Introduction to the Ancient World

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Modules

Courses / Modules / HIST1155 Introduction to the Ancient World

When you'll study it

Semester 1

CATS points

ECTS points

Level

Level 4

Module lead

Louise Revell

Academic year

2025-26

Module overview

The Ancient World has profoundly influenced subsequent generations of history, and helps us to understand the foundations of today’s world. This module provides an introduction to this momentous period of history from Dark Age Greece to the emergence of Islam. We will explore major civilisations including Classical Greece, the Hellenistic world, the Roman Republic, the rise and fall of the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire up to the rise of Islam. This module will introduce you to central themes in Greek, Roman and Byzantine history, assessing political processes, socio-cultural changes and ideological developments. A wide array of evidence will be investigated from the literary to the material and visual, such as historical writings, art, architecture, archaeology, inscriptions, and philosophy. Throughout we will ask major questions: what were the key turning points and markers of change in the Ancient World? What were the distinctive features of the major ancient civilisations? How did the dominant civilisations interact with other cultures and societies under their rule? Importantly, we will also investigate the reception of the Ancient World: how has it been understood by subsequent generations and what is its significance and impact throughout history? In this way, the module will provide you with an overview and important background knowledge that will support you in the rest of your degree and beyond.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Organise and structure material to write confidently
Use a range of perspectives in problem-solving
Communicate a coherent and convincing argument in written formats
Critically analyse a diverse range of source material

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

Debates on the factors that affected political, social and ideological developments in the Ancient World
Key characteristics of Bronze Aegean, Greek, Roman and Byzantine societies
The relationship between textual and material evidence
The chronology, history and societies of the Ancient World from Dark Age Greece to the emergence of Islam
The latest research on the history of diverse contexts and societies in the Ancient World

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Assess potential contributing factors to change within the Ancient World (social, political, cultural and religious)
Identify and evaluate different historical interpretations of the Ancient World
Compare the characteristics of key periods within the Ancient World
Express familiarity with and interpret critically a variety of primary sources from the Ancient World

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include: • One-hour lectures. The lectures will provide you with general knowledge and understanding about chronology, events, societies and key concepts. The lectures will also provide an introduction and context for interpreting the set texts, which will be discussed and debated in detail in the accompanying seminars. • One-hour seminars. Seminars will focus on detailed reading and analysis of primary sources, along with major questions of debate in scholarship. Discussion in seminars will help you to develop your ideas on a topic, to analyse a range of source material and to articulate a critical argument. Such discussions will also allow you to reflect on the historiography and on broader attitudes towards the period in question. • Opportunity for individual consultations with seminar tutors and feedback on assignments Learning activities include: • Preparatory reading before each seminar • Participation in group and seminar discussion • Independent reading of the sources provided and of related secondary works • Independent research of additional information and source materials

Study time
Type	Hours
Preparation for scheduled sessions	110
Tutorial	1
Follow-up work	34
Lecture	22
Wider reading or practice	42
Seminar	11
Completion of assessment task	80
Total study time	300

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Cameron, A (1993). The Mediterranean world in late antiquity, AD 395-600. London: Routledge.

Kraus, C.S. and A.J. Woodman (1997). Latin Historians. Cambridge: CUP.

Price, S. and P. Thonemann (2011). The Birth of Classical Europe: A History from Troy to Augustine. New York: Penguin.

Brown, P (1993). The making of late antiquity. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.

Beard, M., J. North and S. Price (1998). Religions of Rome. Vol. 1, A history. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Elsner, J (1996). Art and Text in Roman Culture. Cambridge: CUP.

Kleiner, D (1992). Roman Sculpture. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Erskine, A., (ed) (2003). A Companion to the Hellenistic World. Oxford: Blackwell.

Crawford, M (1992). The Roman Republic. London: Fontana.

Wells, C (1992). The Roman Empire. London: Fontana.

Gill, C (1995). Greek Thought. Greece and Rome New Surveys in the Classics. Oxford: OUP.

Walbank, F.W (1992). The Hellenistic World. London: Fontana.

Shipley, G (2000). The Greek World after Alexander 323-30 BC. London: Routledge.

Mitchell, M.M and F.M. Young (eds) (2006). The Cambridge History of Christianity, vol. 1: Origins to Constantine. Cambridge: CUP.

Champion, C.B., (ed.) (2004). Roman Imperialism: Readings and Sources. Oxford: Blackwell.

Hornblower, S (2002). The Greek World 479-323 BC. London: Methuen.

Cameron, A (1993). The Later Roman Empire. London: Fontana.

Rohrbacher, D (2002). The historians of late antiquity. London: Routledge.

Marincola, J (1997). Authority and Tradition in Ancient Historiography. Cambridge: CUP.

Goodman, M (1997). The Roman World 44 BC - AD 180. London: Routledge.

Cornell, T.J (1995). The Beginnings of Rome. London: Routledge.

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Written assignment	40%
Essay	60%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Coursework	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	60%
Written assignment	40%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External

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