Archaeology, Classics and near-Eastern Studies

Archeologists, classicists and ancient historians at the VU work in close cooperation with each other. Together they are responsible for the teaching of the courses in Archeology, Ancient cultures, and Greek and Latin language and culture (GLTC). Their research thus has a lot of common ground.

The archeologists concentrate on Northwest Europe and the Mediterranean region, (Italy, Greece and the Near East, in particular) between ca. 1500 BC and 500 AD, although certain subjects, such as landscape archeology, may cover a far longer period. Key themes are material culture, landscape, religion and ritual, ethnicity (Greeks. Romans, Batavians) and archeological heritage (preservation of monuments).
 
The classicists’ research is in the field of linguistics, literature and philology. The classicists’ linguistic research is mostly discourse-based, for both Greek and Latin. The literary interest deals with Greek philosophical texts, Greek and Latin epigrams and occasional poetry. The continuity of the classical culture is reflected in research into Byzantine literature, Neo-Latin poetry and the classical tradition in the literature of the Netherlands and, last but not least, into  the Early Christian literature and culture. Various members of the staff edit Greek and Latin texts and write commentaries (both traditional and modern) in which literary approaches are integrated with discourse linguistics.
 
The ancient historians generally occupy themselves with the peoples and cultures round the Mediterranean Sea between ca. 2000 BC and 600 AD. Their particular specialty is ancient Christianity and the language and culture of ancient Mesopotamia.
 
Several members of the Antiquities staff, especially archeologists, are part of the interfaculty research institute CLUE, which is engaged in the study of heritage in the widest meaning of the word. CLUE is coordinated from the Faculty of Arts.