Classics
Subject History

The Classical languages have been taught and studied at the University of Edinburgh ever since its foundation in 1583. For the first students, Greek and Latin (the latter known as Humanity in Scotland) formed the basis of the curriculum for the four-year Arts degree, along with various branches of Philosophy. Initially, all subjects were taught by the first Regent of Philosophy, Robert Rollock, but after only a few months it was realised that many potential students did not know enough Latin to follow his lectures and a young Glasgow graduate, Duncan Nairn, was appointed with the specific remit to teach Latin. By 1587, a new position of Regent of Humanity was established, the first holder of the office being John Ray.

The dome of Old College at The University of Edinburgh

A succession of able Regents of Philosophy and Humanity covered the entire curriculum between them for the next 120 years, until the University was reorganised on a more subject-specific basis in 1708. A Chair of Mathematics had already been established in 1620, and now five more Chairs were set up, including Chairs in Greek and Humanity, the first holders of which were respectively William Scott and Laurence Dundas. The roll-call of subsequent Professors includes many distinguished names such as John Stuart Blackie, S.H. Butcher and Sir Arthur Pickard-Cambridge in the Greek chair, and W.Y. Sellar and O.L. Richmond in the Humanity chair.

New Classical disciplines

By the end of the nineteenth century new Classical disciplines were emerging, and around 1900 a generous bequest allowed for the establishment of the Sir William Fraser Lecturership in Ancient (Greek and Roman) History. By the 1940s two more new departments, in Classical Archaeology and Ancient Philosophy, had made their appearance, making a total of five separate Classical departments which together provided students with a wide-ranging approach to the languages, literature, history, thought and material culture of the ancient world. In addition, staff of these departments contributed their own particular areas of expertise, offering courses in such diverse topics as Palaeography, Textual Criticism, Numismatics, Medieval Latin and Comparative Philology.