Ancient History and History

Join our BA Ancient History and History degree and explore the past, from ancient Greece through Medieval Europe to Cold War Britain. You will explore the richness of the classical world alongside the wide variety of human history around the globe, combining two complementary subjects to enhance your understanding of both.

In this three-year course, you’ll address important modern questions and trace them back to their roots, exploring different periods of history through both literary and material sources. In your first year, you will develop your research and analytical skills. During your second and final years, you will be able to select modules that best fit your interests, choosing from a wide range of subjects, such as ancient civilisations of Greece, Rome, Anatolia and Egypt; medieval magic and the origins of the witch craze; the making of modern South Asia.

The Department of History’s expertise covers political, social and cultural history across a wide range of regions from the medieval period to the present, from the Crusades to the 1960s. In the National Student Survey 2023, 100% of our students said teaching staff were good or very good at explaining things (100% of respondents studying in the Department of History).

In the Department of Classics you can examine the fascinating cultures and societies of the Greek and Roman worlds, from c. 2000 BC to AD 600. In the National Student Survey 2023, 100% of our students said teaching staff were good or very good at explaining things (100% of respondents studying BA Ancient History).

For more information, please visit the programme page: https://www.reading.ac.uk/ready-to-study/study/subject-area/ancient-history-ug/ba-ancient-history-and-history