Ancient History Stage 6 has a unique role in the school curriculum because it allows students to study and analyse past societies with a detachment conferred by the perspectives of at least two millennia. It draws on a variety of disciplines and sources, both written and archaeological, such as literary works, coins, inscriptions, art, architecture, artefacts and human remains, enabling students to piece together an informed and coherent view of the past. Because the amount of surviving evidence is relatively small, students are able to consider it in its entirety and thus weigh their own interpretations alongside those found in published secondary works, while noting how to deal with gaps in the evidence. In addition, it introduces students to scientific methods used in the historian's investigation of archaeological evidence.
