The study of the history and material culture of the
classical civilisations is at the core of the MA in
Classical Archaeology and Ancient History. The programme
involves the development of a range of disciplinary
skills used by historians, archaeologists and art
historians. It requires the careful interpretation of
scanty and complex written and material evidence to
understand peoples who are chronologically remote but
highly significant for the modern world. In addition to
the study of the Greek and Roman civilisations from the
Bronze Age to Late Antiquity, the programme offers the
opportunity to study other ancient peoples and
civilisations (such as the Etruscans and other peoples
in Italy, the Persians and the Carthaginians). Students
are required to contextualise Graeco-Roman society
within its full geographical context, and to analyse and
evaluate a wide range of texts (historical and other,
including inscriptions), works of art, artefacts (such
as pots and coins), archaeological sites and other
material evidence. Active engagement with this range of
evidence, whether through fieldwork or museum visits,
will constitute a key component of the programme. The MA
in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History challenges
students to confront the sometimes rather different
pictures of the classical world given by the different
bodies of evidence – textual and material – and is thus
both intellectually demanding and intrinsically
interesting.
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