classics

Classics is the academic study of ancient Mediterranean civilizations, with a primary focus on Greece and Rome. It encompasses languages (primarily Ancient Greek and Latin), literature, history, philosophy, religion, art, archaeology, and material culture. Many scholars also engage with the reception of antiquity—how classical ideas have been interpreted and transformed in later periods.

The field covers a broad time span, typically from early Greek and Latin writing to late antiquity, and sometimes extends to the broader ancient world or to the medieval and modern receptions of classical texts. Subfields include philology, textual criticism, epigraphy, palaeography, archaeology, art history, and reception studies. Core areas include Greek literature (epic, tragedy, lyric), Latin literature (poetry, oratory, history), philosophy, historiography, and their interactions with politics, religion, and society.

Methods in classics combine linguistic analysis, close reading of texts, manuscript study, and, where relevant, fieldwork and material culture analysis. The discipline often integrates literary, historical, and cultural perspectives to understand the aims, contexts, and influence of ancient authors and institutions.

Education and career paths typically involve university-level study, with BA, MA, and PhD programs offering specialized tracks. Classical scholars teach, publish scholarly editions and translations, or work in museums, libraries, education, and public humanities.

Influence of classics extends into education, political theory, rhetoric, law, and the arts, shaping curricula and cultural production for centuries. Notable authors frequently studied include Homer, Sophocles, Euripides, Herodotus, Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, Vergil, Horace, Ovid, Caesar, Cicero, and Tacitus. In modern usage, “classics” can also refer to enduring, exemplary works or the study of classical languages itself.