What does "The Classics" mean?

Question

I'm doing research, and I found out something about a school that "specializes in the classics". That's all it says, there's no real context. The school is just mentioned in passing. What does that mean? What are the classics - literature, music, etc.? All of them? How far back does it go?

I'm trying to say something like "The school taught the classics, like Shakespeare and Bach", but I don't know if those fall under the category. I am aware that the music that Bach wrote was classical music, but is his music one of 'the classics'?

Here's the sentence:

He enrolled in Massimo d'Azeglio liceo classico, a secondary school specialising in the classics.

Answer 1

What I found was that the "classics" is the study of the language, literature, history, art, and other aspects of the ancient Mediterranean world—particularly ancient Greece and Rome during the period known as classical antiquity. As a plural noun "classics" can refer to texts written in the ancient Mediterranean world. The study of classics was the original study of the humanities and remains important in that branch of learning today.
What I would do is look up classical antiquity and see where it mentions Homer etc.

Answer 2

If I had to guess, you mean St Johns College (not St Johns University) whose curriculum is based on the "Great Books" theory of Liberal Arts education. In this sense "classics" means books which have stood the test of time and garnered consistent accolades from people in the field with which the book is associated.

The other potential academic meaning would be the study of the classical world which was traditionally ancient Greece and Rome in its heyday. It may have been expanded, in some cases, to Egypt and the Fertile Crescent.

Some classical music might be considered part of the first definition of the classics and some of Bach, I would think, would be included if any music is included. On the other hand, classical music as a whole is much broader than the classics and describes a general style of music.

Answer 3

Classics (with capial 'C', noun uncountable) is the study of the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, especially their languages, literature, and philosophy.

Answer 4

the classics means generally considered to be of the highest quality or lasting value, especially in the arts

Answer 5

I see why you are having trouble - this is too vague to really know what they are referencing.

Answer 6

old but very special and popular

Answer 7

something like old but very special and popular.