You will take several courses across two semesters of teaching, including a compulsory course and a range of optional courses. The compulsory course (Skills and Methods in Classics – 20 credits) will provide you with the key methodological and practical skills required of researchers in all Classical subjects, while the 20-credit option courses offer a level of flexibility, allowing you to both develop or cement your language skills and explore a diverse range of in-depth historical topics. You can also take courses in archaeological and literary topics. Core course You will take a compulsory course, which will provide a general introduction to graduate study in classics and give you the opportunity to develop your research skills. HTML Compulsory courses previously offered include: Course name Credits Skills and Methods in Classics 20 Optional courses You’ll be required to take 5 option courses (20 credits each), subject to availability. Each year we offer ancient history courses in topics that our staff are currently working, ensuring that we provide Greek, Hellenistic, Roman and Late Antique options. Greek and Latin language courses are always offered. Please note: at least three of your option courses must be on ancient history topics. You may be able to take one classics language course and/or one online course Option Courses 2024-2025 * * Please note that the list of courses below is provisional and subject to change. Course name Credits Elementary Greek (PG) 1 # 20 Elementary Latin (PG) 1 # 20 Intermediate Greek (PG) 1 # 20 Intermediate Latin (PG) 1 # 20 A Topic in Late Antique and Byzantine History 1 # 20 A Topic in Late Antique and Byzantine History 2 # 20 Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs: The Basics and Beyond # 20 Ancient Philosophy Seminar I # 20 Ancient Superpowers: The Armies and Military Monuments of Rome and Persia # 20 Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation in History and Culture (PG) # 20 Archaeology of 'Celtic' Europe: Communities and Interactions # 20 Archaeological Illustration 20 Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy ^ 20 Bronze Age Civilisations of the Near East and Greece # 20 Conflict archaeology: materialities of violence 20 Constantinople: The History of a Medieval Megalopolis from Constantine the Great to Suleyman the Magnificent # 20 Greek Pastoral Poetry ^ 20 Greek Palaeography & Manuscript Culture 20 Greek Philosophy (Plato's Republic) 20 Greek Text Seminar 3 20 Hellenistic Art and Archaeology 20 Herod the Great and the End of Hellenism (online) * 20 Issues in Egyptian Archaeology: the Second Intermediate Period until the end of the Late Period (1650-332 BC) 20 Latin Epic ^ 20 Latin Satire ^ 20 Latin Text Seminar 1 # 20 Religion and War in Archaic and Classical Greece 20 Mariners, Monks and Mobility: the archaeology of the early medieval Atlantic Archipelago # 20 Plato's Republic ^ 20 Popular Culture in the Roman World (Online) * 20 Scottish Latin Literature # 20 The Archaeology of Children and Childhood # 20 The Art and Archaeology of Sparta and Laconia # 20 The Athenian Akropolis (online) * 20 The Hellenistic City # 20 The Hittites: The Archaeology of an Ancient Near Eastern Civilisation # 20 The Jewish Diaspora under the Roman Empire # 20 Themes in Egyptian archaeology: the foundations of the state to the end of the Middle Kingdom # 20 Women, Writing, Greece: From Sappho to Virginia Woolf and Beyond 20 # You must choose three Ancient History courses ^ A maximum of one Level 10 course can be chosen. Priority for Level 10 courses goes to undergraduate students. * A maximum of one online course can be chosen. Option courses 2023/24 Select exactly 60 credits of the following Ancient History courses Elementary Greek (PG) 1 Elementary Latin (PG) 1 Intermediate Greek (PG) 1 Intermediate Latin (PG) 1 A Topic in Late Antique and Byzantine History 1 A Topic in Late Antique and Byzantine History 2 Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs II: Texts and Contexts Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs: The Basics and Beyond Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation in History and Culture (PG) Archaeology of 'Celtic' Europe: Communities and Interactions Archaeology of Late Antique Religion Bronze Age Civilisations of the Near East and Greece Debating Marriage between Antiquity and the Middle Ages Dispute Resolution in the Roman Empire Egypt under the Ptolemies Honour in Ancient Greece Mariners, Monks and Mobility: the archaeology of the early medieval Atlantic Archipelago The Archaeology of Children and Childhood The Hittites: The Archaeology of an Ancient Near Eastern Civilisation The Maccabaean Revolt Themes in Egyptian archaeology: the foundations of the state to the end of the Middle Kingdom Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following