StudyQA — Bachelor: Classical Archaeology and Ancient History

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Description Contents Requirements Funding

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 world through their written texts, visual art and material remains, and has at its centre the two classical cultures of Greece and Rome. It 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. While it is primarily a historical and non-linguistic degree, ancient languages can be used and learned as part of the course.

The degree is taught through a mixture of tutorials, lectures and classes. Some cover specifically archaeological or historical approaches to ancient Mediterranean cultures, but the degree is unique in also offering courses that combine both approaches. In every year of the course there are classes led by both an archaeologist and a historian, which are designed to give an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to the topics studied.

The University’s resources for this combined subject are excellent, in terms of both library facilities, especially the Sackler Library, and the range and number of postholders in the two fields. The Ashmolean Museum also contains wide-ranging collections of art and artefacts from classical cultures.

CAAH Careers

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 law. Recent CAAH graduates include a financial adviser, a teacher and a curator. Sarah is now 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.’

First year:

lectures (four–six per week)
team-taught classes (one per week for the first two terms)
tutorials (one every one–two weeks) and/or language classes.

Second and third years:

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.

1st year

Courses

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; Beginning Latin; Intermediate Ancient Greek; Intermediate Latin; Advanced Ancient Greek; Advanced Latin

Assessment

First University examinations:Four written papers

2nd and 3rd year

Courses

Six courses are taken from a wide choice of options. These currently include:

Rome, Italy and the Hellenistic East, 300–100 BC
Imperial culture and society, cAD 50–150: Archaeology and history
The Greeks and the Mediterranean World, c950–500 BC
Greek art and archaeology, c500–300 BC
Cities and settlement under the Empire
Art under the Roman Empire, AD 14–337
Archaeology of the late Roman Empire, AD 284–641
Thucydides and the Greek world, 479–403 BC
Alexander the Great and his early successors
Roman history 146–46 BC
Egyptian art and architecture
Archaeology of Minoan Crete, 3200–1000 BC
Etruscan Italy, 900–300 BC
Science-based methods in archaeology
Greek and Roman coins
Mediterranean maritime archaeology
Epigraphy of the Greek and/or Roman world
Athenian democracy in the classical age
Sexuality and gender in Greece and Rome
Cicero: Politics and thought in the late Republic
Religions in the Greek and Roman world, c31 BC–AD 312
St Augustine and the Last Days of Rome, AD 370–430
Intermediate Ancient Greek or Latin
Advanced Ancient Greek or Latin
Research for a site or museum report

Assessment

Final University examinations:
Six written papers; one site or museum report

The content and format of this course may change in some circumstances.

Attestat o Srednam Obrazovanii (Certificate of Secondary Education) would not be sufficient for candidates to make a competitive application. If your qualification is listed as being insufficient to make a competitive application to Oxford, then you will need to undertake further study if you wish to apply.You could take British A-levels (the British Council may know where you can take A-levels in your country), the International Baccalaureate (IB), or any other qualifications listed as acceptable on this page. The first year of a bachelor's degree from another university could also be an acceptable alternative.
IELTS: overall score of 7.0 (with at least 7.0 in each of the four components)
TOEFL (paper-based): overall score of 600 with a Test of Written English score of 5.5
TOEFL (internet-based): overall score of 110 with component scores of at least: Listening 22, Reading 24, Speaking 25, and Writing 24.
Cambridge English: Advanced, also known as the Certificate of Advanced English (CAE): grade A if taken before January 2015, or a score of at least 185.
Cambridge English: Proficiency, also known as the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): grade B if taken before January 2015, or a score of at least 185.
English Language GCSE, or O-level: grade B (for IGCSE, please see below)
International Baccalaureate Standard Level (SL): score of 5 in English (as Language A or B)
European Baccalaureate: score of 70% in English.

Hill Foundation Scholarship

Russian nationals wishing to study for a second undergraduate degree.

Palgrave Brown Scholarship

Students must be ordinarily resident in and/or educated in the following countries:

Albania; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Czech Republic; Estonia; Georgia; Hungary; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyz Rep.; Latvia; Lithuania; Macedonia; Moldova; Montenegro; Poland; Romania; Russia; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Tajikistan; Turkmenistan; Ukraine; Uzbekistan.

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