The integrated Bachelor’s degree program in the study of Ancient Civilizations spans the arc of human history from its earliest beginnings to the end of Late Antiquity, encompassing the ancient cultures of Europe, Central Asia, and Egypt. It provides students with a broad foundation in six disciplines, which may subsequently be refined through specialisation in the two areas that best reflect their intellectual interests. The program offers concentrations in Egyptology, Ancient History, Greek Studies, Classical Archaeology, Latin Studies, Archaeological Sciences, as well as Prehistoric and Provincial Roman Archaeology. All of these fields share an interdisciplinary and culturally oriented outlook, united by a sustained engagement with the methodological challenges inherent in the study of material and textual evidence.

The study of Ancient Civilizations at the University of Basel are distinguished by the exceptionally close collaboration among the participating disciplines. Located under one roof, the departments benefit from access to the most extensive library for the fields in the German-speaking world. Research draws upon the full spectrum of ancient evidence—from the earliest anthropogenic traces and the written legacies of the first literate societies to the highly differentiated testimonies of material culture, literature, art, and science. Textual and material sciences, alongside the natural sciences, offer a rich array of methodological and theoretical approaches. The breadth, cohesion, and intellectual depth of teaching and research in Basel provide an outstanding foundation for both academic and professional trajectories.

Egyptology encompasses research in archaeology (Valley of the Kings, Theban Necropolis, Karnak), religion (conceptions of the afterlife, funerary practices, ritual, personal piety), history (social history, Deir el-Medina, cultural contact), iconography, writing, and language (literature, philology, linguistics). Teaching centres on language acquisition and the study of primary sources (Classical Egyptian, and additionally Old Egyptian, Late Egyptian, Demotic, or Coptic), together with the cultural and material history of all Pharaonic periods.

Ancient History focuses on the histories of Greece and Rome, Early Christianity, Late Antiquity, and the early Byzantine period. Research in demography and everyday life examines family, household, and domestic structures, while papyrology provides crucial access to the social, economic, and religious history of Greco-Roman Egypt. Further focal areas include ancient historiography and the history of scholarship. A growing emphasis has been placed in the last years on climate history and the study of DNA in the ancient world.

Greek Studies concentrates on the Homeric epics, early Greek lyric poetry, Attic tragedy and comedy, the Greek novel, and pre-Socratic philosophy. The discipline engages actively with modern cultural-studies perspectives—anthropological, comparative, and literary-theoretical—examining, for instance, the interplay between Greek literature and religion. Reception studies, the history of scholarship, and the analysis of modern performances of ancient drama constitute additional focal areas.

Latin Studies is dedicated to the literature of the late Republic, Augustan poetry, authors of the early imperial period, and Late Antiquity. Central areas of inquiry include poetry (epic, epigram, elegy) and Roman philosophy. The subject is further enriched by the study of Neo-Latin literature of the Renaissance—particularly Upper Rhine humanism—the history of scholarship, the reception of ancient texts and themes in modern literatures, and the investigation of questions in gender studies.

Classical Archaeology is shaped by the study of material and cultural forms of exchange among the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean and their neighbouring regions. Research questions drawn from social, everyday, mental, and religious history seek to reconstruct the cultural systems within which ancient objects once functioned. Fieldwork and museum internships provide hands-on experience, while further emphasis is placed on the artistic and cultural reception of antiquity from the Middle Ages to the present.

Prehistoric and Provincial Roman Archaeology in Basel is pursued within the framework of an “Integrative Archaeology,” uniting different scientific approaches. Research in prehistory focuses on social, gender, and childhood history in Switzerland and surrounding regions. Provincial Roman Archaeology centres on Vindonissa (Brugg/Windisch; civilian settlements and their interactions with the legionary camp) and Augusta Raurica (Kaiseraugst; including the architectural development of residential and commercial quarters).

Archaeological Sciences emphasise the transmission of scientific principles and analytical methods applied in the study of antiquity. Particular attention is dedicated to archaeobiology (archaeobotany, archaeozoology, anthropology, including ancient DNA) and geoarchaeology (sedimentology, micromorphology, Quaternary geology). Theory and practice are closely interwoven, with special weight placed on material-based identification and analytical exercises.

The Bachelor’s program is structured into a foundational and an advanced stage. In the foundational stage, students select six of the specialisations listed above; in the advanced stage, they deepen their studies in two of these fields. The program imparts discipline-specific methodologies and scholarly techniques, provides a comprehensive overview of the ancient world, introduces exemplary fields of research, fosters the development of academic inquiry and disciplinary ethics, and guides students in the critical examination of the reception and enduring impact of antiquity.