Ancient History

Course detail Description

The Ancient History MA course is organised on an intercollegiate basis, so that we combine the expertise of staff in all three of the participating colleges – King’s, UCL and Royal Holloway.

The University’s Institute of Classical Studies is at the heart of this course. It not only maintains a world-class research library, but also hosts the richest programme of seminars, conferences and lectures for this subject area in the UK.

The course consists of a required module, Sources & Methods in Ancient History, two to four optional modules and a dissertation. The first and last of these will provide you with concentrated training in research techniques and methodology. You will also study texts in the original languages as well as in translation. Besides purely ancient historical topics, you may also take modules from our master’s courses in Classics, Classical Archaeology & Art, and Late Antique & Byzantine Studies.

You may also be able to take appropriate modules from other master’s courses at King’s. If you have ambitions to take your study of ancient history further, there are modules on this course that you will find especially valuable: Greek Papyrology, Greek & Roman Epigraphy, and Greek & Latin Palaeography. These will advance your technical skills in the handling of documentary evidence. You can also choose to take modules in Greek and Latin languages at beginners or intermediate level.

Research seminars
In the Department of Classics we run a research seminar series (which we encourage MA students to attend), where you will learn about the current research of our academic staff and PhD students. Our Department also regularly hosts major research conferences with speakers from around the world.

Personal tutor
We will assign you a personal tutor in the Department of Classics, who will advise you and help you decide which modules to take and can answer any questions or concerns you may have whilst at King’s.

Dissertation supervision
During your first term at King’s you will need to decide on your MA dissertation subject, if you have not done so before you arrive. The dissertation can be related to work you are doing in a taught module, or it can be in a completely different area. On the basis of your chosen subject area we will assign you a supervisor from the Department of Classics who will discuss the topic with you and oversee your work on it.

Greek Play
Every year (since 1953), students in the Department of Classics have produced and performed a Greek play – the only production in the UK to be performed annually in the original Greek. Read more about the Greek Play (and its history) at King’s:

Teaching
If you are a full-time student, we will provide six to eight hours of lectures and seminars each week, and we will expect you to undertake 35 hours of independent study

If you are a part-time student, we will provide two to six hours of lectures and seminars a week, and we will expect you to undertake 17.5 hours of independent study.

For your dissertation, we will provide five hours of supervision, and we will expect you to undertake 575 hours of independent study.

Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.

Assessment
We will assess your modules through a combination of coursework, essays and examinations, depending on your module choices. Typically, we assess 20-credit modules through a 5,000-word essay or a 3-hour examination, and 40-credit modules through approximately 10,000 words of coursework or a combination of coursework and examination, but this may vary. The dissertation is a 12,000-word essay.

Regulating body
King’s College London is regulated by the Office for Students.

Read more

Structure

Year 1 Courses are divided into modules. You will normally take modules totalling 180 credits. Required Modules

You are required to take:

• Sources & Methods in Ancient History (40 credits)
• Dissertation (60 credits)

If you are a part-time student, you will take Sources and Methods in Ancient History in your first year, along with 40 credits of optional modules. In your second year, you will take your dissertation module and a further 40 credits of optional modules.

In addition, you are required to take two to four modules totalling 80 credits from a range of options that may typically include:

• Beginners’ Ancient Greek for Research (40 credits)
• Intermediate Ancient Greek for Research (40 credits)
• Medieval Latin Literature (40 credits)
• Skills for Medievalists: Palaeography (20 credits)
• Homer (40 credits)
• The Reception of Roman Comedy (20 credits)
• Homeric Presences in Greek Poetry & Shorter Prose since 1890 (20 credits)
• Modern Greek Poetry & the Epic Tradition (20 credits)
• CP Cavafy: the Making of a Modernist (20 credits)
• Early Modern Latin Poetry I (20 credits)
• Tacitus & Nero (40 credits)
• Latin Epigraphy (40 credits)
• Roman Britain (40 credits)
• Roman Egypt (40 credits)
• One God, One Sea: Byzantium & Islam, 600-800 (20 credits)
• Persepolis (20 credits)
• Greek Religion: Myth & Meaning (20 credits)
• Greek Religion: Culture & Cognition (20 credits)
• Classical Frontiers: Northern Black Sea in Antiquity (20 credits)
• The City of Rome (British School at Rome Annual Postgraduate Course) (40 credits)
• The Classical Art of the Body: Greek Sculpture and its Legacy (40 credits)
• The Art of Making: Craft Production from Classical Antiquity to Today (40 credits)
• Exhibiting Classical Antiquities (20 credits)
• Living in Byzantium I: Material Culture & Built Environment in Late Antiquity (20 credits)
• Living in Byzantium II: Material Culture & Built Environment in the Middle Ages (20 credits)

You can find a complete list of our optional modules at:

You can also choose from the MA modules offered by:

• University College London Department of Greek & Latin
• University College London Department of History
• University College London Department of Institute of Archaeology
• Royal Holloway University London Department of Classics
• Royal Holloway University London Department of History

You may also choose to take 20 credits from our Modern Language Centre. All subject to approvals.

Part time students should plan to take 80 credits earned through one 40 credit compulsory module and 40 credits of optional modules in their first year and 100 credits earned through one 60 credit core dissertation and 40 credits of optional modules in their second year.

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.