancient Rome? The need to build aqueducts in Rome was prompted by the need for mass supply of [...]
The most featured activities were discovery of clothes through the use of the spinning jenny, the domestication of animals, and the discovery of plantation farming.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It is worth analyzing the place according to its appearance to the eyes of the millions of viewers who visit [...]
The action evolves around the idea to come about the salvation of Greek people that is hatched by the main heroine of the play Lysistrata who encourages all women of Greece to withhold their marriage [...]
According to Bagnall, the major cause of the war as accounted by Thucydides was the indiscriminate expansion of Athenian power. The honor was for his contribution to the cautious policy that the Spartans employed during [...]
The Sumerians were able to designate the limits of their country precisely. In the early Sumerians, they sought the assistance of spiritual healers to exorcise the demons they believed were causing people's illnesses.
In the picture of a gold necklace placed in the Field Museum it is visible to the naked eye that the work is so fine and marvelous that it is even hard to believe the [...]
In his last decade when Sallust turned from politics to history, he considered the political corruption to be one of the major reasons of the collapse of the Roman Republic.
The early Greek and Roman cultures were passed down and still influence the modern way of life. Greek's colonization of the Mediterranean region was in the form of extension of the isolated city states.
This made the climate and soil more adaptable to plant growth and farming as some of the wild variants of barley and fruit began to grow in the region on their own.
The death of Alexander the Great shook the empire, beginning the process of the division and undoing of his legacy as many of the conquered regions saw opportunities to relinquish the Hellenistic rule.
The discovery of tools is recognized to be one of the most important events of human development, as it is a well-known fact that "The development of tools such as flint points, axes, weapons such [...]
The social ideals of the ancient Nile Valley cosmology and religion differ from those inherent in the cosmologies and theologies of Western civilization.
The monument received the name Colosseum in the Middle Ages from the distorted Latin word "colosseum", while in Imperial Rome, it was called the Flavian amphitheater in honor of the imperial dynasty.
Finally, the army leader had to bring the army back, an indication that he had succeeded in defeating the enemy and therefore the presence of the army in the battle field was no longer needed.
The earliest city built by the people of Persia was the Achaemenian and this is the city that was established and later used as the capital of the vast Persian Empire established by Cyrus.
To begin with, the earliest period of Greek history was the Bronze, and it is characterized by the usage and production of essential tools and the formation of two civilizations, which further contributed to the [...]
Rome's civilization revolves around the provisions of Rome's culture in shaping the aspects of the progression of the various parts of Roman society's political, economic, and social structure.
On the other side, the Ottoman envoy declared to the Venetians that it was not acceptable for Vizier to avoid the announcement of war since it is impossible for anyone to resist the idea of [...]
The first characteristics of the nobility appeared to be described from the period of Roman Greece, when the Roman Empire won the battle of Corinth and made the capital Byzantium city.
The Roman Republic lasted over four and a half centuries until it collapsed due to numerous civil wars and from the Roman Republic the government turned from Republican to a government that had a Principate [...]
The Macedonian empire was characterized by a heavy cavalry due to the broad plains of the area that enabled the raising of horses, and the monarchical system of government provided the landholding nobility used to [...]
The king sought to control the flow of resources which were collected from the provinces and peasants and channeled upward. The class division was strongly present in the mythology of Ancient Egypt and was accepted [...]
One of the great ancient civilizations known to man is that of the Mayan people. As such, this calendar was the center of the life and culture of the Mayan people.
The paper discusses the nature of the cultural influence between the Romans and the Greek revealing the commonalities and discrepancies existing between the two.
In the crypt of the popes, 9 affiliates of the major seminary of priests were buried there together with 8 legislatures of the clerical hierarchy. The next cubiculum are the graves of some of the [...]
In addition, effects of the war, capturing of Babylonia's cities, and destruction of the Babylon's walls by the Syrians made the situation worse for Babylonia, hence leading to its downfall.
Constantine had a new capital that gradually became the cultural and economic center of the Roman Empire. The contrast between the two rulers could be seen in their attitude and relation to the innovations.
2 The dual attitude towards magic in Ancient Greece is deeply rooted in those people's focus on knowledge and the use of the scientific method that was born during that period.
The author was intended to show and describe in detail the ancient facts of state formation beginning with Aeneas and then Romulus and Remus and other dominant figures in the historical framework of ancient times.
Julius Caesar was both a politician and a strong leader for the Romans, who were responsible for the changes in the history of the Greco-Roman. Caesar's behavior in the temple was observed to be a [...]
There are several peculiarities of design indicating that the contemporary dress can be viewed as the adaption of the ancient stola. In Ancient Rome, this type of clothing was used to conceal the sexuality of [...]
The works of these historians give an opportunity to state that in spite of the fighting and dying in wars, the Athenians contributed to the good of their polis.
The Byzantine Empire, which emerged in the East, claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Roman Empire, and its rulers continued to use the title of 'Emperor.' The Byzantine Empire maintained much of the [...]
Some argue that the Ancient Egyptians must have been Black Africans, while others state that cannot be true, at least in terms of physical appearance, Combined with the peculiarity of Egyptian culture, from this emerges [...]
One of the essential functions of the Pharaoh was the connection with the cosmos. The Early Dynastic Period and the Old Kingdom were the heydays of the divine status of kings.
The victory of Abbasids over the Umayyads to claim the leadership of Muslims globally was accompanied by the move of the Empire's capital from Syria to Iraq.
The first and maybe the main point in this opposition of times and customs is the role of a ruler. There is a great contrast between the idealized picture of the young emperor and his [...]
According to the primary task of the essay, it is necessary to say, that the characters of Iliad, Odysseus, and the conclusions by Socrates belong to various epochs of Greek history.
Meanwhile, smaller states such as Israel, Phoenicians, and early Egyptians were attempting to survive and maintain their historical lands and identities in the midst of conquering empires.
The leading opinion on the matter suggests that the true reasons for the collapse of the state include both internal and external factors; brought together into a system, they have served to destroy the once [...]
This was not a mere rhetoric considering that writers on the Roman agriculture also highlighted the decline in land productivity either due to the land being old or because of humans' failure to preserve the [...]
They were empowered by a divine appointment and therefore it is for the best interest of everyone to sustiain the line of succession and preserve the kingdom. The origin of the people, the land mass [...]
Agriculture was one of the very prominent activities that the Maya people engaged in.the ancient agricultural feature of the community still can be found in many available archaeological records; these records stretch from the old [...]
Currently, the Nile Delta is one of the most populated areas of Egypt, but this was not always the case. The use of the Delta contributed to the active development of the economy in Ancient [...]
Right to the property for married women and their right to private inheritance and inheritance of the community property belonging to the husband was an essential nature of the status of women in Ancient Egyptian [...]
When talking of the Hellenistic Age, it refers to the time period of about 30 years between the death of Alexander the Great and the rise of the Roman Empire under the leadership of Augustus [...]
The people of Mesopotamia used calendars in order to determine when the floods could occur along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. The Egyptians had a lot of developments in the field of architecture and art [...]
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