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Bachelor
Vergelijk
Ancient Studies

Study programme

The Bachelor's programme in Ancient Studies investigates the Classical cultures that lie at the roots of our modern world. You will be given an overview of the most important works of art, literature, philosophy, history, and mythology of Antiquity. You can think of fascinating topics such as the pyramids, Greek tragedies, Cleopatra, the epics of Gilgamesh, and Hannibal’s conflict with Rome. You will develop a critical perspective on cultural contact and conflict: between the ancient Greeks, Romans, Persians, and Egyptians, but also between past and present. You will gain insight into the ancient origins of political systems and themes such as identity and migration, which remain relevant far beyond the time of the Persians, Athenians, and Romans. Can our present-day democracy draw any lessons from that of ancient Athens?

Programme composition

The programme kicks off with an overview of Antiquity’s cultural history and its influence through to the present time. You will learn to relate Classical languages, archaeology, and history to each other. In your second and third year, you will further deepen this interdisciplinary knowledge and choose a specialisation. You can specialise in Ancient history, Archaeology, or Ancient Near Eastern Studies (which includes learning Akkadian). Dutch speaking students can also specialise in Latin or Greek.

  • The first academic year

    During the first year, you will gain a clear picture of the cultural history of Antiquity, including the continuation of elements from ancient cultures into later periods. Topics that will be discussed are, among others, contacts between the Greek-Roman world and the Near East, antique philosophy, and the question of what makes a certain work “classic” and how this is determined. You will also learn to investigate ancient material and textual sources. In the second semester, you will have the opportunity to get a feel for potential specialisations to pursue after your first year.

  • The second and third academic year

    In your second and third year, the programme will continue with interdisciplinary modules such as ‘Cultural Contact: Mediterranean Connections’, which concerns the interaction between the inhabitants of the Mediterranean region; ‘Religion in Antiquity’; and ‘Lieux de mémoire’, in which you study the way in which places gain importance because people connect stories to them. The second year will conclude with a trip abroad, together with students of Archaeology and Classics. Next to your regular courses, you will be able to specialise in Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Greek, Latin, archaeology or ancient history. You will conclude your Bachelor’s degree by writing a thesis in which you demonstrate that you can tackle a topic in an interdisciplinary manner.

Curriculum

Please note: This is the study schedule of the joint programme of the Bachelor's Ancient Studies. View the UvA Course Catalogue for the programmes of the specialisations.

COURSES SEM 1 SEM 2 SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2 EC
  • Objects in Context. An Interdisciplinary Perspective on the Ancient World
    6

    This course focuses on material culture as a source of information about the past. You study categories of objects such as statues, coins and utensils, and examine their historical context, meaning and relation to written sources. Through research and writing, you learn to evaluate objects and apply basic academic skills.

  • The Classical Canon 1: The Heritage of Antiquity
    6

    This course introduces canonical texts, items, places and monuments such as the Bible, Homer and the Akropolis. It explores their contents, cultural contexts and uses, as well as their reception and continuous presence through time.

  • A Cultural History of the Ancient World 1: The Near East and the Greek World
    6

    This course offers an overview of major historical and cultural developments in the Mediterranean and Near East (ca. 4000-300 BCE), based on objects, buildings, and find places. Key themes include state formation, cultural identity, interconnectivity, and the interplay between material culture and mental concepts.

  • Cultural Contact: East and West
    6

    This course explores the interaction between Mediterranean and Western Asian cultures, focusing on contacts and confrontations between Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Persians, and Jews. It examines these exchanges from cultural-historical, anthropological, and theoretical perspectives using interdisciplinary sources.

  • Historical Sources
    6

    This course introduces textual and iconographic sources from Classical Antiquity, focusing on their transmission, material forms, and research potential. Students learn to critically evaluate and analyze diverse source types through interdisciplinary case studies.

  • A Cultural History of the Ancient World 2: The Hellenistic World, Italy and Rome
    6

    This course surveys historical and cultural developments in Italy and the Roman world (ca. 1100 BCE–CE 400), focusing on state formation, interconnectivity across the Mediterranean, and the interplay between material culture and mental concepts.

  • Classics Beyond Antiquity
    6

    This course follows two tracks: (1) the cultural history of the West from Late Antiquity to Postmodernism and (2) thematic, diachronic case studies using texts, material sources (e.g. visual art, architecture), and digital media.

  • Ancient Philosophy
    6

    This course offers a thematic introduction to Greek and Roman philosophy (6th century BCE–7th century CE), focusing on key thinkers and themes like nature, epistemology, ontology, ethics, and politics using primary sources.

  • Restricted-choice electives: Orientation Courses
    12

    The orientation courses are intended as a preparation for your specialisation in year 2.

COURSES SEM 1 SEM 2 SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2 EC
  • Cultural Contact: Mediterranean Connections
    6

    You will study interactions between the Mediterranean world and Europe from the Bronze Age to Late Antiquity through selected case studies. The course also examines theoretical approaches and traces the development of academic debates on cultural contact over the past fifty years.

