
- UCAS course code
- V110
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course description

"I got interested in Classics and Ancient History after I read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan when I was at primary school.
"The course at Manchester had a lot more freedom [to study different subjects] than other universities. I loved that I would be able to take a Religions and Theology module and a History module alongside my compulsory course units."
Araddhna Patel / 2017 graduate
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.
Special features

"The lecturers here are absolutely phenomenal.
"They inspire you to go further and push you on to subject areas that you'll particularly enjoy."
Cameron Mackenzie / BA Ancient History Student
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.
Teaching and learning
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.
Coursework and assessment
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.
Course content for year 1
You'll be introduced to the historical study of the Greek and Roman worlds. You'll also have the chance to take units in ancient literature and Greek or Latin language, or archaeology and later periods of history.
Course units for year 1
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Constructing Archaic Greek History | CAHE10011 | 20 | Mandatory |
From Republic to Empire: Introduction to Roman History, Society & Culture 218-31BC | CAHE10022 | 20 | Mandatory |
Cities and Citizens | CAHE10231 | 20 | Mandatory |
Introduction to Mediterranean & Classical Archaeology | CAHE10122 | 20 | Optional |
The Making of the Mediterranean | CAHE10132 | 20 | Optional |
The Story of Britain | CAHE10141 | 20 | Optional |
Stories and Storytelling in the Ancient Greek and Roman Worlds | CAHE10212 | 20 | Optional |
Virgil's Aeneid | CAHE10422 | 20 | Optional |
Intensive Greek 1 | CAHE20151 | 20 | Optional |
Intensive Latin 1 | CAHE20171 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 2
Course units for year 2
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
The Roman Empire 31BC - AD235: Rome's Golden Age | CAHE20051 | 20 | Mandatory |
Politics and Society in Classical Greece | CAHE20062 | 20 | Mandatory |
The World of Late Antiquity: Europe and the Med from the Severan Dynasty to the Rise of Islam | CAHE20022 | 20 | Optional |
Through Cicero's Eyes | CAHE20032 | 20 | Optional |
The Conquering Hero: The Life, Times and Legacy of Alexander The Great | CAHE20041 | 20 | Optional |
Neolithic Britain | CAHE20131 | 20 | Optional |
Intensive Greek 1 | CAHE20151 | 20 | Optional |
Intensive Latin 1 | CAHE20171 | 20 | Optional |
Survive and Thrive: Parties, Politics and Poetry in Horace | CAHE20251 | 20 | Optional |
Families in the Greek and Roman Worlds (6th c. BCE - 3 c. CE) | CAHE20441 | 20 | Optional |
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Course content for year 3
Course units for year 3
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology and Egyptology Dissertation | CAHE30000 | 40 | Mandatory |
Intensive Greek 1 | CAHE20151 | 20 | Optional |
Intensive Latin 1 | CAHE20171 | 20 | Optional |
The World of Late Antiquity: Europe and the Med from the Severan Dynasty to the Rise of Islam | CAHE30022 | 20 | Optional |
Through Cicero's Eyes | CAHE30032 | 20 | Optional |
Advanced Latin Language 1 | CAHE30110 | 20 | Optional |
Advanced Greek Language 1 | CAHE30120 | 20 | Optional |
Neolithic Britain | CAHE30131 | 20 | Optional |
Intensive Greek 2 | CAHE30162 | 20 | Optional |
Intensive Latin 2 | CAHE30182 | 20 | Optional |
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Facilities
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.