BA
Archaeology and Ancient Civilisations BA (Hons)
Explore the archaeology, art and culture of ancient civilisations – from the Classical World to the Near East and beyond.
How to apply Apply via UCAS
Course details
Start date
Degree Type
BA
UCAS Code
VQ48
Course length
3 years full-time
Typical offer
AAB
Tuition Fees
- Home (Full-time): 9,535 per year
- Overseas (Full-time): 28,000 per year
Overview
Have you ever wondered what it was like to live in an ancient civilisation? Are you fascinated by what the civilisations of the past can teach us about the present? This course gives you a good overview of the world of archaeology, but also allows you to focus in particular on the great ancient civilisations of Europe, the Near East and Asia, including Ancient Greece and Rome, Egypt, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. This degree offers great flexibility, with options to take modules from other departments, including Classics and Ancient History. Depending on your module choices you may even be able to receive professional accreditation from the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. The course offers an optional study abroad element, where you may spend the third year of a four-year course studying at an overseas university. You can also put your learning into practice by applying to add a placement year to your degree.
Course details
Start date
Degree Type
BA
UCAS Code
VQ48
Course length
3 years full-time
Typical offer
AAB
Tuition Fees
- Home (Full-time): 9,535 per year
- Overseas (Full-time): 28,000 per year
What you'll study
Using archaeological techniques and approaches, this course puts the heritage of Greece and Rome under the lens. Drawing on the latest research, it also provides a chance to explore Egypt and North Africa, as well as the lesser-known civilisations of the Near East and South Asia. The course provides an exciting mix of traditional scholarship and field-based skills.
Core modules
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Ancient Civilisations: Sources, Approaches and Methods*
gives you a grounding in a range of scientific methods and techniques used in contemporary archaeology, and will help you develop a critical awareness of the potential and limitations of each.
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Archaeology Practicals
introduces field and laboratory techniques for the recording and analysis of primary materials, sites and monuments, using group work wherever possible.
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Cities in Antiquity
provides you with a broad overview of the archaeology of the Greco-Roman world from 800 BC to AD 400. It also gives you the opportunity to develop your knowledge and to practice your evaluative skills through essay writing and a written examination.
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Introduction to Archaeological Methods
* provides you with a grounding in a range of scientific methods and techniques used in archaeology today, and will help you to develop a critical awareness of the potential and limitations of each.
Optional modules
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Additional pathways
Students on the BA in Archaeology and Ancient Civilisations can apply to be transferred onto either the ‘with Year Abroad’ or ‘with Placement’ pathway during the second year. Places on these pathways are in high demand and if you are chosen your studies will extend from three years to four.
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Fieldwork
You will undertake six weeks of compulsory fieldwork – three weeks at our field school in Year 1, and three weeks at an excavation of your choice in Year 2.
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In recent years, optional modules have included: Archaeology in BritainDiscovering World PrehistoryAncient Civilisations of the EastMedieval to Modern: An Introduction to the Archaeology of the Medieval to Post-Medieval World.
Core modules
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Ancient Mediterranean Civilisations: East and West
gives you a broad overview of the archaeology of the Mediterranean from 750 BC to AD 700. It also allows you to develop your knowledge and to practice your evaluative skills through essays and seminar presentations and a written examination.
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Developing Archaeological Research
* develops your understanding of research design and the practical skills necessary for archaeological research. You will develop skills in graphics, illustration and presentation techniques as well as learning the basic theory behind research design.
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Professional Training
* (requires three weeks of fieldwork in the summer before starting Year 2) uses practical experience to give you an understanding of the objectives and operation of a fieldwork project and how data and material produced by archaeological projects is processed.
Optional modules
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In recent years, optional modules have included: Advanced SkillsPrehistoric Europe: From Foragers to State FormationBecoming Roman: from Iron Age to Empire in Italy and the WestArchaeology of Medieval and Post-medieval Britain in its European ContextThe East Mediterranean in the Bronze AgeScientific Methods in Archaeology.
