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Overview

The MA in the Classical Archaeology and the Ancient History of Macedonia Programme is being offered by the School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Economics of the University Center of International Programmes of Studies of the International Hellenic University. The programme considers the history and the archaeology of ancient Macedonia, covering the region of Macedonia and the Macedonians from the Mycenaean period until the Roman era.

The MA in the Classical Archaeology and Ancient History of Macedonia is designed to provide a postgraduate (Master’s) level education in the archaeology, history, and culture in general of ancient Macedonia. It will focus on the acquisition of specialist knowledge on issues concerning public and private life in ancient Macedonia and in general cultural issues (institutions, art, religion, dialects) in the province of Macedonia and the greater Hellenistic world. It will emphasize the acquisition of a holistic, in depth grounding in the study of ancient Macedonia and its cultural influence, at an institution located at its heart and next to its archaeological sites.

The MA in the Classical Archaeology and Ancient History of Macedonia of the International Hellenic University accepts, after a careful selection process, graduates of History, Archaeology, Social Sciences, Humanities, Ethnography, Journalism, Balkan, Mediterranean or Oriental Studies and other related subject areas, from Greek universities or equivalent institutions from abroad and from Technological Educational Institutions of related subject areas according to Law 4485/2017 and 4610/2019, as applicable.

The courses are taught exclusively in English. The academics teaching on the programme come from universities both abroad and in Greece.

Official Government Gazette:

Re-establishment PDF (in Greek)

Regulation PDF (in Greek)

Key facts
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Start date: October 2023

Application deadline: 30 September 2023 or until places are filled

Campus: Thermi, Thessaloniki

Duration/Mode: 3 semesters (full time) or 6 semesters (part time) / weekdays (also available in distance learning mode)

Taught language: English

Entry requirements: An undergraduate degree from a recognised University

Language requirements:IELTS (academic 6.5 and above), TOEFL (IBT, 95 and above) or TOEIC (745 and above) score, or a recognised by the Greek State certificate of proficiency in English of C1 level

Fees: 2,500€ (total)

How to apply: Please follow the instructions at the applications page

Programme announcement: ENG | GR

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Testimonials
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Ashwini Lakshminarayanan
MA in the Classical Archaeology and the Ancient History of Macedonia
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The Faculty of Humanities (particularly the MA in Macedonia) and the administrative staff were extremely supportive during my time at the University. They were highly professional and ensured that I had the best advice possible in order to have a successful Ph.D application.
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Who can apply

To be considered for the programme, candidates are required to have:

  • an undergraduate degree from a recognised University
  • proof of English competence [a recognised certificate of proficiency of C1 level, recently acquired IELTS (academic 6.5 and above), or TOEFL (IBT, 95 and above) or TOEIC (745 and above) score]

Course content

First Term courses

This is a course that introduces students to the literary and epigraphic sources on Ancient Macedonia. The syllabus has two principal aims: the first is to familiarise students with literary and epigraphic sources that provide useful information on the history, geography and the institutions of ancient Macedonia, with emphasis on the period before the dissolution of the kingdom by the Romans; the second is to introduce students to the proper study of those sources: dealing with problems of date, understanding their lacunary state, examining biases in, and disentangling contradictions between, our sources and in modern interpretations of them. Some outlines of the presentation of Macedonian history by both the great classical and Hellenistic historians and other authors who are not usually cited (local historians, poets, orators, etc.) will be given during the lessons. Within the section devoted to Greek historiography, a short introduction will explain the different approach which is necessary when dealing with works wholly or largely preservedas well as with ‘fragments’ and indirect quotations of lost works by later authors. A selection of relevant passages will be made available for downloading on the e-learning platform; a part of them will be discussed during the course.

