For intending tourists and armchair travellers, this course provides an overview of the places, history, art, and architecture of Sicily – a spectacular island where one of the most dramatic and complicated cultures of the Mediterranean has been shaped by invaders and settlers, who include the ancient Greeks, the Arabs, and the Normans. We take illustrated tours of the main towns and tourist sites with in depth, interactive discussion of history and culture, including the ancient Gr... [More]

Learn how to read and write hieroglyphs - ‘the gods words’ - in this practical introduction to the alphabet, grammar and vocabulary of this fascinating ancient script. Through simple exercises based on tomb, temple and biographical extracts you’ll discover for yourself the language, literature and culture of the ancient Egyptians. Course Content In Their Own Write Definition, historical development, not simply picture writing The basic Egyptian Alphabet, direction of reading, transl... [More]

The conflict in the Middle East can be traced back into ancient history to the Egyptians, the Jews, the followers of Baal, the Zoroastrians and the pagans of Greece and Rome. The arrival of the Christians brought another competing religion, and later the Muslims completed the picture. This course will look at all these religions and how people have fought under their different banners for control and ownership of not only Palestine but the whole area from Turkey to Persia. Course Co... [More]

Alexandria, today largely hidden under the modern metropolis. Founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE, it became one of the greatest cities of antiquity, largely due to its strategic location on the Mediterranean coast. Under the Ptolemaic Dynasty it received a huge lighthouse to ensure the safety of its harbour, a library which was unrivalled and the ‘Mouseion’, a renowned centre of learning and scholarship. Incorporated into the Roman world with the death of Cleopatra, Alexandri... [More]

This course examines the Late Bronze Age civilization of mainland Greece, generally known as the Mycenaean culture. From 1600 to 1180 BC the region was dominated by a rich society centred on fortified palace compounds such as Mycenae and Tiryns. Rulers were buried in enormous tholos tombs with superb burial goods such as the famous Mask of Agamemnon. A warrior society, the Mycenaeans would expand their influence around the Aegean by conquest and trade before their society suddenly c... [More]

The ancient Greeks used a wide range of stories to examine the nature of the world and the human condition. In this course we explore some of the most important myths of the ancient Greeks, including the creation of the world, the labours of Herakles, the quests of Perseus, Theseus, and Jason, and the cycle of the Trojan War. The vivid imagination of the Greeks has left us a rich artistic heritage and we explore how the ancient Greeks used paintings and sculpture to represent these ... [More]

The Nabataeans controlled a vast commercial Empire which linked the Arabian Peninsula to Syria and the Mediterranean world of the Roman Empire. The hub of an extensive network of trade routes, their spectacular rock-cut capital known as Petra grew wealthy on the trade of exotic products like silk and myrrh. This study day explores the history and archaeology of the magnificent city, carved into the rose red sandstones of the Jordanian hills. Course Content The Location, Discovery an... [More]

The Hittites were an Indo-European people, who established a kingdom in Anatolia (modern Turkey) about 4000 years ago. They rose to become one of the greatest powers of the Middle East, their kingdom coming to an end around 1180 BCE. This one day course examines the role of the Hittites, their conflict with their neighbours and their rediscovery in modern times. Course Content This one day course is divided into five parts: The Origins of the Hittites Part one examines the origins a... [More]

This course examines the 18th Dynasty (1570-1293 BC), the early part of the New Kingdom, when Egypt acquired an Empire in the Near East and Nubia. Participants will explore the history of Egypt from the expulsion of the Hyksos down to the end of the 18th Dynasty, a phase when the country was at its most cosmopolitan, wealthy and dynamic. This is the era of such pharaohs as Tuthmosis I, Hatshepsut, Tuthmosis III, Amenhotep III, Akhenaten and Tutankhamun. The course examines the achie... [More]

This study day examines the cult of Apollo at the Greek sanctuary of Delphi from its earliest days down to the Byzantine Period. Participants will explore the archaeological and textual evidence for the cult of Apollo at the site and explore how the Pythian Priestess gave her mysterious oracular responses after inhaling vapours rising from a crevice in the rock. We also examine the Pythian Games, an athletic and musical competition which were held at the site every four years. Cours... [More]