  • Philosophy of the Humanities
    6

    The course offers an overview of the history of philosophical thought and methodological debates shaping modern disciplines. You will explore the relevance of these debates to interdisciplinarity and resource use in philology, cultural history, and archaeology, relating theory to the study of texts and material culture.

  • Religion in Antiquity
    6

    This course surveys religions of the Ancient Near East and Greco-Roman world, examining deities, rituals, and interconnections. You explore theoretical approaches to religion, identify underlying assumptions in scholarship, and gain insight into the relation between religious change and societal development.

  • ACASA excursion
    6

    In this course, you will join an excursion. Preparation includes lectures and seminars on material, historical, textual, and heritage aspects of the destination. You will also write an individual paper and present it on-site, integrating material and textual perspectives in your analysis.

  • Past and Present: Critical Approaches to Antiquity and Archaeological Heritage
    6

    This course introduces major academic, political, and public debates in heritage studies. You examine heritage categories and paradigms, explore key concepts such as value, authenticity, and participation, and analyse the role of archaeological heritage within broader heritage frameworks and contemporary practice.

  • The Classical Canon 2: The Sociology of Cultural Selection
    6

    This course analyses the historical and sociological reasons for canon formation and its evolution from antiquity to today. You will explore influential canons and theoretical concepts from philosophy, sociology, and art history to understand cultural selection and the function of canons.

  • Classical Reception and Creative Writing
    6

    You will study reception theory and creative writing to explore how the ancient world can engage wider audiences. Through writing clinics and workshops, you develop creative and revision skills, culminating in an original written piece presented to your peers.

  • Restricted-choice electives: Specialisation Courses
    18
COURSES SEM 1 SEM 2 SEMESTER 1 SEMESTER 2 EC
  • Lieux de mémoire
    6

    This course explores how places, symbols, persons, and institutions acquire meaning through the manipulation of stories, texts, material remains, and space. Adopting a comparative perspective, you examine how different sources and traditions create and interact within places of memory.

  • Free-choice electives
    30
  • Restricted-choice electives: Specialisation courses
    12
  • Bachelor's Thesis Ancient Studies
    12
Compulsory course
Elective
UvA Course Catalogue: Ancient Studies
  • Minor and electives

    Next to your regular courses and your specialisation, you will also have 30 ECTS worth of space to fill by doing electives, a minor, an internship or by studying abroad.

    Electives

    In theory, any course can be taken as an elective, from courses offered by the Faculty of Humanities to those offered by other faculties or even other universities. Most programmes offer separate electives.

    More on curriculum and electives

    Minor

    A minor is a cohesive teaching programme that consists of 30 ECTS. Doing a minor is not mandatory. However, it may be a good way to prepare for a Master’s programme or for a certain profession.

    View all minors
  • Internship and studying abroad

    The programme allows for you to do an internship and/or to study abroad for a period of time.

    Internship

    You can enrich your study programme as well as your CV by doing an internship. This will allow you to gain experience at an organisation in the field of Ancient Studies and gives you an impression of the job opportunities they offer.

    Read more about doing an internship

    Studying abroad

    The UvA is closely involved with international programmes involved with cooperation and exchange within Europe, the United States and Canada. This gives you the opportunity to study abroad for a period of time. Moreover, this specific programme has exchange agreements with the University of Bologna and the University of Naples.

    Studying abroad
  • Double Bachelor's and Honours programme

    Would you like to be challenged even more? You can choose to do two Bachelor’s degrees or follow the Honours programme.

    Double Bachelor’s in Humanities

    The Faculty of Humanities offers the possibility to obtain a degree from two different Bachelor's programmes. By means of exemptions you can obtain two degrees with a reduced effective workload. The double Bachelor's is intended for motivated students who are looking for an extra challenge and/or a broader perspective during their studies.

    Read more about the Double Bachelor's

    Honours programme

    Highly-motivated students may qualify to take part in a selective Honours programme. This programme accounts for an additional 30 ECTS and will help familiarise you with various other aspects of academic research and prepare you for a subsequent Research Master's degree.

    Read more about the Honours programme
  • Learning and assessment

    As a Bachelor’s student, you are expected to spend an average of 42 hours a week on your studies. Around 10 to 15 hours a week are spent attending lectures. The remaining time will be spent on self-study, preparing for lectures, seminars and exams, as well as completing coursework and assignments. In your second and third years you will have less hours of lectures and spent more time on self-study. 

    • During lectures, the lecturer will discuss and explain the literature you read and studied beforehand.
    • In the seminars, you will work closely with your fellow students, collaborating on assignments, presentations and talks.
    • Assessment consists of written or oral exams, presentations, essays, reports and assignments.
‘The course I enjoy teaching the most is Classics Beyond Antiquity. Students make their own video essays and we invite a professional vlogger who explains how to record videos with your phone and how to edit them.’ Martijn Icks, coordinator & lecturer Ancient Studies Read the interview

Accreditation and academic title

The quality of this programme has been positively accredited by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO). This means that after successful completion of the programme you will receive a recognised Bachelor’s degree in Ancient History (Oudheidwetenschappen) and the title Bachelor of Arts (BA).