Ancient Architecture



Overview

Architecture has shaped our world for thousands of years, from the first permanent settlements of the Neolithic period, through to the heavily urbanised planet of today. This course explores the earlier part of the global history of architecture, from the first farmers of the Neolithic Levant, through Ancient Egypt and Greece up to the imperial grandeur of Rome.

What was behind early urbanisation? What building materials and construction techniques did early societies use? Why did people build monuments? How did this shape public space? As societies and cities grew, how did planning and architectural language evolve, and how did these traditions influence one another? This course will show you how a range of experts specialising in different periods and regions might answer these questions. It will also allow you to delve into the architectural, archaeological and historical evidence yourself, allowing you to explore the world’s earliest architecture.

This course combines online study with a weekly 1-hour live webinar led by your tutor. Find out more about how our short online courses are taught.

Programme details

This course begins on the 14 April 2026 which is when course materials are made available to students. Students should study these materials in advance of the first live meeting which will be held on 21 April 2026 (UK time)

  1. Introduction: Setting the scene for 5,000 years of architecture
  2. Levant: The emergence of farming and settlement
  3. Mesopotamia: The first cities
  4. Egypt & Sudan 1: The age of the pyramid builders
  5. Egypt & Sudan 2: The new kingdom
  6. Prehistoric Aegean: Structure and social space
  7. Geometric, Archaic and Classical Greece: Form and order
  8. The Nabateans: Sculpting the desert
  9. Rome 1: Continuity and innovation
  10. Rome 2: Architectures of Empire

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework. All those enrolled on an online course are registered for credit and will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

See more information on CATS points

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £360.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

 

Tutor

Dr Martin Michette

Martin is a Departmental Lecturer in Architectural History and Cultural Heritage and Director of the Cultural Heritage Training Programme. He is also a Researcher in the Oxford Resilient Buildings and Landscapes Lab at the School of Geography and the Environment. He studied Architecture (BSc) at the University of Bath and Building Conservation (MEng) at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, before gaining his doctorate in Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage and Archaeology at the University of Oxford. He spent several years working in architectural practice and continues to work as a historic building surveyor in a freelance capacity.

Course aims

This course aims to trace developments in architecture from the Neolithic to the Classical period through successive urban societies in proximate regions. For each region and period, we will look at the evolution of architectural form and its wider settlement context, construction materials and techniques, and the culture of building in introductory terms. We will also identify commonalities and transmissions across the periods in question.

Teaching methods

This course takes place over 10 weeks, with a weekly learning schedule and weekly live webinar held on Microsoft Teams. Shortly before a course commences, students are provided with access to an online virtual learning environment, which houses the course content, including video lectures, complemented by readings or other study materials. Any standard web browser can be used to access these materials, but we recommend Google Chrome. Working through these materials over the course of the week will prepare students for a weekly 1-hour live webinar you will share with your expert tutor and fellow students. All courses are structured to amount to 100 study hours, so that on average, you should set aside 10 hours a week for study. Although the course finishes after 10 weeks, all learning materials remain available to all students for 12 months after the course has finished.

All courses are led by an expert tutor. Tutors guide students through the course materials as part of the live interactions during the weekly webinars. Tutors will also provide individualised feedback on your assignments. All online courses are taught in small student cohorts so that you and your peers will form a mutually supportive and vibrant learning community for the duration of the course. You will learn from your fellow students as well as from your tutor, and they will learn from you.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

  1. Possess a basic knowledge of the types of construction used in ancient civilisations, including building materials and built form
  2. Have the ability to evaluate of the role architecture played in early urban societies, its relationship to settlement context and broader social dynamics, and its chronological and regional links and variation
  3. Interpret commonalities and differences in architectural form and technique across distinct regions and timeframes

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

Application

Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.

 

Level and demands

This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.

This course is offered at FHEQ Level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level), and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments and for the weekly webinar. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours, including those spent in live webinars.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

 

 

IT requirements

Any standard web browser can be used to access course materials on our virtual learning environment, but we recommend Google Chrome. We also recommend that students join the live webinars on Microsoft Teams using a laptop or desktop computer rather than a phone or tablet due to the limited functionality of the app on these devices.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support