The integrated Bachelor’s degree subject in the study of Ancient Civilizations spans the full breadth of human existence – from the earliest traces to the end of Late Antiquity – and encompasses the ancient worlds of Europe, Central Asia, and Egypt. It offers students a broad introduction to three disciplines, followed by the opportunity to specialise in the area that best aligns with their intellectual interests. Available specialisations include Egyptology, Ancient History, Greek Studies, Classical Archaeology, Latin Studies, Archaeological Sciences, Prehistoric Archaeology and Provincial Roman Archaeology. All fields are united by an interdisciplinary, culturally oriented perspective and by a sustained engagement with the methodological challenges of studying both material and textual evidence.

The study of Ancient Civilizations at the University of Basel are distinguished by the close collaboration among the participating disciplines. Housed together under one roof, they share access to the most extensive library for the fields in the German-speaking world. Research draws on an exceptionally wide spectrum of evidence—from the earliest anthropogenic remains and the records of the first literate societies to the richly varied testimonies of material culture, literature, art, and science. Textual and material sciences, complemented by approaches from the natural sciences, provide a diverse methodological and theoretical toolkit. The breadth, coherence, and intellectual depth of this academic environment offer an excellent foundation for further scholarly development as well as diverse professional pathways.

Research in Egyptology ranges across archaeology (Valley of the Kings, Theban Necropolis, Karnak), religion (concepts of the afterlife and funerary equipment, funerary texts, ritual, personal piety), history (social history, Deir el-Medina, cultural interaction), and iconography, writing, and language (literature, philology, linguistics). Teaching places particular emphasis on language acquisition and the study of primary sources (Classical Egyptian, and additionally Old Egyptian, Late Egyptian, Demotic, or Coptic), alongside 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 era. Research in historical demography and everyday life examines family structures, household organisation, and domestic practices in antiquity. Papyrology provides vital access to the social, economic, and religious life 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 encompasses Homeric epic, early Greek lyric poetry, Attic tragedy and comedy, the Greek novel, and pre-Socratic philosophy. The discipline engages deeply with modern cultural-studies approaches—anthropological, comparative, and literary-theoretical—such as the exploration of the interplay between Greek literature and religion. Additional areas of emphasis include reception studies, the history of scholarship, and the analysis of modern performances of ancient drama.

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

Classical Archaeology investigates the material and cultural forms of exchange among the ancient Mediterranean civilisations and their neighbouring regions. Research questions drawn from social, everyday, mental, and religious history aim to reconstruct the cultural systems within which ancient objects were once embedded. Field excavations and museum internships offer practical training, while the artistic and cultural reception of antiquity from the Middle Ages to the present constitutes another major area of focus.

Prehistoric and Provincial Roman Archaeology in Basel is pursued within the framework of “Integrative Archaeology,” which combines methods from the humanities and the natural sciences. Key research themes in prehistory and early history include the social, gender, and childhood history of Switzerland and neighbouring regions. Provincial Roman Archaeology centres on work at Vindonissa (Brugg/Windisch; civilian settlements and their interaction with the legionary camp) and Augusta Raurica (Kaiseraugst; including the architectural development of residential and commercial districts).

Archaeological Sciences focus on conveying the scientific principles and analytical methods essential to the study of antiquity. At Basel, particular emphasis is placed on archaeobiology (archaeobotany, archaeozoology, anthropology, including ancient DNA) and geoarchaeology (sedimentology, micromorphology, Quaternary geology). Theory and practice are closely integrated, with special attention given to material-based identification and analytical exercises.

The Bachelor’s course is structured into a foundational and an advanced stage. In the foundational stage, students select three of the specialisations listed above; in the advanced stage, they deepen their studies in one of these three fields. The study provides discipline-specific methodologies and academic skills, offers broad foundational knowledge of antiquity, introduces exemplary areas of research, cultivates scholarly inquiry and disciplinary ethics, and guides students in critically analysing the reception and lasting impact of the ancient world.