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...

Before the Emperor Augustus died in 14 AD, he boasted that he had found Rome a city of brick, but left it a city of marble. In this course, Professor Matthew Nicholls (University of Reading) explores Augustus’ rebuilding of the...

In this course, Professor Geoff Horrocks (University of Cambridge) provides an introduction to Comparative Linguistics, the study of how languages are related, and how and why languages can change over time. This course makes use of Greek, Latin...

In this course, Dr James Morwood (University of Oxford) explores Euripides’ Hippolytus, a play in which the goddess Cypris, takes revenge on Hippolytus for his refusal to worship her. As we move through the course, we focus on six scenes...

In this course, Professor Edward Harris (University of Durham) explores Lysias’ speech Against Simon, a case apparently concerning a fight between two men over a boy, Theodotus. In particular, we think about the rule of law in ancient Athens, the...

In this course, Dr Armand D’Angour (University of Oxford) explores the use of music in ancient tragedy, thinking in particular about the kinds of musical instruments that were used, the metre, rhythm, and melodies of tragic poetry. The course ends...

In this course, Professor Neville Morley (University of Bristol) explores Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, focusing on the key episodes in the text and thinking in particular about some of the historiographical issues that modern...

In this course, Professor Richard Seaford (University of Exeter) explores the importance of ritual and religion in Greek tragedy. Having begun with a discussion of the god Dionysus and his cult in Attica, as well as the supposed origins of...

In this course, Professor John Wilkins (University of Exeter) explores comic drama in the ancient world, focusing on the similarities and difference between the plays of Aristophanes, Menander, Plautus and Terence. The course begins by thinking...

In this course, Professor Judith Mossman (University of Nottingham) explores Euripides’ Medea, a play which depicts a marital breakdown so severe that it leads to one woman taking revenge on her husband by killing their two children. As we move...

In this course, Professor Judith Mossman (University of Nottingham) explores Euripides’ Electra, a play which depicts a brother and sister avenging their father’s death by killing their own mother. As we move through the course, we think about a...

In this course, Dr Rosie Wyles (University of Kent) provides a critical study of three plays of Aristophanes – The Acharnians (425 BC), The Knights (424 BC) and Peace (421 BC) – in their theatrical, religious, social, and political context. In...