Classical Archaeology and Ancient History

The Greco-Roman antiquity forms one of the foundation stones for European civilisation. The study of Classical Antiquity increases the understanding of important issues in the later history of the Western world. Classical archaeology and culture treats the cultures of Greece and Italy from the Stone Age to c. AD 500, focusing on the emergence and history of the Western culture up until the fall of the Roman Empire. Most aspects of human life are discussed. Using different methodological perspectives, historical-economic development, social aspects as well as processes of art and thought are investigated.

Societies and the processes through which they are governed are studied from an archaeological perspective through the traces left behind by human activities, such as objects, graves, settlements and cultural layers. Written sources are important in the study of history, focusing on political history as well as social and economic issues, such as forms for exercising power, the role of slavery and the organisation of agriculture.

Objects of art and architecture are treated from an esthetical perspective as forms of art, as well as from their societal functions as expressions of ideals and propaganda, status and other value sets. The study of antiquity provides unique possibilities to investigate phenomena such as processes of development and cultural dissemination, while also being suitable as a complement to other subjects using humanistic and/or European perspectives.