Ancient History

Know the paths, the crossroads, the ups and downs of four thousand years of human history.

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The Master’s degree study programme in Ancient History offers a deepening study of the history of the ancient world with an emphasis on the history of classical antiquity and ancient heritage in Europe. It enlarges the student’s capacity to understand different developmental stages of the oldest history of mankind and its characteristics, to find analogies, and to make comparisons. Great attention is paid to the methodology of research of ancient history and to the reading of sources in the original, if possible. Besides further linguistic training, the widening study of selected auxiliary disciplines of Ancient History (papyrology, epigraphy, numismatics, textual criticism) help students in advanced reading of sources. The courses are conceived mostly in thematic units in order to allow the orientation across history (e. g. sacral kingship, position of the ruler in ancient states, ethics of ancient civilizations, ethnic migration in antiquity, ancient states, and the transitional states between antiquity and the Middle Ages). Furthermore, students have the opportunity to compare ancient civilizations in the broader context of the Far East (history of ancient China and India).

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After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

  • discern the roots of the development of various differences as well as similarities between contemporary civilizations
  • explain the historical development of ancient regions from the mid-4th millennium until the transitional period between antiquity and the Middle Ages
  • read sources of a given period at a high professional level
  • write scientific papers in the field of ancient history
  • decipher many allegories and metaphors in written and art culture
  • consult translations and other works from ancient history and write reviews of them
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Graduates can find jobs in education, including the further education of teachers; in public and state service; in diplomatic service; in the cultural sphere (museums, galleries, libraries, archives, and the education of young people in various interest groups); in tourism; in publishing houses of books and scholarly journals; as consultants for films and other artistic works with ancient history as the theme, and as translation consultants on ancient historical works.

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The standard duration of the Master’s degree study programme is four semesters.

For admittance to the final state examination, students must earn 120 ECTS credits for type A/required, type B/selective, and type C/elective courses.

For the single-subject programme, type A/required courses make up 81 credits (including credits for courses focused on writing a Master’s thesis) plus 4 credits for general linguistic training. The type B/selective courses, which students choose according to their interests and specialization, make up 30 credits in total. The remaining credits can be earned from type C/elective courses offered in the curriculum of the given study programme or from other courses offered by any other study programme.

For the double-subject programme, if Ancient History is the major subject, type A/required courses make up 66 credits (including credits for courses focused on writing a Master’s thesis) plus 4 credits for general linguistic training; the type B/selective courses make up 15 credits.

If Ancient History is the minor subject, type A/required courses make up 46 credits plus 4 credits for general linguistic training; the type B/selective courses make up 15 credits.

During the course of their studies, students should follow the study catalogue valid for their year of matriculation. The study catalogues for the individual years of matriculation are available at the Faculty of Arts website.

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The final state examination is oral only. Topics, the knowledge of which is required at the exam, are publicly available on the website of the Department of Classical Studies.

The ability to independently compare the individual ancient cultures and periods and to solve methodological issues is required for the final state examination. The student draws five topics from a published list covering the areas of methodology, reading of sources, and selected auxiliary disciplines, the history of the field, the history of the Ancient Near East, Egypt, India, and China, the history of ancient Greece and Rome, and the history of the transitional period between antiquity and the Middle Ages.

The defence of the Master’s thesis takes place on a date before the oral examination. The student is admitted to the defence if at least one of the required reviews is commendatory.

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After completion of the Ancient History Master’s degree study programme, graduates can continue in the ensuing doctoral degree study programme in Ancient History or any other doctoral degree study programme after satisfying the admission requirements, preferably in history, classical archaeology, archaeology, Mediterranean studies, sociology, religion, anthropology, environmental studies, or European studies.

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Field of study specifications

Field of Study: Ancient History
Abbreviation: DST
Code: 7105T079
Type: master's degree programme (following the bachelor's one)
Degree: Mgr.
Accreditation: to 31/12/2024
Programme: N7105 N-HI Historical Sciences
Faculty of Arts
Field of study guaranteed by:
Faculty of Arts
Field guarantor:
doc. PhDr. Jarmila Bednaříková, CSc.

The study of ancient history is part of the knowledge basis of an educated person.