MA Archaeology and Ancient History
Entry requirements
A level: ABB (required: no specific A level subjects required) IB: 34 points with 655 at HL
About this course
MA (Hons) in Archaeology and Ancient History, an archaeology and classics degree combining the study of ancient civilizations with material culture and historical analysis. Core topics include Fieldwork and Human Behaviour. Students complete three weeks of archaeological fieldwork at the end of the first year. The first year covers methods of site discovery, excavation, recording and analysing artefacts, scientific analysis of animal and human remains, and survey courses on the history and culture of the Greek and Roman worlds, alongside further fieldwork, projects in heritage management and public engagement, and lab-based analysis of archaeological remains. The second year explores the recolonization of Scotland after the last ice age, world heritage sites in the heart of Scotland such as Neolithic Orkney, the ways the environment shapes human behaviour, the lasting impact activities like farming had on the Scottish landscape, and Roman advances into Scotland. The third year involves studying the history of archaeology from its antiquarian beginnings, theories used to understand and interpret remains, contemporary practice in the UK and internationally, alongside two courses from a selection of ancient history covering Greece, Rome, and Byzantium, and two courses in either archaeology or ancient history. The final year comprises two archaeology courses and two ancient history and classical art/archaeology courses.
Modules
- methods of site discovery
- excavation
- recording and analysing artefacts
- scientific analysis of animal and human remains
- take survey courses on the history and culture of the Greek and Roman worlds
- choose a course from a wide range of option courses outside your primary subjects
- further fieldwork
- projects in heritage management and public engagement
- lab-based analysis of archaeological remains
- the recolonization of Scotland after the last ice age
- the world heritage sites in the 'heart' of Scotland (such as Neolithic Orkney)
- the ways the environment shapes human behaviour
- the lasting impact activities like farming had on the Scottish landscape
- the Roman advances into Scotland
- Study the history of archaeology from its antiquarian beginnings in the 18th and 19th centuries and its development as an academic discipline.
- Consider the theories that archaeologists have used to understand and interpret the remains that they have found and examine how these ideas have changed over the past 150 years.
- Study the contemporary practice of archaeology in the UK as well as internationally, providing an insight into the practical skills required of professional archaeologists.
- two courses from a wide selection of ancient history (Greece, Rome, and Byzantium, for example)
- two courses in either archaeology or ancient history
- two archaeology courses
- two ancient history and classical art/archaeology courses