Core modules
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Archaeology Dissertation
* significantly develops your skills in independent research, the analysis and presentation of evidence and how to structure a persuasive argument. This will involve writing an extended dissertation in your chosen specialist area of archaeology.
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Specialised Aspects in Archaeology
will help you develop an understanding of specialised aspects of archaeology, chosen from a list of topics representing the main areas of research in the Department.
Optional modules
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In recent years, optional modules have included: Advanced Professional Training (requires three weeks of fieldwork in the summer before starting Year 3)Current ArchaeologyInterpreting HeritageMuseum Representation.Archaeology and Global Sustainable Development.
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All modules marked with * form part of an Accredited CIfA pathway.
Learning
You will learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical classes, fieldwork and excavation, with informal one-on-one support alongside self-directed research and reading. We also offer an extensive programme of research-focused seminars where staff and visiting scholars present their cutting-edge research. Fieldwork at Durham allows you to get stuck into real archaeological work, supported by academic staff. Alongside the practical classes this gives you hands-on experience of professional archaeology. The small-group and practical work prioritises your learning experience over the number of formal sessions, with increasing focus on independent research as you move from your first to your final year. As such, the course transforms you from a consumer of knowledge in a classroom to a generator of knowledge in the field, ready for professional or postgraduate life.Assessment
On this course you will be assessed through your coursework, traditional skills and presentations, as well as through hands-on practical exercises, including archaeological fieldwork. In the final year you will write a dissertation, led by independent research and supported by one-on-one supervision.Entry requirements
Fees & Funding
Choose which fees you want to see:
Home / Island students
9,535 per year
International / EU Students
28,000 per year
Home / Island students
Part Time - per year
International / EU Students
Part Time - per year
The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).
Find out moreDepartment Information
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Archaeology at Durham is an exciting and diverse discipline that delves into the past to inform our understanding of the modern world. Covering a wide range of topics from early human development and ancient civilisations to colonialism and slavery in the early modern world, this broad-based discipline can take you into many different careers. We are an inclusive and vibrant international teaching and research community that offers plenty of opportunities for you to get involved, from research seminars and reading groups to field-based projects. Our research-led approach to learning means you will be taught by subject specialists whose wide-ranging interests span World, European and British archaeology from the last ice age to the post-medieval period. Combining practical work with traditional academic study, you will explore archaeological sites and historic buildings, study scientific methods, archaeological theories and computer techniques. Fieldwork takes you around the world, with previous projects ranging from Africa to the Lebanon. Closer to home you will learn about the rich and varied heritage of the UK. Our location in Durham is ideal for the study of archaeology with UNESCO World Heritage Site, such as Durham Cathedral and Hadrian's Wall on our doorstep. We offer a range of single and joint honours BA and BSc degrees with flexible pathways to suit your interests and career goals, and most courses include the possibility of a work placement or year abroad. For more information see our department pages.
Read moreFacilities
We are based in the Dawson Building at the heart of the Durham city campus. We are one of the most comprehensively equipped archaeology departments in the UK with research laboratories in DNA, conservation, isotope analysis, environmental archaeology, luminescence dating, paleopathology and bone chemistry. The Department is also home to a leading commercial archaeological fieldwork unit. This enables us to provide expert training in excavation and fieldwork techniques from working archaeologists. In addition, we have a number of dedicated library collections and a gallery which hosts our extensive collection of archaeological artefacts. Fieldtrips are an important part of the student experience at Durham. First year students undertake a two-week placement, with most working on our internationally significant excavations at Auckland Castle. Second- and third-year undergraduates join us on digs around the world to gain international experience, with recent projects in France, Spain, Kuwait, Nepal and Egypt.
Find out more -
Career Opportunities
Of those students who graduated in 2021-22
94%
HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. This survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. We here highlight destinations of specifically first-degree graduates. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk
Employability
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