The didactic purpose of the PhD in Philology and Ancient History is to provide an interdisciplinary education, aiming to train students to rigorously read and interpret ancient texts and documents from the West and East Mediterranean as well as the Near and Middle East, and instil them with a full understanding of the political, economic, social and cultural history of the ancient Greek, Roman and Near-Eastern world. The PhD program has three different curricula: Curriculum A) GREEK AND LATIN PHILOLOGY The three-year Greek and Latin Philology program provides specialist training in the techniques of textual and literary criticism. Teaching covers ancient texts from the earliest Mycenaean tablets to late antique and mediaeval authors, including Jewish texts and translations of the Old Testament. Curriculum B) ANCIENT HISTORY The three-year Ancient History program instructs students in interdisciplinary approaches to the history, cultures and civilizations of the Greek and Roman worlds. It trains ancient historians in a range of methodologies, helping them to upgrade philological skills and expertise in the disciplines of ancient history, including epigraphy, archaeology and papyrology. Curriculum C) NEAR- AND MIDDLE-EAST PHILOLOGY The three-year Philology of Near- and Far-East Texts program is designed for students working on texts from Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Iran, Egypt and adjacent areas (the Syrian Palestinian coast, central Asia) from the fourth millennium BCE to the Middle Ages. It provides specialized training in philology, epigraphy and linguistic skills.