Discover Ancient Civilisations - Online Courses

Discover the civilisations of Ancient Egypt during the Middle Kingdom, an age of great power and influence for the Pharaohs.

The poetry of Homer and other myths tell us about the ‘abduction of Helen’ and the destruction of a city. Do archaeology and contemporary state archives support this epic tradition?

Come and explore with us the idea of ‘myth’. We will look at creation myths in Ugarit, in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, ancient Greece and in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible.

Go behind the Gold Mask and get to know the real Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Where was he born and raised, and who were his parents? Did he have a coronation and how long did he rule? What happened during his reign? Did he have children, and how and when did he die? We discover whether the famous tomb and its contents helps to answer any of these questions. The final session will be a visit to the Petrie Museum to examine artefacts which reveal Tutankhamun and his times.

Discover eight intriguing ancient cities, amazing places to visit today, but raw and turbulent in their Graeco-Roman heyday.

This course explores some of the most elaborate and powerful displays of the Graeco-Roman world. Designed to entertain, inform, and elicit support, often at times of great political or religious significance, they were unforgettable, and have long exercised an influence on our own understanding of the nature of power.

How do you define magic and divination? Why has the Western world traditionally viewed magic as opposed to religion and science? These and other issues will be discussed in this thought-provoking course.



This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

Examine the history, architecture, aesthetics and religious significance of the Amaravati stupa. Admire parts of it during the visit at the British Museum.

Aesop’s fables have been used through history to clarify important issues within society. Investigate their perseverance through history and why they continue to be relevant today.