Part of the course will be devoted to the epigraphic sources on ancient Macedonia and will introduce students to the main categories into which the epigraphic material can be classified, to the main epigraphic publications relevant for the study of ancient Macedonia and will show how deeply these sources have changed and continue to change our knowledge of ancient Macedonia. Particular attention will be devoted to the royal and civic institutions, and to information (derived particularly from the epigraphic sources) on matters pertaining to social stratification, gender roles, age groups, education and literacy. A selection of inscriptions will also be uploaded on the platform; a few texts drawn from such a selection will be discussed in detail during the lessons. Both literary and epigraphic texts will be given in Greek and in English translation.

This is a composite course as it studies the historical data of the colonization of the coasts of the North Aegean and, also, the formation of cities in the Macedonian kingdom.

In most cases, colonies are incorporated in the Macedonian kingdom although sometimes atypical relations are noticed. For example, the politics of Philip II cause great turmoil to these regions but at the same time, they offer to Macedonians great opportunities for economic growth and extroversion.

On the other hand, the formation of cities in the Macedonian kingdom is a very important historical occurrence with dual significance. Firstly, it is an indication of the ultimate and most important organization of the kingdom itself and secondly, it influences the lives of the Macedonian people and beyond. In this course the relevant archaeological material, which is abundant, will be interpreted and linked to major historical events. Theoretical knowledge shall be accompanied by visits to specific areas.

This is an elective course that introduces the concept of Macedonian geographic space and the historical procedures of its formation.

The syllabus focuses on introducing students to the key concepts of the procedure of integration of geographical areas to the Macedonian empire (conquest, population changes, annexation) and the understanding of distinctions between the royal country and the Macedonian country, between subjects and allies.

Furthermore, it aims to acquaint students with the concept of borders not only between Macedonia and other states but also within the kingdom, as well as the depiction of Macedonia on maps and in the geographic literature of the late Archaic, Medieval and Contemporary periods.

Specific areas of Macedonia are examined as regards settlement patterns, and stress is laid on the Thermaic Gulf.

Finally, the students are introduced to methods of identifying ancient with modern geographic terms and using literary, archaeological, epigraphic and cartographic sources for this purpose. The cartographic representation of ancient Macedonia has a vital role in the course.

The course comprises a series of lectures which introduce students to the Prehistory of Macedonia and cover all the main periods of Prehistory, from the Palaeolithic and Neolithic periods to the end of the Bronze Age. The aim of the course is to present and synthesize the evidence on material culture, spatial organization, architecture, economy, and burial practices for the main periods of Prehistory, as well as the interpretative approaches concerning social organization and cultural change over time. Special emphasis will be given to the relationship of Macedonia with other areas, within the wider geographical and cultural context of the Balkans, the Aegean and Anatolia, in terms of the interaction, mobility and exchange networks that contributed to the making of the prehistoric communities of Macedonia.

The Hellenistic Kingdoms were the states that emerged after the death of Alexander the Great and the gradual division of his empire among his chief officials and generals. These large territorial states inherited and divided among them a great part of Alexander’s empire in Egypt and the Near East. They fought continuous wars against each other and became the main focus of political power in the Eastern Mediterranean. Their rulers governed and taxed several different ethnicities that interacted with each other in various ways. The aim of this course is to familiarize the students with the main aspects of these kingdoms’ foreign policy, administration, finances and social structure by examining selected literary, epigraphic and papyrological sources.

This course actually extends and supplements the course on Μonumental Αrt in Macedonia. The topics covered in the course represent an essential part of the material civilisation of ancient Macedonia. It includes many categories of objects and artefacts that serve practical needs (furniture, weapons, various utensils, etc.) but at the same time, they are considered exceptional pieces of art and crafts. Knowledge on ancient arts and crafts can complement and enrich the students’ understanding of ancient Macedonian civilization.

Second Term courses

The purpose of this course is twofold:

  1. To introduce students to the history timeline of the Macedonian kingdom and its relation with the neighboring Greek and foreign states as well as the city-states of Southern Greece.
  2. To highlight the implicit cognitive issues of this “smooth” historical narrative and how they were addressed by modern scholars.

