Ancient & Medieval World
Art History Courses Online & In London
From ancient Rome to Medieval Iran, mythology to manuscripts: learn about the vibrant art and ideas of the ancient and Medieval world in our online, classroom and gallery-based courses.
Online, classroom-based and gallery-based art history courses
Many of our courses are also offered online, giving you the freedom to study from anywhere you need to be. We also offer our classes in-person at our Central London location and at many galleries and museums in and around London. Use the Location filters on this page to choose your preferred delivery method. See our guide to online learning for more information about our live online courses.
Learn from expert tutors
At City Lit we are proud of the expertise of our tutors who are all professional art historians working actively in museums, galleries, research and writing, universities and auction houses. As experts in the field, they are able to provide you with the support and guidance you need to develop your art historical knowledge. As teachers they provide student-focused education, helping students achieve their art historical goals, both the personal and the professional.
- Introduction to Buddhist art
Course start date: Thu 27 Feb 2025Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Arjmand AzizExplore the early history of Buddhist art in South Asia in this introductory course with a focus on objects in the British Museum.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - Between Greece and Rome: Etruscan artCourse start date: Fri 28 Feb 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Simone ChisenaExplore the figurative world of the elusive Etruscan civilization - from lavish painted tombs to enigmatic terracotta urns and majestic bronze sculptures.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Art of medieval empires Course start date: Tue 4 Mar 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Richard PlantThis course will explore a range of arts, painting, metalwork sculpture and architecture of the lands ruled, sometimes rather tenuously by the German Kings and Emperors, from the time of Charlemagne to the 15th century. For much of the period this was the dominant political entity in Europe, and the geographical reach will be broad: though focussing on central and northern Europe, some works in Italy will also be considered.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £129.00 Concession £84.00 - Friday lates: Homer in art Course start date: Fri 7 Mar 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Julia MusgraveWhen Homer’s ‘Iliad’ and ‘Odyssey’ were rediscovered in the renaissance they went on to inspire artists from the mid-fifteenth century to the present day. We explore how artists through the centuries have used the stories as a literary source and consider how their approach to them has changed over time.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00 - Hell, Heaven and Purgatory in the Middle AgesCourse start date: Tue 29 Apr 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberWhy were images to do with the afterlife so prevalent in the Middle Ages? Come, face your eternal destinies and look at images such as the Last Judgement, skeletons, filthy flesh, worms, ghosts and Hell mouths.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - The art of Byzantium Course start date: Thu 1 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Anita ChowdryA study of the unique visual flavour of Byzantine art and architecture, the development of a range of craft industries, and the impact of Byzantium on other cultures.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Art in medieval Italy: the Kingdom of Lombardy and its impactCourse start date: Fri 2 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Simone ChisenaDiscover the rich artistic heritage of the first Kings of Italy, the tenacious warriors who first rule the country.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Study day: Illuminated manuscripts of the Islamic worldCourse start date: Sun 18 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Anita ChowdryStudy book design and production in the Islamic world. The art of the book is one of the cornerstones of Islamic visual culture, with the role of the Qur’an driving the development of the arts in general.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £48.00 Concession £45.00 - The beauty of the medieval manuscript Course start date: Tue 10 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberIt is generally accepted that medieval illuminated manuscripts are very beautiful things. Something to do with all that gold-leaf maybe. While we cannot hold them in class, close-up digital reproduction will allow us to see if they really are as beautiful as we are told. Indeed, are none of them ugly? Join this course to find out.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00 - Tuesday talks: Painted love – homosexuality in Ancient Greek vase paintingCourse start date: Tue 10 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Simone ChisenaDiscover the ways in which homoeroticism found its way onto Ancient Greek vases and how its depiction flourished in the ancient world.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00 - Art in medieval England Course start date: Tue 25 Feb 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Richard PlantThis course will explore the painting, sculpture and especially architecture of Medieval England Focussing mainly on the period following the Norman Conquest, we will discuss the developments in architecture in England and works of sculpture and painting.Full fee £129.00 Senior fee £103.00 Concession £84.00
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