Classics is a large and thriving department which aims to inspire pupils with a curiosity about our cultural inheritance from the ancient world. Latin and Greek are valued not only for their rigorous linguistic training but also for the literature, art and ideas which have shaped western civilisation.
While the aim is for pupils to be able to read key classical authors in the original languages, we also offer Classical Civilisation for those who prefer to study the relevant texts in translation. The department is well resourced with an excellent library, a cast collection of Greek sculpture and even a 2,000 year old Egyptian mummy.
Latin: Programme of Study Greek: Programme of Study Classical Civilisation: Programme of Study Enrichment
Mr J F Lloyd (Head of Department)The Revd D J DalesMr P A FinnMr C A Fraser
Mrs R F HortonMiss I M PainterMs C C Russell
All Pupils study Latin in their first year, the Shell, entering the Oxford Latin Course or Cambridge Latin Course at the appropriate point.
The OCR GCSE course requires pupils to master the basic elements of grammar and vocabulary together with close study in the original of a verse text (usually Virgil’s Aeneid) and a prose text (Tacitus or Pliny).
At AS and A2, the aim is to extend knowledge of the language and, through class discussion, written commentary and essay writing, to develop a personal response to a wider range of authors. These may include Catullus, Horace, Ovid, Virgil, Virgil, Cicero, Livy and Tacitus. Additional classes are available for those who wish to apply to read Classics at Oxbridge.
Some pupils can study Ancient Greek in their first year, the Shell, in the time normally allocated to Latin.
Of these, typically 25 pupils opt for GCSE, using John Taylor’s Greek to GCSE. The OCR course requires pupils to master the basic elements of grammar and vocabulary together with close study in the original of a verse text (typically Homer’s Iliad or Odyssey) and a prose text (typically Herodotus).
At AS and A2 the aim is to extend knowledge of the language and, through class discussion, commentary and essay writing, to develop a personal response to a wider range of authors. These may be chosen from genres such as Tragedy (Sophocles and Euripides), Philosophy (Plato), History (Herodotus and Thucydides) and Epic Poetry (Homer). Additional classes are available for those who wish to apply to read Classics at Oxbridge.
There is no need for pupils entering the Sixth Form to have prior experience of the subject. The OCR course involves three main areas of study: epic, tragedy and art. At AS we study Homer’s Odyssey, the plays of Aeschylus and Sophocles. At A2 we study Virgil’s Aeneid and its relationship to the Odyssey and the development of Greek free-standing and architectural sculpture from the sixth to the fourth century bc.
The Classics Society invites speakers twice a term, typically to talk on topics related to areas of sixth form study. Recent speakers have included Mr Tom Holland, Dr Matthew Leigh, Dr Nick Lowe, Dr Penny Murray and Prof Stephen Oakley.
Theatre trips are arranged to performances of Greek drama, most recently Euripides Bacchae at the Bristol Old Vic in 2005. Touring companies such as the Actors of Dionysus are also invited to perform in the college theatre.
In the Lent Term we enter pupils for the Salisbury Classical Reading Competition where they are required to read aloud a passage of Latin or Greek. Marlburians have won the prestigious Horace/Virgil prize at this event in recent years.
In the Easter holiday a biennial study tour of the sites and museums of Greece provides an unparalleled opportunity to explore the cultural context of Greek civilisation. Although primarily aimed at those doing classical subjects, the trip is also open to any sixth former with an academic interest in History, History of Art and Religious Studies. In addition to Athens, Delphi, Olympia, Mycenae and Epidaurus, we visit sites associated with the mission of St Paul (Corinth), Byzantine civilisation (Ossios Loukas and Mistra), the Venetian Empire (Lepanto) and the struggle for Greek Independence (Missolonghi and Nauplion).