Classics and Ancient History

BA Ancient History

Programme structure

Years 1 and 2

You will study the main issues of Greek and Roman History, which will be your core modules, consider the problems that are posed for modern scholars seeking to access that history, and explore the ways in which Greeks and Romans thought about their own past. You’ll also have the chance to explore the main issues in Greek and Roman society, politics, religion and philosophy. These modules contextualise the historical background by offering insights into how the Greeks and Romans thought about issues such as freedom, democracy, slavery, sexuality and gender, religion and the divine. In order to allow you to access the ancient world through the original texts, you will also study Latin or Greek in your first year, and you can choose to continue this language study in years 2 and 3.

Year 3

In the final year, in addition to studying in-depth one of two central periods in the literary and political history of Greece or Rome, you’ll have the opportunity to take three ‘special subjects’, one of which may be a dissertation. Special subjects are offered by each of the academic staff in line with their research interests and you’ll explore the cutting-edge of research in these fields in small seminar groups. Options range from the study of Bronze Age Greece to that of the world of late antiquity, and from approaches to sexuality and gender in the ancient world to the study of ancient attitudes to food.

Study abroad

If you take Classical Studies with a Modern Language you will normally spend your third year abroad; for details please see Modern Languages.

For our other degrees you may study for half a year at a partner institution in Europe, North America or Australia or follow a four-year ‘with Study Abroad’ programme which allows you to spend your third year abroad. Full details of these schemes, and of our partner institutions, can be found on our College Study Abroad web pages.