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Classics, particularly within the Western university tradition, when used as a singular noun, is the study of the language, literature, history, art, and other aspects of the ancient Mediterranean world—particularly ancient Greece and Rome during the period known as classical antiquity. more...

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As a plural noun "classics" can refer to texts written in the ancient Mediterranean world. The study of classics was the original study of the humanities and remains important in that branch of learning today. Thus, the people reading classics are sometimes called humanists but are more often referred to as classicists.

Sub-disciplines within the classics

One of the most notable characteristics of the modern study of classics is the diversity of the field. Although traditionally focused on ancient Greece and Rome, the study now encompasses the entire ancient Mediterranean world, thus expanding their studies to Northern Africa and the Middle East.

Philology

Traditionally, classics was focused on little more than philology—the intensive study of ancient texts. Although this no longer dominates the field so completely, it retains a central role. One definition of classical philology describes it as "the science which concerns itself with everything that has been transmitted from antiquity in the Greek or Latin language. The object of this science is thus the Graeco-Roman, or Classical, world to the extent that it has left behind monuments in a linguistic form." Of course, classicists also concern themselves with other languages outside the two main ones—including the study of Linear A, Linear B, Sanskrit, Hebrew, Oscan, Etruscan, and many more. Before the invention of the printing press, texts were reproduced by hand and distributed haphazardly. As a result, extant versions of the same text often differ from one another. They are also usually fragmentary. Classical philologists, in addition to simply seeking to understand the language, seek to synthesize these defective texts to find the most accurate version.

Archaeology

Thanks to popular culture, such as the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark, classical archaeology is often seen as very exciting. Whereas philology studies the literary and linguistic culture of the ancient world, classical archaeologists study the material culture of the classical civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Archaeologists lead and conduct excavations. The artifacts they find are key to all the other sub-disciplines and help provide new evidence for the understanding of the ancient world.

Art history

Some art historians focus their study of the development of art on the Classical world. Indeed, the art and architecture of Ancient Rome and Greece is very well regarded and remains at the heart of much of our art today.