Classics and Ancient History

Uncover connections between life today and cultures of the ancient world

Meet Achilles as the Greeks imagined him; follow alongside Alexander the Great on his epic journey of exploration and conquest; wrestle with Antony and Cleopatra as the Roman Republic crumbles; and explore the private lives of Greeks and Romans. 

We are the only university in Western Australia where you can major in the broad field of Classics and Ancient History 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 key aspects of Classics and Ancient History, including Classical and Hellenistic Greek history, Greek and Latin languages, Roman Imperial history and literature, and Classical Reception Studies.

Some of our current projects include:

  • Making Sense of Monarchy: Intellectuals and Autocrats in the Roman World
  • Graecia capta: the use of the Greek language by the conquering Romans
  • Translations and Transformations: Thinking with the Ancients after Antiquity

Scholarships

 

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Don Boyer Roman Archaeology Travel Scholarship

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. 

Find out more

Our courses

Collaboration and community

Celsus library in the Ancient City of Ephesus

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.

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Contact Kirk Essary

Senior Lecturer, Classics and Ancient History

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Research Repository

Read more about Dr Kirk Essary

Research Repository