Classical Archaeology and Ancient History

The course combines study of the history, archaeology and art of the classical world. It looks at the societies and cultures of the ancient Mediterranean, through written texts, visual art and material remains. The course has at its centre the two classical cultures of Greece and Rome.

The course is aimed at anyone interested in investigating ancient civilisations and their remains: from Greek temples and Roman amphitheatres to wall paintings and the poignant residues of everyday life.

A typical week (Year 1)

• Lectures (4-6 per week)
• Team-taught classes (one per week for the first two terms)
• Tutorials (one every one to two weeks) and/or language classes

A typical week (Years 2-3)

You will take six options and produce a site or museum report. Currently, the options are chosen from:

• Integrated classes, bringing together historical and archaeological approaches to a particular period
• Core papers, which deal with central topics in Greco-Roman studies
• Further papers, which allow you either to build up concentrated expertise in some central areas and periods or to extend into earlier and later periods, and into non-classical cultures
• Greek or Latin language papers.

Tutorials are usually two students (possibly three) and a tutor; a larger group is normally defined as a class.

Where options are taught in classes, the class size will depend on the options you choose. They would usually be no more than 10 students. For the core papers the class size is usually eight or less.

Most tutorials, classes, and lectures are delivered by staff who are tutors in their subject. Many are world-leading experts with years of experience in teaching and research.

Some teaching may also be delivered by postgraduate students who are studying at doctorate level. To find out more about how our teaching year is structured, visit our Academic Year page.

Courses

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Assessment

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Four courses are taken
Core elements:

• Aristocracy and democracy in the Greek world, 550–450 BC
• Republic to empire: Rome, 50 BC to AD 50

Current optional elements:

• Archaeology: Homeric archaeology and early Greece from 1550 to 700 BC; Greek vases; Greek sculpture c600– 300 BC; Roman architecture
• History: Thucydides and the West; Aristophanes’ political comedy; Cicero and Catiline; Tacitus and Tiberius
• Ancient Languages: Beginning Ancient Greek or Latin; Intermediate Ancient Greek or Latin; Advanced Ancient Greek or Latin

First University examinations: four written papers

Some CAAH graduates go on to further study and research to become professional archaeologists and historians. Others move into different areas, including museum curation, heritage management, education, finance, advertising, publishing, the Civil Service and the law. Recent CAAH graduates include a financial adviser, a teacher and a curator. Sarah became a personal adviser. She says: ‘My degree at Oxford provided the challenging environment in which I developed the skills I later needed to successfully complete Reed’s rigorous application procedure.’