Welcome to Classics in Olomouc

The Department of Classical Philology is one of the oldest academic units at the University of Olomouc. Its mission is to foster the study of Latin and Greek antiquity with a special emphasis on ancient texts in their broader cultural, linguistic, and socio-historical contexts.

With a curriculum firmly grounded in Classical Studies, we offer a broad range of academic subjects from literature to the construction of systems of beliefs and from languages to art history and performance studies. Chronologically, we also aim at covering aspects of the medieval and early modern textual practices in both west and east. Our goal is to help students to investigate long-term processes that span the Mediterranean and Central European areas. The courses are intended to facilitate the students’ hands-on experience with ancient primary sources in translation as well as in the original Latin or Greek. We offer our students plenty of opportunities to familiarize themselves with the complexities of the diverse textual and material sources by applying current theoretical concepts in our analyses.

Our faculty have various specialized research interests: historical or fictional prose, philosophy, art history, politics, poetry, rhetoric, paleography, performance studies, theater, mythology, digital humanities, translation studies, etc. We regard Classics as an interdisciplinary area with specific methods of inquiry that combine traditional and modern approaches. We are driven by the belief that the world of antiquity needs to be understood in its own terms whereas its legacy provides a key to understanding our own world.

As fully accredited programs, the Department of Classical Philology offers a BA and an MA in Latin Philology. Olomouc is an ideal place for research and living. One of the most fascinating cities in the Czech Republic, it has gained the reputation of a thriving academic and cultural center. In recent years, the department made the strategic decision to teach a large part of its courses in English, a move which has started to attract students from Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Classics in Olomouc continues the long tradition of teaching Latin and Greek that began with the foundation of the university in the sixteenth century. Currently, the activity of the department is connected with that of the Department of History with which it has developed many areas of cooperation.