Ancient History offers you the chance to explore the Ancient Greeks and Romans and the people they envied and emulated, traded with and invaded through studying their literature, architecture, art, material culture and a range of other sources. You’ll study the civilisations of ancient Greece, Rome, Persia and beyond, and how they have been received and interpreted by other cultures. You’ll gain an understanding of life in these unique societies as they evolved, as well as developing your own interests through investigating the ‘Athenian empire’, Sparta and the Peloponnesian League, and Rome from Republic to Empire.

With Philosophy at Leeds, you can explore fundamental questions about how we understand the world, through studying key concepts and topics such as argument construction, moral and political philosophy, the history of modern philosophy, the nature of knowledge and reality, as well as applied philosophy in topics such as bioethics, race, gender, and the philosophy of war and terrorism.

In this degree you'll have the opportunity to combine an interest in the ancient world with the big ideas that we are still engaging with today.

Course details

A joint honours degree allows you to study the same core topics as students on each single honours course, but you’ll take fewer options 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 the modern world.

Your first year 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. Classical sources 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.

In your first year you will also study topics such as ethics, epistemology (theory of knowledge), the mind, the construction of philosophical arguments, and the history of Western Philosophy.

This will lay the foundation for the next two years, where you’ll continue to take a broad approach to philosophy by choosing modules from areas such as philosophy of science, language, mind, knowledge, moral and political philosophy, or history of philosophy. You’ll also deepen your understanding of ancient political systems, societies, cultures and people, from great historical figures to under-represented and subordinate groups, and you’ll and broaden your knowledge of theoretical approaches to ancient sources.

In your final year, you’ll choose from a range of optional modules, exploring diverse topics from across the classical world, revealing the complex nuances of these fascinating societies, as well specialist philosophy modules. Philosophy modules are currently undergoing revision, but the list below will give a flavour of what is likely to be available.

You’ll also be able to showcase the analytical and research skills you’ve gained when you undertake an independent project on a topic of your choice in either of the two disciplines.