Classics and Ancient History PhD / MPhil

Research themes

Our research themes are: 

• Administration and empire: Reconstructing the processes by which power is asserted (and undermined) through administrative offices and officials from the centre to peripheries of the Persian and Roman empires through the fragmentary documentary record
• Antiquity beyond antiquity: Exploring the complex and continual interplay between antiquity and later periods from the fall of the Roman empire in the west up to the present day: from the translation, adaptation and transformation of ancient texts and artefacts in modern contexts, to the social, cultural, intellectual and political impacts of encounters with the literary and material remains of antiquity
• Bodies: Examining the body as a locus of human experience and identity in Greco-Roman antiquity, combining insights from sociology, psychology, and medicine and applying Digital Humanities tools to consider the body displayed, dismembered, dissected and in decline
• Cultural interactions: Investigating the exchange of practices and ideas that occur when people and cultures come into contact with one another through conflict, settlement, and economic exchange across the Greco-Roman world
• Life cycles and life histories: Following the individual in antiquity from early youth to old age through the material and written record, shedding light on physiological and sociological developments in relation to gender and status within the community, and examining biographies in ancient Greek and Latin literature
• Literature and power: Examining how literature of different periods and genres engages with questions about the nature of power, facilitates the negotiation of social and political relationships, and supports or subverts political power and ideologies in the Classical world
• Local and regional economies: Offering ground-up perspectives on economic life in antiquity, from household production through local markets, inter-polis networks and cross-Mediterranean trade, and from production to consumption, with attention to the exploitation and supply of resources, markets and retail
• Religious experience and belief: Exploring religious practice and belief and the interrelationship between the two across the ancient Mediterranean, with a focus on lived experience and activities often considered on the margins of religious life like medicine, mystery cults and oracles
• Sympotic culture and literature: Understanding the social, political, economic and philosophical aspects of drinking together in ancient Greece, from the Archaic to Imperial periods, and the role of the symposion in intellectual and literary culture.

Facilities

Our library collection reflects the full range of our expertise in Classics and Ancient History. Students have access to our extensive digital resources, which include dedicated databases for Greek and Latin texts, bibliographical tools, online reference materials, subject-oriented search engines, and specialist books and journals held in the Sydney Jones library of the University of Liverpool (open 24/7 during term time).

The Garstang Museum of Archaeology has outstanding archaeological collections including coins, vases, inscriptions and other artefacts from important Classical sites which form the basis for research projects. Collections of papyri and inscriptions are also hosted by the Liverpool World Museum and the Library Special Collections & Archives.

Training is available in a wide range of ancient languages, including Greek, Latin, Egyptian, Coptic, Sumerian and Akkadian. Students can also study modern languages which may be necessary for their research via Liverpool’s flagship Open Languages programme.

We have a dedicated IT suite for Digital Humanities research, including digital mapping, image analysis, photogrammetry and reconstructions. Students interested in using software to analyse either texts or images are encouraged to discuss software and training requirements with us.

The Elizabeth Slater Archaeology Research Laboratories include facilities for environmental, faunal and archaeobotanical studies, trace element and stable isotope analysis, metallography and petrography, and are a valuable resource for students studying ancient Greece and Rome through their material remains.

Our postgraduate research community benefits from funding support made available to PGRs to undertake fieldwork and other forms of primary data collection, attend academic conferences in the UK and abroad, and organize postgraduate research events. In addition to the funding and training opportunities provided by the Liverpool Doctoral College, the School of Histories, Languages and Cultures (HLC) and ACE have dedicated budgets for supporting PGR research and training activities including:

• HLC Postgraduate Research Fund (Postgraduate travel and research expenses: up to £500 per year for full-time/FT PGRs; £250 per year for part-time/PT).

• The Peet Travel Award (up to £500) is available to support travel and associated costs for research into the archaeology and languages of the pre-Classical Mediterranean, including Egypt and the Near East, as well as the archaeology of early Greece and Rome.

• Dedicated, tailored support for PGR applications to external competitive funding schemes (e.g., PGR funding opportunities available through independent bodies such as the Arts & Humanities Research Council, the British Institute at Ankara, the British Schools in Athens and Rome, the British Institute for the Study of Iraq, the Council for British Research in the Levant, the Egypt Exploration Society, etc.)

Research groups

Our Classics and Ancient History research groups provide a dynamic forum for the exchange of new concepts and cutting-edge knowledge produced by staff and postgraduate researchers. This is achieved through our dedicated seminar series which provide opportunities for academic and research staff, and research postgraduates to present their research, develop their research profile, and interact with other leading figures in their fields from the UK and abroad who participate in departmental research events as invited speakers.

• Receptions
• Ancient Religions
• Literary Culture of the Roman Empire
• Ancient Economies

The fees below reflect one year of study during the 2024/25 academic year

The fees stated in the table above exclude potential research support fees also known as ‘bench fees’. You will be notified of any fee which may apply in your offer letter.

* Please note that if you are undertaking a PhD within the Faculty of Science and Engineering the fee you pay, Band A or Band B, will reflect the nature of your research project. Some research projects incur a higher fee than others e.g. if you are required to undertake laboratory work. You will be informed of the fee for your programme in your offer letter.

^ Self-funded, full-time international students studying a PhD programme classified as Band A will receive a £2,000 reduction in their fees for the first year only.