Ancient Cultures (Taught)

This Masters programme offers you the opportunity to explore the ancient world from a multicultural and interdisciplinary perspective from the Near-East to North-Western Europe. It is based in Classics, with the participation of Archaeology, Egyptology, Celtic and Gaelic, and Theology and Religious Studies.

WHY THIS PROGRAMME

• The programme makes extensive use of the unique collections in the University of Glasgow's Hunterian Museum and Kelvin Hall as well as the university library Special Collections.

• Essay and dissertation topics can be tailor-made to suit your interests.

• You will have the opportunity to take up an ancient language (Greek, Latin, Egyptian, Coptic, Hebrew, early Gaelic, Welsh) from scratch, or continue it at advanced level.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

You will complete:

• Two core courses

• Four optional courses

• A dissertation covering two or more ancient cultures or interaction between cultures, which will mainly be written after teaching finishes (from April to August).

Core Courses
APPROACHING THE ANCIENT WORLD THROUGH MATERIAL CULTURE
APPROACHING THE ANCIENT WORLD THROUGH TEXT

Both core courses include handling sessions with ancient objects taking advantage of the unique resources of the University of Glasgow in the shape of the University Library, the Hunterian Museum, and the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre.

Optional Courses may include
LANGUAGES AT ALL LEVELS: ANCIENT GREEK, LATIN, EARLY GAELIC, WELSH, HEBREW, ANCIENT EGYPTIAN (HIEROGLYPHS), COPTIC
DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE: CLASSICAL POLITICAL THOUGHT
EXPLORATIONS IN THE CLASSICAL TRADITION
APPROACHES TO CELTIC AND VIKING ARCHAEOLOGY
MEDITERRANEAN LANDSCAPES
CLIMATE AND CIVILISATION
CELTIC ART: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH
JEWISH LITERATURE IN THE GRAECO-ROMAN WORLD (PGT)
STUDIES IN EARLY CHURCH HISTORY AND THEOLOGY
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY
COURSES IN MUSEUM STUDIES

You must take courses from at least two subject areas. The course convener will offer guidance and approve your choices to ensure their feasibility and intellectual cogency.
Please note that you can only study one language at beginner’s level.

Dissertation

You will also complete a dissertation of 12,000-15,000 words on a research topic of your choice. Your dissertation will be supervised in individual subjects or jointly between subjects as appropriate.

Our Research Environment

You will enjoy the use of the excellent postgraduate facilities offered by Classics in Glasgow. There is a dedicated postgraduate study space, which makes available an extensive research collection, now augmented by a bequest from the late Professor Douglas MacDowell.
The subjects: Classics, Archaeology, Celtic and Gaelic, and Theology and Religious Studies, all run a programme of research seminars which provide Ancient Cultures students with a wide range of stimulating events to choose from.