Sem 1 - ‘Rome emerged as the most powerful city-state of its time and grew to rule much of the known world. Learn what started it all, and the strange stories the Romans believed about themselves. Then explore the many great women of Roman history and how they made their mark in an oppressively sexist society. Finally, consider the downfall of the Republic and one of its most potent moments, the meeting in Alexandria of Caesar and Cleopatra of Egypt. Sem 2 - ‘Sappho LGBTQ+ Icon of Archaic Greece: her life, poetry and reception through the ages’ The world’s first female writer, the original Lesbian Sappho - her beautiful love poetry, and the strange long history of how later cultures have tried to tame and sanitise her memory through art and writing.