Study at Cardiff | Undergraduate

Ancient History provides you with the opportunity to study Greek and Roman history and society from the emergence of Greek communities after the end of the Bronze age to the fall of the Roman Empire in the west and its survival in the east as the Byzantine Empire. It offers a balance between modules on historical periods (such as fifth and fourth century BC Greece, the conquests of Alexander the Great, the Roman Republic, Early Imperial Rome and the Later Roman Empire) and thematic social and cultural aspects (such as warfare, religion, politics, art, medicine, gender and ethnicity).

It is a discipline concerned with the understanding of ancient societies through the interpretation of ancient evidence and the construction of historical arguments.

The Ancient History degree at Cardiff will provide you with a critical understanding of the essential characteristics and achievements of Greek and Roman societies, which have exercised a profound and continuous influence on the subsequent development of European and many other societies and cultures.

Key Facts

This is a three year long degree programme comprising of some core modules that provide essential skills and training as well as a wide variety of optional modules for you to select from in order to tailor your degree to meet your interests.

You can also take further courses in the humanities and social sciences thereby developing the range of skills and knowledge required of the historian, and providing a broad based first year which equips you with a range of skills and knowledge.

Year One

The first year provides you with a focused introduction to the study of Greek and Roman history at University which fosters your critical and analytical skills through close engagement with the ancient sources and modern interpretations.

The Ancient History modules are:

• Introduction to Ancient Greek History
• Introduction to Roman History

In addition, you will choose modules from a wide range of options in the School of History, Archaeology and Religion, or in any other school in the university (subject to timetable and entry requirements).

Ancient History Years 2 & 3

All students take the following core modules, which are designed to provide key historical skills:

• Literary Evidence for Ancient Historians
• Material Evidence for Ancient Historians
• Independent Second Year Study
• Special Subject Dissertation (in the final year)

Optional modules include:

• The Roman Army
• Gender and Sexuality
• Expansion and Conflict in the Greek Poleis
• Kingdoms, Cities and Hellenization
• Rome and Carthage
• Conquest and Crisis: the Roman Republic
• Roman Imperial History 31 BC-AD 138
• The Later Roman Empire AD 284-602
• Byzantium: The Golden Age, c. AD 850-1050
• Gods and the Polis
• Roman Religion
• Greek and Roman Medicine
• Life in Ancient Rome
• Greek Values
• Army and Society: Homer to Alexander
• Julian the Apostate
• Athens in the Age of Demosthenes and Lykourgos
• Science and Technology in the Graeco-Roman World
• Hellenistic Art and Architecture
• Early Rome: History and Legend
• Houses in Roman Italy
• The Etruscans: History and Society
• Art and Power in Rome, 211 BC - AD 138

Language modules - optional

• Reading Latin 1
• Reading Greek 1
• Reading Latin 2
• Reading Greek 2
• Latin Historical Texts
• Greek Historical Texts
  

The School of History, Archaeology and Religion offers programmes that are exciting, cutting edge, research- led and in tune with demand. The School maintains a thoroughly student-orientated approach to the acquisition of knowledge and skills and offering the highest quality learning environment in which individuals can develop.

Teaching is delivered through a mixture of lectures, practicals, seminars, workshops, field courses and tutorials. Staff place value on small teaching groups and tutorials, and on contact with students. They believe that seminars and tutorials are an essential part of learning: they allow you to develop your skills in setting out your ideas and arguments and in communicating your knowledge, skills which are developed through the range of assessment methods we use in our modules. In addition, our degrees focus strongly on the development of skills essential for many careers.

The School’s programmes develop a range of important intellectual skills, including critical thinking, evaluating evidence, constructing arguments based on evidence, and presenting opinions effectively in writing and in debate. You will also gain valuable practical skills — for example, team-working, independent research and time management.

You will be assigned a Personal Tutor who is able to advise on academic, non-academic and personal matters in a confidential and informal manner. Students may have problems from time to time and the personal tutor system is designed to overcome these as effectively and quickly as possible. Strong pastoral support within the School is supplemented by university-wide assistance in housing, finances and career development.

Welsh language teaching

The department provides significant opportunities for learning and teaching through the medium of Welsh. Subject to staff availability, seminar teaching in Welsh is available on some or all of the major core courses, and at least one Welsh language option is offered in Years Two and Three. Welsh language supervision is also available for long essays (Exploring Historical Debate) and dissertations, and students may elect to write all or some of their assessed work and examinations in Welsh.

A list of commonly accepted alternative entry qualifications and admissions and selection criteria for this degree programme can be read here.