Though thousands of years distant, the Classical world continues to excite our imaginations and influence our lives. Classics, as an academic discipline, challenges us to understand the worlds of ancient Greece, Rome and Israel and to explore questions still central to human existence. In the process, the study of Classics strengthens our powers of reading, writing and analysis. Since the achievements of the Classical world form the foundations of the Western cultural tradition, an understanding of them is essential for anyone committed to a liberal arts education.
The Classics Department at Middlebury College seeks to introduce students to the vitality and richness of the ancient Mediterranean. To this end, the Department's curriculum offers courses both in ancient languages (Latin, Greek and Hebrew) and in a broad range of topics in Classical civilization (e.g., ancient history, art, literature, philosophy, political theory, religion, and law) for which knowledge of the ancient languages is not a prerequisite. All courses are open to majors and non-majors alike.