Ancient History and Italian

Ancient history and Italian is a combination that connects two dimensions of the Mediterranean world across time. Ancient history examines the civilisations of Greece and Rome and their neighbours, from the first Greek cities and texts of the eighth century BCE through to the fall of the western Roman empire in the fifth century CE, covering a Mediterranean world that at its greatest extent reached from the Persian Gulf to Scotland and from the Crimea to the Sahara. Italian links you to the modern inheritor of Rome's legacy, the language of one of the great literary traditions of Europe and of a culture that has shaped Western art, architecture, music, and intellectual life in ways that remain visible everywhere.

At St Andrews this four-year full-time programme includes a year abroad, essential for developing genuine proficiency in Italian and for experiencing the rich environment of a country in which classical and modern culture are in constant dialogue. The ancient history component develops your ability to read and interpret primary sources, to evaluate competing historical arguments, and to place the civilisations of Greece and Rome in their geographical and chronological contexts, examining the Persians, Carthaginians, and other neighbouring peoples alongside the central civilisations of the Mediterranean world. The Italian component develops practical linguistic fluency alongside engagement with the literature, culture, and intellectual history that the language carries from Dante and Machiavelli through to contemporary Italian writing.

Graduates find careers in education, archival and museum work, heritage and classics publishing, journalism, the cultural sector, and academic research in classical studies or Italian. The combination of classical depth and modern linguistic competency is distinctive in competitive applications. Many graduates also continue to postgraduate study in ancient history, classical studies, Italian, or related humanities fields, and the programme provides strong preparation for academic careers in the humanities or for roles in European cultural institutions.