The BA Program in the Archaeology, History and Literature of Ancient Greece brings together three collaborating disciplines from the field of Classics; the Program’s multi-disciplinary curriculum, taught by a diverse staff consisting of highly specialized academics and senior researchers, combines the strengths of the three disciplines in a single, innovative Degree:
The Program includes a systematic survey of prehistoric and ancient Greek archaeology and art. Τhe first six semesters feature course topics such as Minoan and Mycenaean Prehistory, the social significance of ancient Greek art and iconography, the development of ancient Greek architecture and city planning and the relations of the Greek world to the civilizations of the eastern Mediterranean, such as the Hittites, the Egyptians and the Persians. The seventh and eighth semesters feature two seminars that afford in-depth study of specific archaeological topics. The Program places great emphasis upon on-site classes in museums and archaeological sites in Greece, as well as upon hands-on instruction in the University Museum of Archaeology and History of Art and the archaeological excavations at Marathon and Trapeza.
Roughly one third of the Program overall consists of History classes: beginning with an Introduction to Historical Studies in the first semester, students are guided through Greek history with a series of courses on the Greek polis, Alexander the Great and Hellenistic Greece, Greece and Rome, history of religion and sports, as well as a more specialized course in the study of inscriptions and a seminar on the artistic and historical significance of Greek coins.
The Program offers a wide range of courses on ancient Greek literature, across its main periods and most important genres. During the first six semesters, students receive intensive instruction in the Classical Greek language. Students read major authors and genres in the original Greek, including Homer and epic, drama, historiography (Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon), philosophy and oratory, as well as the world of ancient papyri. Courses in religion and myth broaden their understanding of Greek culture and its continuity in the Roman era. The study of literary masterpieces from the Roman world, with focus on the interactions between Greek and Roman literature, enables students to understand the importance of the Ancient world for the Western tradition and the contemporary world.