The aim of this course is to acquaint students with the art and culture of ancient Macedonia through the material remains in the area of the Macedonian kingdom, which consist concrete evidence of the social, political, religious and daily life. Special emphasis will be given to the monuments and the categories with a monumental character. Through them the students will acquire a measure and, at the same time, a medium for an objective approach to the cultural production and its impact to the architecture and arts of the Hellenistic World.

Most of the grand monuments relate to religious and social life, such as the impressive Macedonian tombs, or to political and financial life, such as palaces, theatres and forums, while others, such as metalwork and frescoes, enrich or re-establish our knowledge on precious vessels or poorly attested ancient Greek Painting.

Coins comprise an essential tool for archaeologists and historians in interpreting the past. Officially produced by state authorities in large quantities, they have been the main form of money in many societies for more than two millennia. The images and inscriptions on their surfaces are particularly enlightening to the history, ideology, religion and art of the societies that issued and used them. The metals used for their manufacture, their weight and size as well as their provenance, provide a wealth of information on the study of economies about which there is few or no written evidence.

The course focuses on the evolution of coinage and its role in ancient Macedonia. It examines various issues on coin production, iconography and circulation in Macedonia from the Archaic to the Hellenistic and Roman Republican period. Furthermore, the course aims at familiarising the students with the methodology of Numismatics –the study of coins and coin-formed objects– via a series of exercises on the identification, description and recording of ancient coins as well as with the function of coins as archaeological artefacts and important tool for dating archaeological sites and strata.

This course provides the opportunity, with the aid of ancient sources and the corresponding archaeological material, to approach religious life in ancient Macedonia.

In the Macedonian pantheon, Olympian Zeus, Dionysus in different forms, Mother of Gods etc. dominate with special practices of worship that are linked with the political entity of the nation or the state or with archaic mysteries. An important heroic figure is Hercules, ancestor of the Macedonians.

The religious life in Macedonia is directly connected with the historical development of the kingdom and the integration of its territories into the Roman Empire. One may observe a combination of ancient traditions and innovations.

The course is instrumental in providing insights into the historical importance of ancient Macedonia from the viewpoint of language use, which is a key component of the identity of population groups, ancient and modern alike.

In the former part, the syllabus focuses on key concepts like ethnicity, language, dialect (and their relation), and introduces the students to the understanding of fundamental terms and methods of historical-comparative and contact linguistics as well as of dialectology. Students will familiarize themselves with aspects of linguistic theory that may help us approach ancient linguistic varieties, which, as is the case with Macedonian too, are often poorly documented.

The latter part of the course consists primarily of a critical examination of the evidence for ancient Macedonian (incl. onomastics) as well as a discussion of the long scholarly debate over it. The variegated makeup of ancient Macedonian and its relationship to / contacts with both certain Paleo-Balkan languages and the ancient Greek dialects, esp. of the neighboring areas, will be analyzed in detail before we attempt to reach some overall conclusions.

The aim of this course is to acquaint students with the employment of technologies in the field of Cultural Heritage and in particular, Archaeology. From the outset, archaeologists have undertaken responsibility for the preservation of finds both as primary evidence and as the only thing that will survive of a specific site. The emergence of Information Technologies as well as of the Archaeological Science (e.g. Archaeometry) provide the traditional archaeological research with new tools and contribute in the development of new approaches and methods. The employment of repositories, geographical information systems (GIS), multimedia applications, 3D digitization and reconstruction along with material analysis or dating techniques provided by Archaeometry, represent some indicative examples of the topics that will be taught to the students. New terms used nowadays (Digital Archaeology, Digital Curation, Cyberarchaeology etc) will be presented and clarified. Overall, the course aims at preparing students to practice Archaeology in the 21st century.

Students will take part in the excavation of the International Hellenic University. There, they will become familiar with the fundamental principles of the excavation procedure, as well as identifying, cataloguing, and studying the archaeological material. Furthermore, the participants will have the chance to see the cleaning and preservation of the artefacts. Finally, students will practice the procedure of drawing the trial trenches, as well as the ancient objects that will be found.

