The application portal for the summer semester 2025 opened.

Ancient Cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean

AKOEM is a research-oriented interdisciplinary Master’s degree programme. It is aimed at students who are interested in archaeology and cultural heritage, languages and texts, history and politics, cultures and religions of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Students acquire specialist knowledge of the ancient Mediterranean regions based on current research issues. They will be able to classify regional historical phenomena in a broader context. By integrating Christian and Islamic theology as well as Jewish studies, the interface between the eastern Mediterranean region can be studied from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students achieve methodological skills through excellent courses, practical exercises and project management activities.

The University of Münster offers an outstanding study environment which is characterized by a large number of subjects in ancient studies. Students can choose from a wide range of ancient languages: Akkadian, Sumerian, Hittite, Ugaritic, (Hieroglyphic) Egyptian, Demotic, Hieratic, Coptic, Aramaic, Syriac, Classical Arabic. Its scientists are involved in archaeological field research projects all around the Mediterranean in which students also participate.

As most of the courses are taught in German, good knowledge of German is essential (level C1 / DSH 2).

At the University of Münster, no tuition fee is charged. However, enrolled students pay a “semester fee”, currently €317.48. This includes various services, inter alia, local transport all over Germany.

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NEWS

Important Notes for the Winter Semester 2024/25

AKOEM course catalog winter semester 2024 (only available in German)
The course catalog will be updated on this page - if necessary. Also pay attention to the notices in the institutes and the LSF portal. Remember that you need to register in advance for some courses; up-to-date information can be found in the  electronic course catalog.

ERASMUS information event
The Department of Ancient History invites you to an ERASMUS information event on Monday, 18 November, 4 p.m. in F 4 (Fürstenberghaus, Domplatz 20-22).

Orientation meeting for first semester students
The orientation meeting will take place on Thursday, October 17. You will receive a personal invitation.

Welcome Back Meeting
Date: Monday 7. October. We will start at 3 pm.

Introductory events and preliminary discussions
Some institutes and departments offer special introductory events, which we highly recommend.

Registration for courses in history
The registration phase for the summer semester for seminars as well as the tutorials will take place electronically. Participation is regulated by a distribution procedure based on ballots. After the end of the registration period, the results will be published. Confirmation of acceptance of the seminar place is then required.
Students beginning AKOEM studies in the winter semester should first contact Dr. Moustakis to coordinate course assignments.

Registration for courses in Classical and Christian Archaeology
The registration ends on 09.10.2024.
 

Master "Ancient Cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean (AKOEM)"

28 institutes teach in one program: Interdisciplinary - Study abroad - Digital Humanities ... and freedom for your projects

All disciplines of ancient studies networked in the GKM participate in the study program "Ancient Cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean (AKOEM)". The usual concentration on Greek and Roman antiquity is thus specifically expanded in this study program.

This expansion is made possible by:

the broad range of theologies: Faculty of Protestant Theology including Jewish Studies, Faculty of Catholic Theology, Orthodox Theology, Institute for Jewish Studies, Islamic Studies

the numerous archaeologies: Archaeology of Egypt, Archaeology of the Near East, Biblical Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Christian Archaeology, Prehistoric and Early Historic Archaeology.

the wide range of ancient languages: Akkadian, Aramaic, Ancient Armenian, Ancient Greek, Ancient Persian, Demotic, Etruscan, Hebrew, Hittite, Hieratic, Hieroglyphic Egyptian, Coptic, Latin, Sumerian, Syriac, Classical Chinesse, and Classical Arabic.

Courses from the field of Digital Humanities also provide an understanding of the requirements and challenges of digitization in textual sciences and archaeologies.

The program is designed for students who are interested in the languages and texts, the history and politics, the cultures and religions, the material and ideal legacies of the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as current issues, and who deliberately choose this interdisciplinary program for this purpose.

Our goal: an optimal study program. We are constantly working towards this goal in consultation with students, lecturers, student advisors and the examination office.

Guest article by Franziska Prokopetz in the university newspaper wissen.leben
Beitrag Wissen-leben 12-2019 Akoem-1
© Uni MS_Sophie Pieper

Why study "Ancient Cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean"?

Experience has shown that I look into astonished faces when I talk about my Master's program "Ancient Cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean (AKOEM)". But it is more diverse than some people might think when they hear the word "antiquity": As AKOEM students, we can choose from the courses offered by 22 institutes. This means that we can choose from the entire spectrum of ancient studies at the University of Münster, from Ancient Oriental Studies to Cyprus Studies. In order not to lose the overview in the abundance of offers, we decide at the beginning of our studies for a specialization: languages and texts or archaeology and cultural history. It is important for us to draw a red thread through our studies by choosing the courses. A great support for me is the proximity to the teachers, who advise me on questions. Numerous excursions, conferences and the opportunity to take part in an excavation myself also provide a valuable change of pace. "Interesting, and what will you do with it later?" is a typical reaction. For me, I have already done some internships in journalism - so that would be an option. In the future, however, I would like to get to know other professional fields, and there are many of them. Whether in museums, research institutes, libraries or excavations in the Mediterranean region: the choice is wide - just like in my studies.

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AKOEM on Instagram

The Master's program "Ancient Cultures of the Eastern Mediterranean (AKOEM)" is also active on Instagram.

Feel free to take a look!

Certificate program

Hebrew

Doing a certificate program in parallel with the master's program AKOEM: a good idea.

Certificate program

Digital Humanities

Doing a certificate program in parallel with the master's program AKOEM: a good idea.

E-learning advice
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E-learning advice

The Department of Ancient History has compiled a number of important tools, links, text collections, as well as handouts.
Feel free to use them via this link.

Emails arrive late? Videos can't be downloaded from Learnweb? There is a lot going on at the moment and problems can occur. WWU IT will keep you informed about current problems.

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Internships and jobs


All University of Münster students can search for internships and jobs on the KAP.WWU portal and present themselves.
Employers can advertise internships and jobs and present their company.
Access via this link.

Student mobility within Germany
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PONS - The exchange program of German universities

The PONS networks enable students to change their place of study in Germany; they are comparable to the Erasmus partnerships. In addition to the organizational framework and coordination, the PONS exchange program awards scholarships and is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation.
The following institutes of Münster University are currently involved in PONS:
Institute for Classical Archaeology and Christian Archaeology
Institute for Ancient Oriental Studies and Near Eastern Archaeology
Institute for Prehistoric and Early Historic Archaeology
Institute for Egyptology and Coptology

Studierendenmobilität international
Outgoing
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Study visits in Europe and worldwide

The institutes involved in the master's program AKOEM are well networked worldwide. There are numerous programs that enable a stay abroad (both for studies and internships):
Erasmus+, Promos, Fullbright, DAAD ...
Contact person for AKOEM students: Dr. Nikola Moustakis