"> students testing eye-tracking equipment
Wells examing pottery shards from Pompeii
Andrew Wesler working in trenches in Cyprus

About Us

The Department of Classical Studies explores the languages (ancient Greek and Latin) and literatures, archaeology, art history, and histories of Greco-Roman antiquity, from 3000 BCE to 900 CE, from the Nile to the North Sea, from Britain to Bactria. Our students have the opportunity to work with renowned scholars, discussing big ideas in small classes. Our many resources include papyri and manuscripts in the Rubenstein Library, as well as the rich antiquities collection of the Nasher Museum. The Department enjoys close ties with AAHVS, History, Medieval/Renaissance Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, and Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies, as well as with UNC Chapel Hill, especially through the Consortium for Classical and Mediterranean Archaeology.

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Why Study the Classics at Duke?

Undergraduate Program

As a Classical Studies major, you will read some of the most fascinating and intellectually searching texts ever written; and you will explore the history and material cultures of ancient Greece and Rome in all of their enticing richness. Faced with the achievements and failures of our cultural forebears, you will gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your place in the world. The inter-disciplinary study of Greco-Roman antiquity will cultivate your cross-cultural fluency, hone your analytical skills, and impart critical research competencies. The requirements of the two majors will give you an understanding of the discipline as a whole, while allowing you the flexibility to develop your own interests.

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Graduate Program

Our Ph.D. program is dedicated to training students in the broad and integrated field of Classical Studies, including Greek and Latin languages and literatures, and the history, art, and archaeology of the ancient Greek and Roman world. We seek to provide students with a broad understanding of Greco-Roman antiquity as a whole; a working knowledge of the specialized tools and techniques needed for research in the field; and familiarity with methodologies developed in other disciplines that are relevant to Classical Studies. Duke is particularly fortunate in faculty and resources that allow direct contact with the textual and material foundations of our knowledge of antiquity. A flexible program of courses can thus be arranged. After course work is completed, an integral part of the training is teaching experience, in courses in Classical Studies and in Greek and Latin.

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Degrees Offered
9
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Courses Available
200
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Doctoral Students
14