Ancient History

Ancient history is the study of the civilisations of the Greek and Roman worlds and other ancient societies, from the emergence of the first city-states through to the fall of the Western Roman Empire and beyond. It draws on a rich array of evidence: literary texts, inscriptions, papyri, coins, archaeological material and surviving physical remains. Ancient historians work with sources that are fragmentary, tendentious and mediated by time and translation, and the discipline demands critical rigour, interpretive creativity and the ability to construct evidence-based arguments from incomplete and contested material.

At the University of Nottingham you will study ancient history over three years of full-time study, with a foundation year available for students who want to build academic confidence and skills before the main degree begins. A year abroad is built into the programme, providing the opportunity to study ancient history from a different academic perspective and potentially to engage with the physical landscapes and remains of the ancient world more directly. Throughout the degree you have the option to study Latin or Classical Greek through optional modules, at a level appropriate to your prior knowledge, which enriches your engagement with primary sources in their original languages.

The typical tariff of 136 reflects a programme that rewards intellectual curiosity and careful analytical thinking.

Graduates of ancient history programmes work in education, museums, heritage organisations, publishing, journalism, the civil service, law, the creative industries and a wide range of roles where the ability to read, research and write with precision is valued. Many pursue postgraduate study in classics, ancient history, classical archaeology or related fields, developing specialist expertise for academic or heritage careers. The disciplined analytical skills developed through close work with fragmentary and complex evidence, skills in argument construction, source criticism and clear writing, are genuinely transferable to a wide range of graduate careers.