1. Handbook
  2. Subjects
  3. Underworld and Afterlife

Underworld and Afterlife (ANCW30011)

Undergraduate level 3Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

You’re viewing the 2026 Handbook:
Or view archived Handbooks

Overview

Availability
Semester 2 - On Campus
FeesLook up fees

"Do you think I am absurd enough to believe such tales?!"
—Cicero (Roman author), Tusculan Disputations

Underworld and Afterlife explores some of the many and varied ways that death is an integral part of the human experience. This subject analyses and interprets a wide selection of evidence from the ancient Mediterranean. It investigates the worlds of Egypt, Greece, and Rome through their literature, material objects, and visual art. Ranging from Egyptian sarcophagi to Greek philosophy to Roman funerary monuments, Underworld and Afterlife considers:

• What kind of afterlife is there? What does it take to reach it?
• Where is the afterlife located? How does it fit into the known universe?
• What role do gods play in the transition from life to death?
• How do people process and adapt to the death of members of their community?
• What role do the dead play in the lives of the living?

Interrogating the surviving primary sources and the most up-to-date scholarship, this subject seeks answers to the questions that have remained central to human cultures and societies throughout history.

This subject will also include a fieldtrip to Melbourne General Cemetery in Week 8.

Intended learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students should be able to: 

  • Reflect on ancient myths and rituals discussed in the subject and the primary sources available for their study
  • Identify and articulate the relationships between funerary rituals and objects and the social, religious, and political contexts of their production
  • Identify and critically engage with scholarship
  • Implement their own academic practice an understanding of the expectations of scholarship in the discipline of Ancient World Studies
  • Communicate interpretations of ancient funerary ritual, objects, and theories effectively, both orally and in writing
  • Approach all evidence about Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Greek, and Roman culture and society with intellectual honesty and a respect for ethical values
  • Work effectively, in groups and independently, to identify, discuss and critically analyse key issues in the interpretation of ancient funerary culture and society.

Generic skills

On completion of this subject, students should be able to: 

  • Develop critical thinking skills to analyse and evaluate concepts, beliefs, considering multiple perspectives, and supporting evidence
  • Communicate effectively in writing and synthesis an argument in cogent form
  • Evaluate the impact of social, ethical, and cultural contexts
  • Acquire greater confidence in tackling unfamiliar problems
  • Reflect on the communication conventions of another culture
  • Conduct independent research and effectively manage information. 

 

Last updated: 11 December 2025