Ancient Studies
Welcome to Stellenbosch University

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The Department researches the ancient societies of Northern Africa, the Mediterranean, and Western Asia and offers modules in Ancient Cultures, Biblical Hebrew, Ancient Greek, Latin and Classical Legal Culture. Our material covers Egypt, the Sudan, Ethiopia, the Levant (Syria, Jordan, Palestine/Israel), Anatolia (Turkey), Mesopotamia (Iraq), Persia (Iran), Greece and Rome. Our courses include languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew), material culture (architecture, archaeology, art), literature, historiography, philosophy, mythology, epic, drama and more. Our department is both research-driven and student-focused. We teach students how to critically engage with primary evidence and scholarship, to take a critical distance from their own context and use antiquity as a lens through which to think about modern issues and problems.


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Join us on Facebook​ for news and updates about Ancient Studies in both South Africa and the ​rest of the world.


NEW: Hybrid modules in New Testament Greek and Biblical Hebrew 

Do you want to learn ancient Greek or Hebrew, but didn't have the chance in your undergrad? From 2024 anyone with a degree can register as a special student and take hybrid modules in both languages (1st year level), studying at your own pace with the support of recorded lectures, weekly online tutorials, and several intensive contact sessions spaced out throughout the academic year. For more information, including how to apply, visit https://www.sun.ac.za/english/faculty/arts/ancient-studies/Pages/Hybrid-Modules.aspx


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