Course summary

As a period of cultural history, the scope and influence of the classical age is staggering. In this degree, you’ll study the history and archaeology of the time, as well as the role classical antiquity plays in the modern world. This postgraduate degree provides an exciting and challenging forum for you to explore the archaeology and history of the Classical Mediterranean world. You will study and interpret evidence from the Mediterranean to gain a deeper understanding of the societies and economies that shaped classical antiquity. Our course questions the ways in which the classical past may be reconstructed and will equip you with the analytical skills to identify the debates surrounding textual and material sources, and encourage you to interrogate current perceptions of Greek and Roman societies. During the course, you will learn to engage more critically with archaeological issues and debates, developing skills in the analysis and evaluation of data of many kinds and from many sources. We seek to equip you with a broad critical understanding of both the potential and the limitations of different forms of archaeological evidence and develop your ability to present and use your sources effectively. You will be taught by staff with an impressive range of expertise and specialisms that are exceptional in Britain. With many ancient historians as well as classical archaeologists among our staff we are uniquely placed to explore this material and our expertise extends geographically from southern Gaul to North Africa and Syria. This Classical Mediterranean MA is ideal if you are seeking to become a researcher in Archaeology or Ancient History, or if you want to enhance your professional career in archaeology, classical studies, museum or related contexts, as well as for existing professionals in heritage or related fields who have a particular interest in this area. Most distance learning courses are part-time. However this MA can be taken full-time in just one year.