Classics and Archaeology

LMU’s Department of Classics and Archaeology is committed to a critical, compassionate, and humanistic approach to the study of ancient Greece, Rome, and the Near East. We train our students to interpret the cultural and historical legacies of the ancient world, including artifacts, texts, and narratives that have crisscrossed national borders and contributed to our shared global heritage. Studying ancient societies and their receptions equips students to navigate our changing world and to forge connections between diverse peoples and cultures. CLAR students have opportunities to develop these perspectives beyond the classroom through a variety of study abroad programs sponsored by the department in Europe and the Middle East. The CLAR faculty conducts research that spans the countries of the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and beyond, and our work draws on a variety of methodologies, including archaeology, museum studies, philology, film making, queer theory, and the study of race, gender, and ethnicity. By leveraging these interdisciplinary and transnational perspectives, the department’s courses open up the ancient world as a space of exchange and encounter between communities whose boundaries and identities were in constant flux. This dynamic picture of the past includes the voices of migrants, women, enslaved people, and other marginalized and underrepresented groups whose contributions to the ancient world have too often been overlooked. We believe that students can contribute to building a more just future when they engage with these complex transnational histories, and our mission is to make this kind of engagement accessible and rewarding for the whole LMU community. 

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