Classics and Ancient History
Uncover connections between life today and cultures of the ancient world
Poet Percy Shelley famously wrote, “We are all Greeks". Our laws, our literature, our religion, our arts have their root in Greece. Classics and Ancient History allows UWA students to engage firsthand with these foundational cultures of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. From our democracy and laws, to our theatre and sports, the influence of these ancient cultures on our world today is visible everywhere. The Greeks and the Romans struggled with many of the same crucial issues we do: globalisation, the clash of civilisations, and the decline of great powers.
Meet Achilles as the Greeks imagined him; follow alongside Alexander the Great on his epic journey of exploration and conquest; and wrestle with Antony and Cleopatra as the Roman Republic crumbles. We are the only university in Western Australia where you can major in this field, and our students gain deep insights into humanity's distant past, exploring cultures both profoundly like our own, and yet markedly different.
Projects
Our research projects cover all aspects of Classics and Ancient History, including Classical and Hellenistic Greek history, Greek and Latin languages, and Roman Imperial history and literature.
Some of our current projects include:
- The reign of the infamous Roman emperor Tiberius, as recorded by the historian Dio
- Graecia capta: the use of the Greek language by the conquering Romans
- Aerial Archaeology in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Scholarships
Don Boyer Roman Archaeology Travel Scholarship (up to $5000)
The Roman Archaeology Group provides an annual scholarship for students travelling overseas for study. The scholarship usually covers travel costs for a student to undertake four weeks of Roman fieldwork or an approved program of research in Roman Archaeology.
Rodney T. Prider Travel Scholarship
The purpose of the scholarship is to support travel and historical study related to research in Mediterranean countries or the Middle East for a student who is enrolled in a postgraduate research course in Classics and Ancient History at the University.
Our courses
Collaboration and community
The University of Western Australia is proud to be an institutional member of the Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens (AAIA). UWA and the AAIA collaborate on a number of research efforts and the institute also helps with financial assistance for students, enabling them to travel to ancient sites and apply the skills they are learning firsthand.
The UWA-affiliated Roman Archaeology Group (RAG) was established in 2004 with the aim of promoting interest in Roman archaeology. RAG publishes its own newsletter and regularly hosts free public lectures and activities, which anyone in Perth is welcome to attend.
Classics and Ancient History welcomes interest and engagement from the wider community. Sign up to our mailing list to receive information about upcoming events and public lectures, or follow us on Twitter @Classics_UWA.
Related links
Contact Lara O'Sullivan
Lecturer, Classics and Ancient History