The field Greek History deals with the research of Greek civilisations in Antiquity. Geographically, the area of research spans far over the borders of modern Greece and includes significant centres of Greek settlement: Asia Minor (modern Turkey), the entire area of the Black Sea as well as parts of North Africa, South Italy and the Levant. Chronologically, the focus lies on the period between the 8th century BCE and the 3rd century CE. The department has an emphasis on the Hellenistic period (336–30 BCE) and the Roman period (27 BCE – 284 CE).

The research questions as well as the utilised methods in the field of Greek History always reflect the recent developments in the humanities and historical sciences: In the past, the focus was set on the history of politics and events, while 20th century research increasingly concentrated on cultural, social, religious and economic history. The analysis and evaluation of primary sources, such as inscriptions, papyri, coins and archaeological evidence, as well as the interpretation of literary sources play an outstanding role in our research. Statistical methods, interdisciplinary approaches and the field of digital humanities are applied here more and more frequently.