Classical Civilisation

Course summary

A level of Classical Civilisation offers the most wide-ranging and interdisciplinary approach to the ancient world. You can study the origins of theatre in Greek tragedy alongside its representation in fifth-century vase painting; the development of Roman love poetry and love’s dissection in Greek philosophy; the foundational epic of Western literature, Homer’s Iliad, next to its Roman counterpart, Virgil’s Aeneid. Few subjects offer such a broad exploration of the very beginnings of Western thought. You sharpen your critical faculties across a range of media: lyric poetry, drama, philosophy, and archaeology, all have their place within the course. Crucial to a scholarly understanding of these artefacts is the historical context which produced them, as such you will gain an insight into archaic Greece, the politics, culture and conflicts of Athens in the fifth century BC, and early imperial Rome. Lessons will often be discursive and thus require preparation of the material under discussion in advance.