Program in Ancient History
The particular emphasis of this program is on studying the history of classical antiquity as history, attentive to the methods and interests of the wider historical profession. What happened? Why? How did people live? What motivated them? How did ancient institutions work? Ancient authors and their language are closely studied, but as sources to answer such questions, not as the ends of analysis in themselves. Those whose primary interest is in understanding the method of ancient historical authors (historiography rather than history stricto sensu) should apply to the Department of Classics rather than to History.
Although candidates will be expected to show a high degree of accomplishment in the classical languages, the program prepares them in particular for employment in departments of History.
Requirements
The specialization in Ancient History is a subset of the graduate program in European History (see
Graduate Rules and Regulations) and students pursue the European History MA and Ph.D. course of study with these restrictions:
- Students must show mastery-level competence in both French and German (see II. Language Requirement, of the Departmental Regulations); at least one of these must be completed before Ph.D. qualifying exams are taken.
- For purposes of the oral and written Ph.D. examinations (see VI. Requirements for the Ph.D.), candidates will offer Ancient History as their major field, and any one of a number of options as their special field, e.g., Archaic Greece (to 500 B.C.), Classical Greece (500-323 B.C.), Macedon and the Hellenistic Age, Roman Republic (509-44 B.C.), or Roman Empire (44 B.C.-A.D. 400). They will also offer an outside field apart from classical antiquity (often Medieval History, but that is not compulsory).
Additionally to the History Department requirements, candidates in the specialization in Ancient History must pass the Classics Department M.A.-level translation examinations in Greek and Latin, administered by the Department of Classics to its own students on the basis of a reading list. The reading lists are Appendix #1 to the UVA Classics Dept. Graduate Student Handbook, available on the Web at: http://www.virginia.edu/classics/classics.html
Admission
The program of courses in the graduate program in European history is strenuous, and History students have little time to take classes to improve their knowledge of the ancient languages (rarely more than one per semester). At the same time, the Classics Department MA level translation examinations, which candidates must take, are very rigorous. As a result, to be admissible to the History Department to specialize in Ancient History an applicant will usually need to show a minimum of three years of university-level Latin or Greek and two years of the other ancient language. More preparation is even better.
Candidates for admission to the department wishing to specialize in Ancient History are asked to provide (in addition to the other documents required for admission) an analysis of their Greek and Latin preparation on a separate sheet, listing the university-level classes they have taken, their instructors, what authors and what works they read in those classes, and how much of them. It is useful too to offer one or more letters of recommendation speaking to their accomplishment in the ancient languages (candidates are not limited to three letters of recommendation).
As a public university, the University of Virginia is in a position to fund only a fraction of the students who come to pursue graduate study. Moreover, applicants to study ancient history must compete for funds with applicants in US history, in which UVA is one of the most selective programs in the United States. As it works in practice, to be competitive for funding in the first year, an applicant usually needs to display an admirable undergraduate GPA (far more As than Bs) and a combined GRE score above 1300. For the second and subsequent years, funding is easier: with few exceptions students serve as TAs, a position for which they are (modestly) paid, and which usually also carries a waiver of some or all of their tuition.
Faculty:
J. E. Lendon, Professor, Greek and Roman History
Elizabeth A. Meyer, Associate Professor, Greek and Roman History, Epigraphy
Selected Cooperating Faculty:
Malcolm Bell, Professor, Department of Art, Greek Art and Archeology; Sicily; excavates at Morgantina
John Dillery, Associate Professor, Department of Classics, Greek Historical Authors
John Dobbins, Professor, Department of Art, Roman Art and Archeology; excavates at Pompeii
Paul Kershaw, Assistant Professor, Department of History, Late Antiquity; Merovingian; Carolingian
John Mikalson, W. R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Classics, Department of Classics, Greek Religion
John Miller, Professor, Department of Classics, Roman Religion
K. Sara Myers, Associate Professor, Department of Classics, Roman Culture; Women
Tyler Jo Smith, Assistant Professor, Department of Art; Greek Vase Painting; Greek Religion
Robert Wilken, William R. Kenan Jr. Prof. of the History of Christianity, Department of Religion, Early Christianity; Patristics
A. J. Woodman, Basil L. Guildersleeve Professor of Classics, Roman Historical Authors