History and Archaeology BA (Hons)

Birkbeck, University of London

Our BA History and Archaeology will equip you to study the past through both texts and objects. This course teaches you how to use a range of evidence - from prehistoric pottery to Greek sculpture, and Roman coins to medieval manuscripts - to explore the past. You will gain practical archaeological experience by participating in a fieldschool, and acquire critical and analytical skills by studying and comparing data and methods from the two disciplines of history and archaeology.

This course tackles big historical questions, exploring people’s lives in different times and places and the ways in which the past continues to shape our future. You will learn to combine written sources and archaeological data to gain insight into periods of your choice, ranging from the ancient Mediterranean to early modern Europe. In addition to lectures and seminars, you will receive practical training in archaeological fieldwork and artefact-handling sessions.

This course is ideal if you have a keen interest in understanding human experiences and thoughts in the changing historical contexts of society and culture. We encourage you to draw on texts, images and material sources to question accepted interpretations, engage in fruitful debate and present your own explanations.

Highlights

• History at Birkbeck was ranked top in the UK for intellectual stimulation in the 2019 National Student Survey and first in London for teaching quality.

• We are an international centre of excellence. Since 2001 we have consistently been in the top ten departments evaluated by the Research Excellence Framework (REF).

• Our research is unique in its range across geographical and chronological boundaries. We are the only university department in London to include historians, classicists and archaeologists investigating every period from prehistory to the early twenty-first century. We see the study of the past as crucial for our understanding of present-day society, culture and politics.

• We are at the heart of academic London with access to unparalleled research resources. Situated very close by are: the Institute of Classical Studies, with its library, training facilities and seminars; the British Museum, with its extensive collection of classical antiquities; and the British Library, the largest national library in the world.

• The Department of History, Classics and Archaeology is home to thriving student societies and a number of affiliated research centres that actively run seminars, conferences and other events where some of the world's best scholars present their latest research.