Ancient History and Classical Archaeology

Ancient history and classical archaeology together examine the civilisations of Greece and Rome across two complementary dimensions: the written record of what people thought, did, and said, and the material remains of how they built, made, worshipped, and buried their dead. The combination is particularly powerful because each discipline illuminates the blind spots of the other; texts tell us what mattered to those who could write, while archaeology recovers the lives of those who left no written record and tests the claims of those who did.

At the University of Warwick, this three-year full-time BA includes a year abroad, giving you the opportunity to study in a different academic and cultural environment, potentially including direct engagement with ancient sites and collections. You will develop advanced skills in critical analysis, the evaluation of ancient evidence in multiple forms, and the communication of ideas with precision and clarity. Ancient history will draw you into the political, social, economic, and cultural forces that shaped antiquity, asking how states were organised, how wars were fought and remembered, how slavery functioned, and how religious belief shaped public life.

Classical archaeology introduces you to the material culture of the ancient Mediterranean, covering architecture, sculpture, pottery, coinage, and the landscapes in which ancient communities lived and farmed.

You will learn to move between texts and objects, to assess the reliability of different kinds of evidence, and to construct sustained arguments about the ancient world with appropriate caution and rigour. These habits of mind transfer extremely well to contemporary professional contexts.

Graduates from ancient history and classical archaeology work in museums, heritage organisations, archives, cultural education, publishing, journalism, law, the civil service, and academia. The combination of analytical depth and communication skill that a classical degree develops is recognised by employers across many sectors. Postgraduate study in classics, ancient history, classical archaeology, museum studies, or cultural heritage is a natural next step for those who wish to specialise or pursue research or curatorial careers.