BA Program in the Archaeology, History and Literature of Ancient Greece

Curriculum

The program offers a wide-ranging degree devoted to Classical Greek culture. Students have the opportunity to study the archaeological monuments and the history of Greece. They familiarize themselves with the ancient Greek language through the systematic examination of important ancient texts. The curriculum includes a number of classes in Modern Greek. The interdisciplinary nature of the program allows students to think both critically and imaginatively, write well-structured essays, as well as interpret complex sets of data.

On-site instruction

All archaeology classes include field trips to archaeological sites and museums within Athens and its environs; in addition, students are expected to participate in a series of longer field trips around Greece, including the Peloponnese, Central Greece and Macedonia, as well as the islands of Santorini, Naxos, and Crete. Students are also welcome to attend, on a voluntary basis and subject to their academic schedule, the Departmental Archaeological Excavation in Marathon or the Excavation at the site of Trapeza (Neon Rysion – Kardia) undertaken by the International Hellenic University.

Who may apply

The program is available to non-EU citizens only, and is suitable for high school graduates with an interest in the ancient world and its cultural and intellectual achievements; also, for anybody who wishes to acquire a broad liberal education with emphasis in original and avant-garde thinking. The four years are divided into eight semesters. The first year offers a number of foundation courses in the history and culture of ancient Greece, as well as an introduction to the methodology of the respective academic fields of archaeology, history and philology. The second and third years are devoted to the systematic study of ancient Greece, while the fourth year offers a range of specialized courses and seminars.

1st semester (Total ECTS: 30)

1. Introduction to the Discipline of Archaeology (8 ECTS)
2. Introduction to Historical Studies (8 ECTS)
3. Ancient Greek Literature: an overview (8 ECTS)
4. Greek I (6 ECTS)

2nd semester (Total ECTS: 30)

1. Aegean Civilizations: a survey (8 ECTS)
2. Ancient Greek Art: an overview (8 ECTS)
3. The History of the Greek Polis (8 ECTS)
4. Greek II (6 ECTs)

3rd semester (Total ECTS: 30)

1. Prehistoric Crete: Minoan Palatial Society (8 ECTS)
2. Ancient Greek Topography and Architecture (8 ECTS)
3. Greek Historical Texts: Thucydides (8 ECTS)
4. Greek III (6 ECTS)

4th semester (Total ECTS: 30)

1. Archaeology of the Mycenaean World (8 ECTS)
2. Greek Art: Images and Meanings (8 ECTS)
3. Studying Greek History through Inscriptions (8 ECTS)
4. Greek IV (6 ECTS)

5th semester (Total ECTS: 30)

1. Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean (8 ECTS)
2. Alexander to Cleopatra: History of the Hellenistic Period (8 ECTS)
3. Greek Drama: Texts and Images (8 ECTS)
4. Greek V (6 ECTS)

6th semester (Total ECTS: 30)

1. Hellenistic Art (8 ECTS)
2. History of the Greek Religion (8 ECTS)
3. Greek Historical Texts: Herodotus (8 ECTS)
4. Greek VI (6 ECTS)

7th semester (Total ECTS: 34)

1. Greek Athletics and the History of Sport (8 ECTS)
2. Homer and Greek Mythology (8 ECTS)
3. Reading Greek Papyri (8 ECTS)
4. SEMINAR* (10 ECTS)

8th semester (Total ECTS: 34)

1. Greece and Rome: a historical survey (8 ECTS)
2. Greek Philosophy: Plato and Aristotle (8 ECTS)
3. Ancient Greeks at War: Xenophon (8 ECTS)
4. SEMINAR* (10 ECTS)

Total ECTS: 248

*At least four seminars available every semester; topics may include:

1. Funerary Practices and the Archaeology of Ancestors Household Archaeology: Prehistoric Greece
2. Household Archaeology: the Classical World
3. Landscape Archaeology
4. From Macedonia to Gandhara and beyond: art and archaeology of the Hellenistic East
5. Greek Literature of the Hellenistic and the Imperial Period
6. Greek Numismatics, Monetary Policies, and the Economy

On-site classes and field trips: most courses include on-site classes and/or hands on instruction at the University Museum of Archaeology and History of Art, as well as many archaeological sites and museums in Athens and its vicinity. Special one- or two-day field trips may also be organized within specific courses and extended field trips to major Greek archaeological sites and museums (Crete; Santorini; Macedonia etc) are also offered as part of the curriculum.

Excavation work: in the course of their studies, students are introduced to archaeological excavation theory and practice at the University Excavation in Marathon or the excavation at the site of Trapeza (Neon Rysion – Kardia) in Northern Greece, undertaken by the International Hellenic University.