Classics and Ancient History is an area of study concentrating on the history of Europe and the Near East from the Greek Bronze Age (around 3000 BC) to the fall of the Western Roman Empire (around 475 AD).

Like many other humanities-based areas of study, it often gets criticised for concentrating on what some would consider pointless information that is of no obvious relevance to the modern world. However, programmes of study highlight the influence of the classical world on the modern world, including education, politics, religion, art and architecture. They also highlight the skills in critical thinking, historical enquiry and use of language that can be developed by students of the subject.

Many universities around the world contain a department of Classics and Ancient History (or one with a related title), and all divide the department in various ways. The courses on offer may also be influenced by what subjects are available to pupils in schools. In the UK, for example, subjects within Classics and Ancient History can be studied at GCSE-level, by pupils typically aged 14-16, and at A-Level, by pupils typically aged 16-18, as well as at university-level. Course titles vary, but this Entry aims to give an indication of the options you may see on offer.

Classics

Classics concentrates on the literature of Ancient Greece and Rome, particularly epic poetry, shorter verse, and histories. Often studied in the original language, a good understanding of Greek or Latin is usually a prerequisite for this area of study. Variants of Classics courses exist in which a particular language - either Latin or Greek - is concentrated on, with study of the literature used as a means to acquire the language fully. These courses may fall under the Languages, rather than Classics and Ancient History area of study, however.

Histories that are studied may include the Histories by Greek historian Herodotus, published in around 425 BC and documenting the events of the Græco-Persian Wars of 499–479 BC, or the Histories of the Roman historian Tacitus, published in 105 AD and documenting the Year of the Four Emperors 69 AD. Epic poetry may include the Iliad and Odyssey by Homer, telling the stories of the Trojan War and Odysseus' journey home (in Greek), or Virgil's Aeneid, telling the story of the Trojan War and the founding of Rome (in Latin). Shorter verse may include the Homeric Hymns, written using the same style of verse as the Iliad and Odyssey, or the works of Sappho, the poet who lived on the island of Lesbos in the 6th Century BC.

Ancient History

Ancient History is the study of the history of the ancient civilisations around Greece and Rome, including Egypt and the Near East. Topics of study may include military history, political history, socioeconomic history or cultural history. Knowledge of Greek or Latin is not necessarily a prerequisite.

Texts may include the works of Plato from the 4th Century BC, on politics, education and the philosophy of Socrates, or Suetonius' work The Twelve Caesars, written in 121AD on Roman history from the time of Julius Caesar to the end of Domitian's reign as Emperor (100 BC - 96 AD). Buildings and artefacts may also be studied, such as those at the Acropolis in Greece or Hadrian's Wall in Britain, plus statues, inscriptions and coins. Ancient History courses are often combined with courses on the Archaeology of Ancient Greece and/or Rome, or with other history-based subjects outside of the Classical era.

Classical Archaeology

Classical Archaeology is the study of the material culture, art and architecture of the Ancient World. Courses may be divided into study of Ancient Greece, Rome or Egypt specifically, and the subject may be studied in conjunction with a related Ancient History course, or with a general Archaeology course.

Typical courses include standard archaeological techniques and theory, as well as teaching how to glean as much information from archaeological evidence (ie the physical remains of civilisations) as possible. Students often specialise in a specific area of archaeology, such as pottery or sculpture.

Classical Civilisation (aka Classical Studies)

Classical Civilisation is the study of the great European Classical-era civilisations of Greece and Rome. It differs primarily from Ancient History in its concentration on the literature (usually in translation) and culture of these civilisations as a whole, rather than on military history or other distinct aspects.

Topics may include Athenian Democracy and its officials, the politics of the Roman Republic, Greek or Roman religions, Greek Theatre, or Greek Art. Various artefacts may be studied, such as Greek Vase Paintings, Greek and Roman statues, and Roman mosaics and wall paintings. Texts might include the comedy plays of Aristophanes and the tragedy plays of Euripides from the 5th Century BC, or the works of the orator Cicero and author Petronius' novel The Satyricon from Rome. Latin and Greek are not prerequisites for these courses, but Classical Civilisation may be combined with a language course to deepen understanding.

Also

Aside from these topics there are also many subjects that do not fall under the body of Classics and Ancient History, but have close links with it nonetheless. Aside from obvious links with other History departments, or Egyptology¹ departments, the Classics and Ancient History departments often have strong links to Politics, Philosophy and Language departments, as those subjects owe a debt to Ancient Greece and Rome.

Roman Temple image courtesy of the Library of Congress


Black Figure Vase image courtesy of MetMuseum.org.


Plato image copyright © Marie-Lan Nguyen