Classics & Ancient History

In this course, Professor Kevin Butcher (University of Warwick) looks at the reign of Augustus through the evidence of coins. The first part of course provides a general introduction to numismatics—what do coins tell us about the past?—as well as...

In this course, Professor Barbara Graziosi (Durham University) explores Homer’s Iliad. In the first module, we focus on the so-called ‘Homeric Question’, focusing on how and when the poem was composed, who composed it, as well as what it was...

In this course, Professor Richard Seaford (University of Exeter) explores the ancient Greek institution of the hero cult. In the first module, we describe what a hero cult actually is, thinking in particular about the different meanings of the...

In this course, Dr Andrew Sillett (University of Oxford) explores Cicero’s Second Philippic. We begin by outlining the historical background to the speech, starting with the assassination of Caesar on 15 March and ending with the dramatic date of ...

In this course, Professor Paul Cartledge (University of Cambridge) explores the Greco-Persian Wars of 490-79 BC. We begin by exploring the concept of Greekness before turning in the second module to think about the extent to which the Greeks...

In this course, Professor Esther Eidinow (University of Bristol) talks about Greek religion, focusing in particular on the institution of the oracle. In the first module, we provide an introduction to what oracles actually were, where they were...

In this course, Professor Paul Cartledge (University of Cambridge) gives a detailed account of the Peloponnesian War, 431-404 BC. We begin by clarifying some of the terminology used to discuss the war, including the question of what we should ...

In this course, Dr Andrew Sillett (University of Oxford) provides an introduction to Cicero's life and times through six legal and political speeches, from his first speech (Pro Roscio Amerino), delivered when he was just 26, through the speeches...

In this module, we explore Euripides' Medea, a tragedy in which a Medea kills her own children to get back at Jason, who has left her for another woman. The course begins by looking at the myth of Medea and...

In this course, Professor Llewelyn Morgan (University of Oxford) explores Book 10 of Virgil's Aeneid. In the first module, we consider the council of gods that opens the books, a supremely impressive occasion, no doubt, but one in which precisely...

In this course, we explore fifth-century Greek theatre, focusing in particular on the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Aristophanes. In this course, we look at key dramatic conventions of fifth-century theatre, the relationship...

This course provides close reading and analysis of Aristophanes’ Frogs, focusing on the prescribed material for the OCR A-Level in Classical Greek. All passages are presented in the original Greek with a facing English translation, while...

In this course, Dr Henriette van der Blom (University of Birmingham) explores the politics of the Late Republic through one of its central figures: Marcus Tullius Cicero. We begin by providing a broad introduction to Cicero's life and career as...

In this course, Professor Edith Hall (King’s College, London) explores Sophocles’ great tragedy, Antigone. Having situated the play in its historical and geographical context, we spend some time introducing the key characters in the play—the two...