Ancient History and Archaeology

Ancient history and archaeology is a discipline that recovers and interprets the human past through both written documents and material evidence. Ancient history addresses the civilisations of Greece, Rome, the Near East, and Egypt through the literary, legal, and inscriptional records they left behind, developing the skills of textual analysis, historical argument, and cultural interpretation. Archaeology adds a different kind of evidence, recovering the physical traces of past lives from the objects, buildings, and landscapes that time has preserved, and developing the practical skills of excavation, survey, and material culture analysis.

At Birkbeck College in London, this three-year full-time programme combines the study of textual sources with material evidence, giving you an unusually complete picture of the ancient world. Birkbeck's location gives you access to world-class collections of ancient material in the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and other institutions, and the programme incorporates hands-on experience with archives, collections, and archaeological practice. You will develop the ability to understand the ancient past through its relationships with texts, objects, and places, engaging with all three forms of evidence in a way that pure classics or pure archaeology courses typically cannot offer.

The typical entry tariff of 88 points reflects the accessible character of this programme.

You will develop research skills, the ability to read ancient sources critically, practical archaeological competencies, and the analytical and writing skills that sustained humanistic enquiry demands.

Graduates pursue careers in archaeology, heritage management, museums, archives, education, journalism, and the cultural sector. Many continue to postgraduate study in ancient history, classical archaeology, or heritage management, which opens pathways into specialist professional roles and academic research.