The BA in Ancient History is concerned with the Graeco-Roman world from the Aegean Bronze Age to the fall of the Roman Empire in the west and its survival in the east as the Byzantine Empire.  It aims to develop students’ knowledge and critical understanding of the political, social, economic and cultural structures of Greek and Roman societies. These were significantly different from modern industrialised societies, but have exercised a profound and continuous influence on the subsequent development of European and many other peoples and cultures.

Ancient History offers a balance between modules covering specific historical periods and those that examine broad social and cultural topics, such as warfare, gender, religion, art, medicine and science.

The degree is designed to cultivate the skills of the historian, namely, the ability to assess evidence critically, to evaluate different interpretations of the evidence, to construct arguments on the basis of evidence, and to express opinions cogently in speech and in writing.

Distinctive features

Ancient History at Cardiff University offers a balance between modules covering specific historical periods and thematic modules that examine broad social and cultural topics, such as warfare, gender, religion, art, medicine and science.  It provides the training necessary for students who wish to study Ancient History at postgraduate level, and a valuable range of intellectual and transferable skills for students who enter other professions.