Faculty of Philosophy Classical Archaeology – Bachelor 75%

Classical Archaeology is the study of the material remains of ancient Greek and Roman cultures, as well as of their predecessors, the influence of these cultures on future civilisation, and of the other cultures that surrounded them. The bandwidth of material remains ranges from articles used in everyday life to structures in the settlements to artefacts and drawings. It thereby encompasses all areas in which culture is visible. 

Facts & Formalities

DegreeBachelor of Arts
Type of programmeUndergraduate
Start of programmeWinter and summer semester
Standard period of study6 semesters
Language(s) of instructionGerman and English
Fees and contributions151.05 € / Semester
Application procedureSubjects with no admission restrictions
Application deadlinesInformation about deadlines can be obtained after you have put together a degree program.

Course Content

The term “archaeology” means “the study of ancient things”, which points to the common fundamental objective of all forms of archaeology: a focus on the material remains of ancient cultures. This involves interpreting these artefacts in their historical context so as to gain better insight into the particular culture being examined. 

Since the material remains of individual societies diverge greatly from one another, as do their histories, languages, and social structures, a number of different archaeological disciplines have evolved. Classical Archaeology focusses primarily on the so-called “classical antiquity”, which includes the entire spectrum of material remains from the Greek and Roman cultures. The Classical Archaeology programme includes studies of such areas as: 

  • Settlements and environment 
  • Buildings and graves, including their furnishings 
  • Objects from everyday life and from religious cults 
  • Sculpture 

Since the eighteenth century, the study of ancient art history has been a core component of Classical Archaeology. More recently, there has been increasing focus on the study of daily life and the social environment as well as on cultural-historical phenomena and questions. 

Studying classical antiquity merely from an archaeological perspective would lead to a very incomplete picture. Therefore, close collaboration with related disciplines and familiarity with their approaches is essential. This makes collaborative course offerings as well as interdisciplinary research projects critical elements of this degree programme.

Course Structure

The degree programme is modular and is divided into a number of different topics.  

  • The Basic Module provides both an introduction and a thematic overview of the subject, giving students their first glimpse into basic methodology.  
  • The subsequent Introductory Module consists of one module devoted to Greek archaeology and one module devoted to Roman archaeology. These modules will consist of the discussion of representative groups of objects or of basic archaeological or methodological research findings.  
  • This will be followed by a specialisation module, which will give students the opportunity to select a specialisation from the areas of ancient topography and settlement archaeology, visual culture, or cultural studies (for students pursuing the degree with the 75% option, two of these three modules are to be selected). In addition, through the examination of representative monuments, students will also be able to expand upon the methodological skills developed in previous modules, and will take their first steps towards independently carrying out scholarly work.  
  • Following this, students will enrol in Practical Modules I and II, which are devoted to practical work with ancient monuments and monument studies. These modules also allow students freedom in selecting other practice-relevant courses or internships. 
  • Courses offered by other departments provide opportunities for acquiring requisite language skills or for enrolling in courses in related disciplines. In addition, for students pursuing the degree as a 75% major, both cross-disciplinary competencies modules are counted as part of the major subject.  
  • The Bachelor's thesis will be written during the sixth semester. 

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