courses Elementary Greek (PG) 1 Elementary Greek (PG) 2 Elementary Latin (PG) 1 Elementary Latin (PG) 2 Intermediate Greek (PG) 1 Intermediate Greek (PG) 2 Intermediate Latin (PG) 1 Intermediate Latin (PG) 2 A Topic in Late Antique and Byzantine History 1 A Topic in Late Antique and Byzantine History 2 Apocalypse: The Book of Revelation in History and Culture (PG) Archaeological Illustration Archaeology of Late Antique Religion Bronze Age Civilisations of the Near East and Greece Classical Greek Sculpture Conflict archaeology: materialities of violence Dispute Resolution in the Roman Empire Egypt under the Ptolemies Greek Philosophy (Plato's Republic) Greek Text Seminar 2 Handling Greek Pottery Honour in Ancient Greece Human Evolution Issues in Egyptian Archaeology: the Second Intermediate Period until the end of the Late Period (1650-332 BC) Latin Text Seminar 2 Space, Place and Time: the archaeology of built environments The Archaeology of Children and Childhood The Hittites: The Archaeology of an Ancient Near Eastern Civilisation The Latin Manuscript: Palaeography, Codicology, Textual Criticism The Maccabaean Revolt Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following Level 10 Classics Language courses Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy Greek Pastoral Poetry Latin Epic Latin Satire Plato's Republic Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following Online courses Herod the Great and the End of Hellenism (online) Popular Culture in the Roman World (Online) The Athenian Akropolis (online) Option courses 2022/23 Select exactly 60 credits of the following Ancient History courses: Elementary Greek (PG) 1 Elementary Latin (PG) 1 Intermediate Greek (PG) 1 Intermediate Latin (PG) 1 A Topic in Late Antique and Byzantine History 1 A Topic in Late Antique and Byzantine History 2 Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs: The Basics and Beyond Archaeology of 'Celtic' Europe: Communities and Interactions Debating Marriage between Antiquity and the Middle Ages Early and Archaic Greek Art and Archaeology Epicurus and Epicureanism Greek Text Seminar 1 Judaea under Roman Rule Latin Text Seminar 1 Law in the Roman Provinces Mariners, Monks and Mobility: the archaeology of the early medieval Atlantic Archipelago Piecing Together the Cultural Fragments of Ionia (Archaic Period) Scottish Latin Literature Sparta and Crete: Classical Greek Society Beyond Athens The Hellenistic City Select between 0 and 40 credits of the following Classics courses Elementary Greek (PG) 1 Elementary Greek (PG) 2 Elementary Latin (PG) 1 Elementary Latin (PG) 2 Intermediate Greek (PG) 1 Intermediate Greek (PG) 2 Intermediate Latin (PG) 1 Intermediate Latin (PG) 2 A Topic in Late Antique and Byzantine History 1 A Topic in Late Antique and Byzantine History 2 Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs: The Basics and Beyond Archaeological Illustration Bronze Age Civilisations of the Near East and Greece Conflict archaeology: materialities of violence Early and Archaic Greek Art and Archaeology Epicurus and Epicureanism Exploring the Past with Data Science GIS and Spatial Analysis for Archaeologists Greek Palaeography Greek Text Seminar 1 Island Worlds: Prehistoric Societies in the Mediterranean Sea from the Palaeolithic to the Iron Age Issues in Egyptian Archaeology: the Second Intermediate Period until the end of the Late Period (1650-332 BC) Judaea under Roman Rule Latin Text Seminar 1 Law in the Roman Provinces Piecing Together the Cultural Fragments of Ionia (Archaic Period) Scottish Latin Literature Sparta and Crete: Classical Greek Society Beyond Athens The Hellenistic City Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following Level 10 Classics Language courses Greek Palaeography Herodotus Hesiod Late Latin: Autobiographical Narratives from the 4th and 5th Centuries AD Latin Epic Select between 0 and 20 credits of the following online courses Athenian democracy and modern preoccupations (online) Custodians of Empire: The Praetorian Guard (Online) Seafaring and Society in the Ancient Greek World (Online) The Jewish Diaspora in the Roman Empire (Online) The Near East From Justinian to the Fall of the Umayyads (Online) Teaching and assessment You will develop your skills in critical thinking, clear writing and research, verbal presentation and critical analysis. Most teaching takes place in small groups with most courses taught via weekly seminars. The majority of the 20-credit courses are assessed by single pieces of coursework, usually essays of 4,500 words. Further information You can see more details about the 2024/25 programme structure on the Degree Programme Table for the MSc in Ancient History. We expect the 2025/26 programme structure to be available from May 2025. This article was published on 2024-06-19
