Course overview

• Full-time: 12 months
• Part-time: 24 months
• Start date: September

The MRes in Ancient Maritime Trade and Navigation is a unique course delivered in collaboration with Ca' Foscari University, Venice. It has as its focus the economic history of maritime trade, the history of shipbuilding and navigation technology in the ancient and medieval Mediterranean, and the archaeology of port infrastructures, ships and trade goods.

You spend six months in Reading, taking Approaches to Maritime Trade and Navigation, Research Methods, and either a language or Coastal and Maritime Archaeology.

You then spend two months in Venice working on maritime and nautical archaeology, before returning to Reading for your dissertation.

Modules include:

• Approaches to Ancient Maritime Trade and Navigation
• Research Methods
• Ancient Navigation and Maritime Archaeology (taught at Ca' Foscari University in Venice)
• Latin or Ancient Greek or Italian or Coastal and Maritime Archaeology
• Dissertation.

Why choose Reading?

• We are an established Department with an international reputation. We cover the full range of ancient history, literature, language, archaeology, art and culture. In addition to our strengths in established approaches to the ancient world, Reading Classics has taken the lead in extending the boundaries of the subject to areas such as the reception of antiquity in the modern world, economic history and the history of religions.
• The Department has particular strengths in Roman history and archaeology, and long-standing links with the British School at Rome, at which MA students on the City of Rome course study.
• World-leading centre for the study of ancient languages (Latin and Greek of all periods, Coptic, Luwian etc.), and for papyrology, epigraphy, textual criticism and ancient linguistics.
• High concentration of expertise in Greek literature from the Archaic Period to the Roman Empire. Research in Greek art and archaeology is a particular specialism, for which the Department's Ure Museum is a key resource. The museum has a collection of international importance.
• Strong research culture involving regular research seminars, attendance at which is part of postgraduate training, and conferences each year drawing scholars from round the world. Postgraduate students organise conferences and have their own seminar series and annual research colloquia.

Career prospects

Our MA courses equip you with vital transferable skills for a range of career paths. They also provide an ideal preparation for a PhD, or a career in teaching.

Recent graduates have gone on to careers in publishing, finance, museum curatorship, teaching, human resources, manufacturing, the police, information management and academia.