The Department of Classical Studies, is one of the academic units of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Classics is one of the founding departments in the University of Missouri. Its primary mission is the teaching of the languages, literature, history, and philosophy of ancient Greece and Rome. But its disciplinary range touches virtually all major aspects of early civilization in the Mediterranean's sphere of influence, from the ancient Near East to North Africa, Spain, Gaul, and even Britain. Little happened in these places that does not have some important impact on our world today; understanding those historical conditions and their implications for us today is the goal of Classical Studies.