Ancient Greek Language and Literature

To the roots of our civilization.

Degree programme objectives

The master’s degree study focuses on deepening the knowledge and linguistic competences gained in the Bachelor study programme. Moreover, the knowledge is broadened with the complete development of Greek language, Greek dialects, and literature (as well as history and culture, in general) in the periods following Hellenistic era. Reading of Greek texts focuses on the territories outside Attica and on the texts of pre-Classical and post-Classical periods. Their understanding is possible only on the grounds of the detailed knowledge of phonological and morphological development of Greek language in its whole extent. The knowledge of the development of Modern Greek crowns complex understanding of language in its whole history. Students specialise according to their own choices of optional courses in the following areas: diachronic linguistics, history of literature, and ancient history.

Study plans

Ancient Greek Language and Literature

full-time, single-subject

Ancient Greek Language and Literature

full-time, major

Ancient Greek Language and Literature

full-time, minor

Admission Procedures
Admission to Master's degree programmes in 2025/2026 (beginning: Autumn 2025)
Submission deadline until midnight 30/4/2025

Information on entrance examinations designed for this degree programme
Deadline for submitting applications: January 1 - April 30
Who the programme is intended for: The programme is intended for graduates of any Bachelor’s degree programme.
Subject matter of the entrance examination: The entrance examination has a written and an oral part. A good knowledge of classical Greek (within the scope of the Recommended literature - see below) and the ability to understand a specialist text in a foreign language are tested. The interview focuses on the study motivation of the applicant, general knowledge about the field and the applicant´s study focus (professional profile, orientation in the field of study, topic of master's thesis, etc.). The interview takes about 20 minutes.
Waiver of the entrance examination: The entrance examination can be waived for applicants who have passed the Bachelor’s examination in the field/programme of Ancient Greek Language and Literature (single-subject or major study plan) at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University with an excellent (A), very good (B), or good (C) result. The entrance examination may also be waived for applicants whose overall result of the Bachelor's State Examination in programme of Ancient Greek Language and Literature (single-subject or major study plan) at the MU Faculty of Arts was assessed as “passed with excellent results”. Applicants who have passed the Bachelor's examination in Classical Greek Language and Literature at the MU Faculty of Arts only in a minor study plan are not eligible for a waiver of the entrance examination. Applicants can ask for a waiver for the entrance examination via the e-application form, section "Application for waiver of the entrance examination".
Website Department of Classical Studies.
General information on the course of the admission procedure to the follow-up Master’s degree programmes at FA MU can be found here. Documents for the current admission procedure are kept in Materials for Applicants.
Recommended reading for the examinations under this field
Recommended literature:
- HEILMANN, W. a K. ROESKE. Lexis. Einführung in die griechische Sprache. Frankfurt am Main, 1972.
- NIEDERLE, Jindřich, Václav NIEDERLE a Ladislav VARCL. Mluvnice jazyka řeckého. 2. fototypické vyd. dle vyd. Praha: Scriptum, 1993.
- HORÁČEK, Filip a Radek CHLUP. Učebnice klasické řečtiny. Vyd. 1. Praha: Academia, 2012.
- Crespo, E. - Conti, L. - Maquieira, H. (2003). Sintaxis del griego clásico. Madrid: Gredos.
- CANFORA, Luciano. Dějiny řecké literatury. Translated by Dagmar Bartoňková. 1. vyd. Praha: KLP-Koniasch Latin Press, 2001.
Compulsory literature in the original:
- Platón: Apologia Sokratous, Symposion, Faidón
- Sofoklés: Oidipus rex, Antigoné
- Xenofón: Kyrou paideia (1. kniha)
Evaluation criteria valid for the applicants applying for a place on this degree programme
Pass/fail line of the entrance examination: Written part:60 points (out of 100). If the candidate passes the written test, he/she will proceed to the oral part of the examination. Oral examination: 25 points (maximum score 40).

Studies

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Objectives
The master’s degree study focuses on deepening the knowledge and linguistic competences gained in the Bachelor study programme. Moreover, the knowledge is broadened with the complete development of Greek language, Greek dialects, and literature (as well as history and culture, in general) in the periods following Hellenistic era. Reading of Greek texts focuses on the territories outside Attica and on the texts of pre-Classical and post-Classical periods. Their understanding is possible only on the grounds of the detailed knowledge of phonological and morphological development of Greek language in its whole extent. The knowledge of the development of Modern Greek crowns complex understanding of language in its whole history. Students specialise according to their own choices of optional courses in the following areas: diachronic linguistics, history of literature, and ancient history.
Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:
- use the terminology of diachronic linguistics and characterise the linguistic development of Greek language from its Indo-European outset up to the Hellenistic, or Byzantine era (Single-subject study) including its dialectal variants;
- employ methods of historical and historical-comparative linguistics and be knowledgeable about the history of approaches to the development of Greek language;
- describe the main features of Greek literature, its genre stratification, and its development in Late Antiquity;
- outline the philosophical, historical, and religious backgrounds of the social development in antiquity;
- translate more complicated Ancient Greek prosaic and poetic texts into Czech language and critically interpret them;
- apply principles of Greek prosodic system on epic texts and selected lyric stanzas;
- work independently with scholarly literature written in foreign languages, electronic databases, and various sources of information;
- write a longer structured text on a scholarly topic.
Occupational Profiles of Graduates
Graduates are qualified to work as teachers at secondary schools and some universities. Thanks to the deep knowledge of ancient culture, history and literature, they may work in humanities-oriented departments of the Czech Academy of Sciences, archives, libraries, museums, bookshops, travel agencies, and, possibly, in diplomacy. By virtue of the focus on the handling of language, the graduates are also prepared for various editorial jobs in media (in culture- and literature-oriented sections, in particular) and in the publishing houses. Besides jobs in the field of study (scholarly and research activities, translation), the graduates assert themselves in all the professions requiring the ability of independent and critical thinking and excellent mother tongue language skills.
Goals of Theses
The required length of master’s thesis is 140,000 characters including footnotes, table of contents, index, bibliography, and summary. Students choose the subject of their theses on their own from the list of topics available in IS MU ("Topic lists"), or after agreement with their supervisors. In the master’s thesis, students prove that they are familiar with both domestic and especially foreign scholarly literature relevant to the subject and that they can assess the texts critically. In the thesis, students are supposed to apply modern and relevant theories and methods, show their ability to work with Greek primary sources, and to formulate and defend their own conclusions.
Access to Further Studies
After completion of the master’s degree study programme, graduates can further continue with PhD studies in Classical Philology, provided they meet the admission requirements.