Ancient History with Year Abroad

Ancient history is the study of the human past in the periods before written records become widely available, encompassing the civilisations of Greece and Rome alongside the peoples and kingdoms of the ancient Near East, Egypt, and the wider Mediterranean world. It is a discipline that combines the rigorous analysis of textual sources with archaeological evidence and the insights of neighbouring disciplines including classical archaeology, numismatics, and epigraphy. Studying the ancient world trains you to work with fragmentary and sometimes contradictory evidence, to build careful arguments from uncertain material, and to understand how the foundations of much of Western culture, law, philosophy, literature, and political thought were laid in the ancient Mediterranean.

At Southampton this four-year full-time degree allows you to follow your interests across ancient history and develop specialist knowledge in your chosen areas of study. You will engage with the Greek and Roman worlds in depth, examining the political, social, cultural, and intellectual history of these civilisations and their interactions with neighbouring peoples. A year studying ancient history abroad gives you the opportunity to experience another academic tradition, to encounter the ancient world in different cultural contexts, and to develop international perspectives that enrich your understanding.

Note that although the programme is titled with a year abroad, the course data indicates this feature may not be currently available. Please check with Southampton for the current programme structure.

Graduates pursue careers in heritage, museum and archive work, education, journalism, publishing, law, the civil service, and the cultural sector. The analytical and research skills that ancient history develops are highly transferable. Many graduates also go on to postgraduate study in ancient history, classics, or classical archaeology.