IHU Educational Archaeological Excavation

Please click here to visit the excavation website

Schedule

The MA in the Classical Archaeology and the Ancient History of Macedonia is a 14-month full-time programme of study comprised of three parts over three semesters. It is taught mainly on weekdays over three-hour teaching periods. The first two semesters cover the courses of the programme. Each teaching term has 13 teaching weeks followed by a 10-day exam period. The third period is taken up with work on the Master’s dissertation. The programme is also available in part-time mode. The programme is also available in distance learning mode.

The Academic Faculty

Manolis Manoledakis Professor of Classical Archaeology / International Hellenic University Dean of the School of Humanities, Social Studies and Economics

Director of the MA in the Classical Archaeology and the Ancient History of Macedonia

+30 230807537

m.manoledakis@ihu.edu.gr
Eleni Mentesidou Academic Scholar / International Hellenic University +30 2310807508

ementesidou@ihu.edu.gr
Trisevgeni Papadakou Academic Scholar / International Hellenic University tpapadakou@ihu.edu.gr
Nikolaos Giannakopoulos Associate Professor of Ancient History / National and Kapodistrian University of Athens +30 2107277448

giannakn@arch.uoa.gr
Ioannis Xydopoulos Associate Professor of Ancient History / Aristotle University of Thessaloniki +30 2310997184

ixydopou@gmail.com
Despoina Tsiafaki Director of Research / “Athena” Research Center +30 2541078787

tsiafaki@athenarc.gr
Athanasia Kyriakou Assistant Professor of Classical Archaeology / Aristotle University of Thessaloniki +30 2310997990

akyriak@hist.auth.gr
Nikolaos Akamatis Researcher. Academy of Athens +30 210366466

nakamatis@academyofathens.gr
Vasiliki Lagari Digital Humanities scholar vassolagari@gmail.com

Fees & Financing

Fees

The programme fees for the MA in the Classical Archaeology and the Ancient History of Macedonia is 2500€. The amount is payable in two instalments for the full time mode or in four instalments for the part time mode at the beginning of each semester. The fees are also eligible for financing through LAEK – OAED programme.

Deposits

If you have been accepted to a postgraduate programme, you will need to make a payment of the deposit of 500€ to secure your place. This amount will count towards the first instalment of your tuition fees. The deposit is non-refundable once you have commenced your studies at the IHU. Prior to that, a refund can be made but a 20% administrative fee will be retained. The deposit can be paid by bank transfer or bank draft. Credit card payments can be made through electronic banking (contact your Bank as handling fees may apply).

Scholarships

The School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Economics offers a number of scholarships for the programmes it offers, covering a significant proportion of the fees. These scholarships are competitive. Award criteria include the quality of the first degree, the undergraduate grades of the candidate, his/her command of the English language and overall profile. Candidates for scholarships should include a separate letter with their application documents in which they request to be considered for a scholarship, stating the reasons why they think they qualify.

Programme announcement – Admissions

Next MA in the Classical Archaeology and the Ancient History of Macedonia class starts in October 2023. Interested parties are invited to submit their application by 30 September 2023 or until places are filled, by following instructions at the applications page.

Programme announcement: ENG | GR

Ideal career path

The MA programme offers a critical and multifarious study of ancient Macedonia, from institutions, languages and cults to art and the important archaeological sites. The obtained skills that the graduates develope allow them to work in Educational Institutions and Academies concentrating on ancient Macedonia or Greece, Archaeological Departments, Research Institutes, Museums, etc.

Location

The MA in the Classical Archaeology and the Ancient History of Macedonia takes place in the facilities of the School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Economics of the University Center of International Programmes of Studies of the International Hellenic University in Thermi-Thessaloniki.

Contact

Postal address:
School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Economics
Department of School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Economics
University Center of International Programmes of Studies
14th km Thessaloniki – Nea Moudania 570 01 Thermi, Thessaloniki, Greece

Tel: +30 2310 807 526/523/530

Εmail: infoshsse@ihu.edu.gr