Greek and Roman material culture

Qualifications Duration Start dates Application period
PhD
(MPhil also available)
Full time: 3–4 years
Part time: 6–8 years
February and October January to April
Qualifications
PhD (MPhil also available)
Duration
Full time: 3–4 years
Part time: 6–8 years
Start dates
February and October
Application period
January to April

The Classical Studies discipline has distinctive expertise in the material culture of the ancient world. Staff research in this area covers a wide range of topics, including votive offerings from ancient sanctuaries, the archaeology of Etruscan Italy, ancient dress, ceramics, and Roman funerary monuments. The members of the Material Culture research area share an interest in placing the objects, sites and monuments of antiquity into their broader social contexts, identifying how they have shaped (and been shaped by) the ideas and practices of different cultures. Our work is marked by a commitment to interdisciplinary activities, whether this be ‘reading’ images alongside literary texts, or applying anthropological and scientific approaches to the study of the classical past. We are involved in several national and international collaborations, and organise excavations and conferences with a range of partner institutions.

If you would like to join us as a full- or part-time research student, please contact us for an informal preliminary discussion. A well thought-out research proposal which sets out specific research questions and your strategies for addressing them, and which outlines the originality of your topic or approach, will enhance your chances of admission. We are always glad to offer advice before application (for example on how your project might enhance existing work in the field; what facilities you would need; what ancient and/or modern language ability you need for your project; and how you could participate in the discipline's research culture and engage with students in other universities).

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) and an MA with a minimum grade of merit. If you are not a UK citizen, you may need to prove your knowledge of English

Potential research projects

  • The archaeology of Roman Italy
  • The archaeology of Rome’s northern provinces
  • Pre-Roman Italy and the Etruscans
  • Greek and Roman art, especially its social and religious uses
  • Roman funerary traditions and monuments
  • The classical body
  • The reception of Greek and Roman art and epigraphy
  • Dress in the Roman Empire

Current/recent research projects

  • The Social Significance of Curse Tablets in the Latin West
  • The Materiality of Magical Practices in Roman Britain
  • New Materialist Approaches to Sensory changes in Etruscan Tombs
  • Ritual and identity: British collections of Bronze Figurines from First-Millennium BC pre-Roman Italy

Potential supervisors

Fees and funding

UK fee International fee
Full time: £4,712 per year Full time: £11,958 per year
Part time: £2,356 per year Part time: £5,979 per year

Some of our research students are funded via the Open‐Oxford‐Cambridge AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership; others are self-funded.

For detailed information about fees and funding, visit Fees and studentships.

To see current funded studentship vacancies across all research areas, see Current studentships.

Links

Capitoline Wolf, Italy
 

How to apply

Get in touch

If you have an enquiry specific to this research topic, please contact:

Dr Jasmine Hunter Evans andDr Marchella Ward
Email: FASS-ClassicalStudies-Enquiries
Phone: +44 (0)1908 653247

Apply now

If you’re interested in applying for this research topic, please take a look at the application process.