BA Ancient History / Course details

Explore the ancient civilisations of the Roman Empire and ancient Greece on this BA Ancient History course, which brings these worlds to life by examining their culture, language and literature.

A staff of world-renowned tutors will expand your knowledge of subjects such as the Greek City, the Roman Army, Alexander the Great and the Roman Family.

You'll have a truly multidisciplinary learning experience, and will have the chance to immerse yourself in ancient ideas on subjects ranging from slavery to medicine.

You can choose to study ancient Greek and Latin from beginner level upwards, as well as Archaeology, Egyptology, Greek and Roman Literature and Ancient Philosophy. Further options are available in other areas including Modern History, Religions and Theology, and History of Art.

Throughout this course you'll develop a range of transferable skills, including logical and imaginative thinking, effective communication, the ability to formulate ideas and theories, and information and data interpretation and evaluation. You will also undertake independent study units which will allow you to carry out research on the topics that interest you most.

Placement year option

Apply your subject-specific knowledge in a real-world context through a placement year in your third year of study, enabling you to enhance your employment prospects, clarify your career goals and build your external networks.

Study abroad

You can apply to spend one semester studying abroad during Year 2, with exchange partners including those in Europe as well as the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore. 

Explore world-class collections

Enjoy unique opportunities to explore special archived material and carry out research in a wide range of archives, libraries, museums and other research institutions in Manchester and beyond.

Flexible Honours

Flexible Honours may allow you to study an additional arts, languages or cultures subject.

You'll learn through a variety of methods. Lectures will introduce and survey the main issues, supported by small group tutorials and seminars.

Language classes are taught intensively, with group sizes capped to encourage participation.

You are encouraged to involve yourself, under guidance, in independent study and original research.

Assessment procedures in different course units vary, but our basic objective is to achieve a good balance between formal examinations, continuous assessment and project work.

The third year dissertation is a major piece of original work, which accounts for 25% of the final overall mark.

The John Rylands Library

At The John Rylands Library , you'll have exclusive access to our internationally significant collections, including papyri, medieval manuscripts and early printed books such as very early copies of the Homeric poems.

Manchester Museum

The UK's leading university museum has more than four million objects spanning millennia, including one of the largest collections of ancient Egyptian artefacts in the UK. Go behind-the-scenes to handle, analyse and interpret rare artefacts, including exclusive material specific to ancient history.

Visit our facilities page to find out more.