Front Page | Classical Studies

collage of 7 block images with students on a white background; black text congratulating them on graduating

Well wishes to our Class of 2025

In 2025, the Department graduates 13 of its majors, 5 in Classical Languages and 7 in Classical Civilization. We celebrate them and their years of hard work on Friday, May 9, 2025 at our departmental celebration at Parizade from 3-4:30pm.

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Lecture hall with attendees watching professor present on the projector

100 Years of Classics

On Saturday, November 2, 2024, the Department celebrated over 100 years of classical study at Duke with archival research, a graduate student performance of "The Persians," and an emeriti/a panel.

group of people looking at art exhibit "Rethinking the past" an AI simulation of archeological sites

A Peek Into the Past

Maurizio Forte’s most recent project is currently on display at the Rubenstein Arts Center

Fall 2025 courses published!

We have some interesting courses for Fall 2025. Ancient Athletics, Classics of Page and Screen, Medieval Latin Literature, check out our Fall 2025 course list!

courses move around and times change so see https://registrar.duke.edu/registration/course-catalog-schedule-classes/ for the most up to date details

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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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There are no upcoming events at this time.

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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