Department of Ancient History
Ancient History offers over forty units for study at undergraduate level and covers the antecedents of western civilisation in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Ancient Near East and the Graeco-Roman world.Greek history is studied from Homer to the Hellenistic cultures under the Roman empire (including Judaism and early Christianity) and Roman history from the Republic to the Late Empire and the Medieval and Byzantine period. Egyptian history is taught from the Predynastic period up to that of the Ramesside period.Egypt's later history merges with the Greek, Roman and Coptic streams.
Postgraduate studies also constitute a large part of Ancient History at Macquarie.Some sixty postgraduate units are offered for those undertaking the MA/Diploma/Certificate by coursework in Ancient History, Egyptology, Coptic Studies, and in Early Christian and Jewish Studies. Research degrees of either MPhil or PhD level are also offered.
Students in Ancient History have the opportunity to undertake units focussing entirely on the study of ancient languages through documentary texts in Greek, Latin, Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Coptic and Classical Hebrew either in their degree or via a Certificate or Diploma in Ancient Languages. Other ancient languages may be studied (not for credit) through the Macquarie Ancient Languages Summer School. Students are offered a broad introductory unit on archaeological method with an historical perspective, and can study units in Egyptian and Graeco-Roman archaeology. Practical involvement in archaeological research is also available in the unit Archaeological Fieldwork which links Macquarie's students to teams working in Israel, Egypt, Italy, Pamphylia and, from time to time, Greece. The Sir Asher Joel Foundation provides financial support for staff and students excavating in Israel, the Rundle Foundation supports researchers in Egyptian Archaeology and funding may also be sought for other overseas research from the Macquarie Ancient History Association or the Society for the Study of Early Christianity within the Ancient History Documentary Research Centre.
The study of Egyptian civilization, taught within the Australian Centre for Egyptology, is a special feature of Ancient History at Macquarie and it is possible to complete an MA degree in Ancient History entirely in Egyptology.Macquarie was the first Australian university to conduct its own excavations in Egypt.It presently has five sites there, and the Centre has published some 18 volumes of excavation reports in the past decade.
Continuing excavations and manuscript research ensure that Ancient History is not a static study. New archaeological finds continually reshape history; new perspectives are also provided by other fields of study, such as anthropology, social science and religion. The wide range of staff research ensures that these fresh perspectives are consistently brought to bear on their areas of study. Our historians have interests in practical archaeology, classical and Near Eastern languages, papyrology, epigraphy, numismatics, historiography, museum studies, religious studies and gender studies.
Teaching units are supported by material held within the Museum of Ancient Cultures. From small beginnings in 1974 the Museum now houses a large and significant collection of some 600 papyri as well as over 4000 artefacts from the Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations, among which are pottery, coins and inscriptions. The Museum of Ancient Cultures is housed in its own purpose-built rooms.
The Australian Centre for Numismatic Studies was established in 1999 with a large endowment from Dr and Mrs W.L. Gale. Its role is to promote the study of ancient Greek and Roman coins as a means of understanding the history and material culture of ancient societies. It administers several important collections of ancient coins, including the extensive one on loan from Mr Gale. The purpose-built Centre contains a numismatic library and coin study room. Limited access is available to these collections and facilities (by prior arrangement with the Director) for staff and students with special projects. The Centre also offers two junior research fellowships each year to students who have completed a BA, and has a senior research fellowship for established scholars.
Ancient History at Macquarie is actively involved in the community in a variety of programs.The Education Officers of the Museum of Ancient Cultures conduct study days for schools throughout the year and courses of interest to the general public are also offered. The Macquarie journal Ancient History: Resources for Teachers appears twice a year and contains articles of interest to secondary school teachers and senior students as well as to the wider public.The Bulletin of the Australian Centre for Egytology is published annually and contains articles of interest to both scholars and the wider community.Community interest in the ancient world is also encouraged by several affiliated societies such as the Macquarie Ancient History Association, the Rundle Foundation for Egyptian Archaeology and the Society for the Study of Early Christianity. Publication series such as the Excavation Reports of the Australian Centre for Egyptology and New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity published by the Ancient History Documentary Research Centre also make available recent research on artefacts and documentary material.
Within the Ancient History Documentary Research Centre a number of major research projects are being undertaken with public funding, including Australian Research Council funding. These include the Christian Papyri for illustrating the Rise of Christianity in Egypt, the Corpus of Manichaean Sources, and a Dictionary of Roman Political Biography. Within the Australian Centre for Egyptology research effort is presently focussed on the Saqqara Project (in collaboration with the Egyptian Antiquities Organisation), the Helwan Project, and the Theban Tombs Project.
Last updated August 2007