Ancient and Modern History

Preliminary Exam in Ancient and Modern History | Honour School of Ancient and Modern History

Preliminary Exam in Ancient and Modern History 

This course enables you to extend the options of the Modern History course which begins in AD 285 to include the more important parts of Greek and Roman history. Not only does the course get rid of the arbitrary dividing line of AD 284, but it also enables students to tackle questions in Modern History which are incomprehensible without some awareness of the Greek and Roman background.

Students study four papers, on which they are examined at the end of the first year.

Further information on the Modern History papers is available from the Modern History website

1: General History Paper

General History (primarily European). One of the following four options is available:

i) AD 370-900: The Transformation of the Ancient World
ii) AD 1000-1300: Medieval Christendom and its Neighbours
iii) AD 1400-1650: Renaissance, Recovery and Reform
iv) AD 1815-1914: Society, Nation and Empire.

2: Ancient History Paper

One of the following:

• i): Greek History from C650 to 479 BC
• ii): Roman History from 241 to 146 BC

3: Third Paper

Any Optional Subject specified for Prelims in Modern History or either of the following:

• i): The World of Homer and Hesiod
• ii): Augustan Rome

4: Fourth Paper

One of the following:

i): Approaches to History (Paper from Preliminary Exam in Modern History)
ii): Historiography (Paper from Preliminary Exam in Modern History)
iii): Herodotus, V.26 - VI.131 to be read in Greek.
iv): Sallust, Jugurtha, to be read in Latin
v): Beginning Ancient Greek or Beginning Latin or Intermediate Ancient Greek or Intermediate Latin.

• 1: Herodotus V.26-VI.131
• 2: Sallust, Jugurtha
• 3: Beginning Ancient Greek
• 4: Beginning Latin
• 5: Intermediate Ancient Greek
• 6: Intermediate Latin

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Honour School of Ancient and Modern History 

I: A Period of Ancient History (One Paper)

One of the following :

• i: Thucydides and the Greek World: 479 BC to 403 BC
• ii: The End of the Peloponnesian War to the Death of Philip II of Macedon: 403 BC to 336 BC
• iii: Republic in Crisis: 146 BC to 46 BC
• iv: Rome, Italy and Empire from Caesar to Claudius: 46 BC to AD 54

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II: A Period of Modern History (One Paper)

either (a) Any one of the periods of General History specified for the Honour School of History; or, (b) Any one of the periods of the History of the British Isles specified for the Honour School of History except any such period that has already been offered on passing the First Public Examination.

III: Futher Subjects

either (a) any one of the Further Subjects as specified for the Honour School of History (one paper) ; or, (b) any one of the follwing Further Subjects in Ancient History (one paper) provided that any candidate who offers alternative IV (a) below may only offer alternative III (b):

• i: Athenian Democracy in the Classical Age
• ii: Politics, Society and Culture from Nero to Hadrian
• iii: Religions in the Greek and Roman World from c.31 BC to AD 312
• iv: The Greeks and the Mediterranean World c.950 B.C. - 500 B.C.
• v: Art under the Roman Empire, AD 14-337

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IV: Special Subjects

Either , (a) any one of the Special Subjects as specified for the Honour School of History (one paper and one extended essay);
or, (b) any one of the Special Subjects in Ancient History (two papers), provided that any candidate who offers alternative III (a) above may only offer alternative IV (b)

• i: Alexander the Great and his early Successors
• ii: Cicero: Politics and Thought in the Late Republic

V: Disciplines of History

Each candidate shall be examined in the Disciplines of History in accordance with regualtion V of the Honour School of History.

VI: A Thesis from Original Research

VII: An Optional Additional Thesis

VIII: An Optional Language Paper

Intermediate Ancient Greek or Intermediate Latin.

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