The next British School at Athens Undergraduate course on ‘The Archaeology and Topography of Greece'(aka BSA Summer School) will take place 18 August – 6th September 2025.
The APPLICATION DEADLINE is Saturday 15 March 2025. A provisional course itinerary, further information, and a link to the application portal can be found on the BSA website.
We also remind you that a number of partial and full bursaries are available to help cover the costs of travel and maintenance, as well as bursaries to support students from groups traditionally excluded from or under-represented in academia.
Annual Course for Undergraduates
The Archaeology and Topography of Greece The BSA Summer School provides a unique opportunity for students from UK Universities to discover and explore the landscape and archaeological sites of Greece. Students are taught to recognise and interpret material remains, and to think critically about how the archaeology of Greece can be understood alongside other types of evidence (e.g. literature and history). This three-week intensive course covers Prehistoric, Archaic, Classical, Roman, Byzantine, and Venetian Greece, and is taught through thematic lectures and site tours by leading experts. Furthermore, students gain first-hand experience of objects and monuments not accessible to the general public.
- A visit to the interior of the Parthenon and to the temple of Apollo at Bassai · Extended lectures at the pan-Hellenic sanctuaries of Delphi and Olympia · Classes at the stadium of Nemea and at the theatre of Epidauros · The Bronze Age sites of Mycenae, Tiryns and Pylos · An introduction to Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman archaeology · Introductions to key archaeological and museological skills (including a masterclass on archaeological science from the Fitch Laboratory at the BSA) · Lectures at 45 archaeological sites and museums
This course may be taken as a credit module at many UK universities. We welcome applications both from students studying for classical degree programmes (e.g. Classics, Classical Studies, Classical Archaeology, Ancient History), and from students with no prior classical or archaeological background wishing to take this course as an intensive introduction to the subject. Mature students and life-long learners are also very welcome to apply.
All students will have access to the outstanding research facilities of the BSA, and will be introduced to the archaeological, archival, and scientific work of the BSA. Course participants will be accommodated half-board at the BSA hostel, and in hotels when on excursions.
The course fee is £875, inclusive of accommodation, entrance charges to sites and museums, transport within Greece, half-board, and associate membership of the BSA for one month. Furthermore, the BSA is delighted to administer a number of bursaries of up to €400 (in certain circumstances, larger awards may be made). Travel to and from Greece is the responsibility of the course participants.
Thanks to the generous, ongoing support from the Craven Committee in Oxford, the Cambridge Faculty of Classics, the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, the A.G. Leventis Foundation, the Classical Association and the Gilbert Murray Trust, a number of partial and full bursaries are available to help cover the costs of travel and maintenance. These will be assigned on the basis of both access/financial need and academic merit. Bursaries are also available to support students from groups traditionally excluded from or under-represented in academia.
We are happy to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate a range of health and medical needs, to the extent possible given the size of our staffing and the nature of the course. Please write to the Assistant Director at any stage pre- or post-application to discuss possible adjustments.
Note: this is a fee-paying event supported by a grant from the Classical Association