Classics
Subject History

Changing attitudes to the Classics in the middle years of the twentieth century occasioned much re-thinking about the way the subjects were taught and about the contents of the curriculum. Student numbers were beginning to drop, changes in school curricula meant that first-year undergraduates had a less secure grounding in the Classical languages, and a shift away from the study of languages in the direction of cultural and historical matters was becoming evident. Ab initio language teaching was successfully introduced in the late 1960s and over the last forty years has allowed a succession of able students to complete a Classics degree without initially knowing both languages. A first-year course in the study of Greek and Latin literature in translation was begun at the same time, and this was later extended to form the core of an honours degree in Classical Studies, in which Ancient History and Classical Art and Archaeology also played major parts.

A new Department

The last quarter of the twentieth century saw a considerable extension in the range of degree programmes offered to students, and the ‘traditional’ honours degree in Classics, i.e. Greek and Latin language and literature, was joined by single honours degrees in either Greek or Latin on its own, by degrees combing the study of one of the languages with either Ancient History or Classical Archaeology, and by a wide range of joint degrees combining a single Classical discipline with another Arts subject such as English Literature, Philosophy or a modern language.

The Dugald Stewart monument and a view across the City of Edinburgh from Calton Hill.

From 1708 to the 1980s the Chairs of both Greek and Humanity each had thirteen incumbents. When the last of these retired, Arthur Beattie from the Chair of Greek in 1981 and Ian Campbell from the Chair of Humanity a year later, funding restrictions prevented replacements from being appointed. At the same time, university structures were moving in the direction of ever-larger units, and in 1987 the four remaining Classical departments (Ancient Philosophy having disappeared as a separate entity some years earlier) were united into a new Department of Classics and John Richardson was appointed as the first Professor of Classics. A further major structural review in 2002 resulted in the incorporation of Classics into the School of History and Classics, and the following year saw the appointment of the present Professor of Classics, Douglas Cairns.

Classics today

Now as we stand at the beginning of the 21st century, Classics at Edinburgh is not only alive and well but is flourishing, with buoyant student numbers, new approaches to the study of the various classical disciplines, and a combination of ‘traditional’ language-based courses and those which illustrate new emphases and new directions. By choosing to join Classics at Edinburgh you will be linking yourself to a renowned pedigree of Classical scholarship, and to a bright future in this most fascinating of subjects.