Resource Finders
Ancient History: Political Structures
Use this Resource Finder to assist you in the research phase of your political structures
assessment task for Ancient History.
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Preparation: Know Your Task
Highlight key parts of
your task, deconstruct
the task, and prepare
for research:
Developing a broad
understanding of the
civilisations:

I’ve got to evaluate whether both Ancient Chinese and Indian
civilisations/civilizations developed in complete isolation from the
rest of the world. My key focus areas are:
 Government, administration and society.

I guess to approach this task, I probably need to collect my
information for each civilisation separately and arrange my notes
under these 3 headings.

I’ll probably create 2 word documents for my notemaking
with these three headings in each.

I might also get 2 document wallets so that I can store my
written material and printouts. I might have 3 plastic inserts in
each for each of the three headings.
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Before I begin, I need to get an overview of each of the civilisations
I’m researching. This background information will provide a stepping
stone to further research and help me develop my key words.

Key resources for background reading might include:
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Basic Library Books: Ancient China in 931; Ancient India in
934.

World Book (Physical or CD or Online via your Caboolture
Shire Council Library Card).

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_China OR
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_India.

The Global History Consortium
http://www.stockton.edu/~gilmorew/consorti/index.html#index

World Book Online or Encyclopaedia Online (available from
your Online Library> Public Libraries> Free Databases and
Reference (Caboolture Shire Library Card needed).

Google> More> Directory> Society > History > By Time
Period > Ancient.
Mining for more detailed
information:
THIS ASSIGNMENT COULD BE HUGE UNLESS I CAN NARROW!
WHAT TIME PERIOD AM I LOOKING AT?
When I’m researching into Ancient China, what eras/dynasties/times/
rulers am I looking at?

I can probably begin with the first dynasty: the Xia dynasty (2100 to
1800 BCE) followed by the Shang dynasty and the Zhou/Chou
dynasty. This would take me up to about 250BCE
I could probably concentrate on Imperial China too: begin my studies
with the Qin/Chin Dynasty: 200BCE (Qin Shi Huangdi) who was the
first real emperor and who unified many of the warring factions and
end with the Han Dynasty (about 200CE)

Note though, that during the Han dynasty the first trading
connections between China and the West were opened up via,
the Silk Road.

When I’m researching into Ancient India, what eras/dynasties/times/
rulers am I looking at?

I might begin with Bronze Age Civilizations: Indus Valley (2600 BCE
to 1900 BCE), Late Harappan (1700BCE – 1300BCE) and Vedic
(1500 BCE to 500 BCE).
After this the following empires probably also need inclusion:

Maha Janapadas (700–300 BCE), Magadha Empire (684 BC–
320 BCE), Maurya Empire (321–184 BCE), Middle Kingdoms
(230 BCE–1279 CE), Satavahana Empire (230 BCE–199 CE),
Kushan Empire (60CE–240CE) and the Gupta Empire (240CE–
550CE).

Since my inquiry includes the time period after Persian and
Greek invasions (520BCE onwards) clearly “complete isolation”
didn’t occur.

How do I determine that the region was isolated?


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What factors contributed: geographical, political decisions etc.
What happened when people tried to leave…or did they/could they?
What happened when people tried to get in…or did they/could they?
What was the impact of this isolation… in particular what is it about
the following that are unique to each civilisation as a result of such
isolation?




Government and Administration (Processes for determining
leadership/hierarchies in government: voting etc; structures within
society: education, health, law and order, provision of services,
taxes, defence etc.
ask my teacher if government and admin can be covered together,
ask my teacher if I’m missing anything central.
Society (family life, entertainment and sport, gender roles, rites of
passage, dress, rituals and celebrations, religion and worship,
morality, sex, marriage and courtship, science, inventions etc).
ask my teacher if I’m missing anything central.
Key Words and
Combinations:
The basics:
 “ancient china”, “ancient India”, civilisation OR civilization, individual
dynasties searched with speech marks.
Combined with my focus idea:

isolation, isolated, independent, independence, sovereign,
autonomous, autonomy, “cut off”.
Combined with my focus areas:


Key words relating to Government/Administration/Society as above
in my KEY QUESTIONS SECTION.
Our Library
Books and Library Catalogue

Check the library catalogue for what the library has on key subjects like China and India (check the
time period), then see what is in the Table of Contents/Index.
Guidelines (only up until 2006)
 A physical version of AustGuide Online but more time consuming.

Search Engines

Google General:
 Use lots of key words
 Don’t forget speech marks
 Try Field Searching in Google: intitle:ancient intitle:china isolation
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Google Advanced

Google “More”:
 Scholar (mainly useful to get ideas of articles you want to find elsewhere….unless you’re rich!)

Other Search Engines from the Online Library:
Eg: JUX2: (winner of best multi-search engine)
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Databases
AUSTGUIDE Online (Archaeological Diggings, Bulletin, New Scientist and National Geographic are
the key journals):

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
Set up your “Options” first.
Read the “Search Help”.
Start your search with just the civilisation you’re researching (ancient china; indus,
civilization etc.
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An online Librarian for difficult-to-find information.
Ask Now
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Caboolture Public Library
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Catalogue (begin with just a simple search for general information)
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Free Databases for Caboolture Library Members:
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Each database has its own special rules so don’t forget to read ”Help” first.
Australian and New Zealand Reference Centre:

"indus valley" N5 civilisation.
ProQuest Science Journals:

Click on “Topic” and search for ancient china.

Choose from the range of options.
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online:

China.

China AND dynasty AND (xia OR shang OR zhou OR ancient)

(xia OR shang OR zhou) AND government.
University Libraries
UQ



Subject Gateway> Social Sciences> Ancient History (then scroll down)
Bibliographies and Referencing
See your Online Library.