Ancient History offers you the chance to study the civilisations of ancient Greece, Rome, Persia and beyond, analysing their political, cultural and social histories, and how they’ve been received and interpreted by other cultures. You’ll combine core and optional modules to gain an understanding of life in these unique societies as they evolved, developing your own interests through investigating the Athens, Sparta and the Peloponnesian League, and Rome from Republic to Empire.

You’ll explore the full range of poetry, prose and drama in English, from Old English and medieval literature to contemporary writing from around the world. Core modules will give you a thorough grounding in the history and development of English literature, while optional modules enable you to develop specialist knowledge of topics that interest you. From Arthurian legends or Shakespeare to postcolonial fiction, there’s plenty to choose from.

A joint honours degree allows you to study the same core topics as students on each single honours course, but take fewer optional and discovery modules so you can fit in both subjects. You’ll also undertake a major research project in either subject in your final year.

This combination will allow you to explore how ancient concepts, ideas, events, art, architecture and literature continue to influence modern culture.

Ancient History core modules will introduce you to the major events and trends that affected the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds, and you’ll also have the chance to learn or continue with Latin or Ancient Greek. In your first year, you’ll also choose from core English modules exploring poetry, prose and drama through time.

You’ll go on to deepen your knowledge of ancient political systems, societies, cultures and people, from great historical figures to under-represented and subordinate groups, broadening your understanding of theoretical approaches to ancient sources. You’ll also develop your knowledge and skills through a choice of core modules focusing on different literary periods from the medieval period to today.

We offer an extensive range of optional modules, enabling you to specialise in the periods, regions, genres, or themes that interest you most, exploring diverse topics from across the classical world, revealing the complex nuances of these fascinating societies.

Classical texts are taught in translation, so you don’t need to have studied an ancient language. However, we offer Ancient Greek and Latin in every year of the degree, from Beginners to Advanced level, if you want to learn or continue with either.