Ancient History and Latin MA (Hons)

Ancient History - Ancient History explores the history of Greece and Rome, and neighbouring peoples such as the Persians and Carthaginians. Students study the period from the beginning of Greek writing and urbanism in eighth century BCE through to the collapse of the western Roman empire in the fifth century CE. Geographically the subject is centred on the Mediterranean world, but at times extends from the Persian Gulf to the Clyde and from the Crimea to the Sahara.

Latin - Knowledge of Latin is the key both to an enormously rich body of literature and to in-depth understanding of a complex and influential culture. The MA (Hons) in Latin will develop your Latin language skills. It will also develop skills of literary and cultural analysis which are important for understanding of complex texts, arguments and problems in our own culture too. The course will require you to engage in depth with a wide range of texts from classical antiquity. It involves study of the many different genres of ancient Latin literature from epic poetry and elegy to historiography and letter-writing. You will be required to develop skills of reading and understanding these texts in the original language. In the process you will also gain a broad understanding of ancient social, cultural and political history.