BA Ancient History

This course-unit takes you on from previous study of Ancient Greek (A-Level Greek/ Intensive Greek 2 or equivalent) to the next level. It involves (a) consolidation of Greek grammar and syntax, (b) building of an enhanced vocabulary, (c) practice in unprepared translation and linguistic comprehension of continuous passages from Greek into English, and translation of sentences from English into Greek.

Pre-requisites: CAHE 30162 Intensive Greek 2 (or equivalent) or A-level Ancient Greek. . Students who have achieved marks below 40% in CAHE30162 Intensive Greek 2 are not permitted to proceed to CAHE30120 Advanced Greek 1.

Co-requisites: None.

To continue the study of Greek language acquired at CAHE30162 Intensive Greek 2, developing skills of reading prose texts, further consolidating knowledge and understanding of vocabulary and grammar, and developing active knowledge of the language, through translation both into and out of Greek.

The course-unit comprises grammar classes and unseen translation classes.

a) Grammar Classes
Consolidation and revision of all grammar and syntax, placing an emphasis on translation from English into Greek.
The textbook will be Greek Beyond GCSE  by John Taylor (Bloomsbury, 2017), which is available for purchase in Blackwell and online. Taylor will be supplemented by additional material.
Most grammar classes will begin with a short test (beginning week 2 of the first semester), testing parsing and vocabulary (see course outline below for more information).

b) Translation classes 
The translation classes consolidate grammatical and syntactical points covered in the grammar classes.  
We shall practise unseen translation – passages of Greek to be translated in class without dictionary assistance – throughout the course. 

• 3 classes per week, covering new grammar, vocabulary and unseen translation.
• 1 dedicated consultation hour per week.
• Canvas:  course documentation will be available on Canvas, as will unseens and further background materials such as links to online resources.
Classes will focus on: the consolidation and development of knowledge and understanding of grammar and syntax, unseen translation of Greek passages, and translation of sentences from English into Greek. There will be parsing tests in order to consolidate knowledge of vocabulary and morphology. Weekly written homework, comprising English to Greek and Greek to English, on which written formative feedback will be given. 
Students will have access to online interactive tests for vocabulary, morphology, and syntax.
 

By the end of this course students will have/be able to:

• translate passages from a variety of Greek prose texts unaided;
• demonstrate consolidated understanding of basic Greek grammar and vocabulary;
• demonstrate deepened understanding of more advanced Greek grammar and vocabulary;
• apply knowledge and understanding in the translation of English sentences into Greek.

By the end of this course students will have/be able to:
 • increased their capacity to translate unseen passages of Greek into English, with reduced assistance;
• show ability in prose composition in the translation of sentences from English into Greek.

By the end of this course students will be able to 
• make fast and skilful use of language aids, such as dictionaries and grammars.

By the end of this course students will have/be able to show:
• self-discipline;
• organisation;
• developed problem solving skills.

The textbook for language learning, which all students are required to buy, is Taylor, J. 2017 Greek Beyond GCSE (2nd ed. 2017) (9781474299756). 

Tuition fees for home students will be £10,050 for the 2027/28 academic year. In England and Wales, tuition fees for home undergraduate students are subject to the Government fee cap, which the Government has announced will be £10,050 for the 2027/28 academic year.

Government policy is to increase the fee cap on an annual basis to reflect inflation (i.e. increasing costs), and the tuition fee home students pay in subsequent academic years will reflect any increases in the Government fee cap (which we will communicate to you as soon as we can in advance of the relevant academic year).

Tuition fees for international students will be £29,200 for the 2027/28 academic year. For subsequent academic years, the University reserves the right to increase the tuition fee by up to 7% each year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our education and wider student experience.

For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.

Learn more about student finance options for UK students .

Learn more about fees and finance for international students .

As an international student you may be eligible for our Global Futures Scholarships . This is open to students starting their studies in September 2026.