The Department of Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology & Egyptology at the University of Manchester is pleased to invite applications for doctoral study in Classics and Ancient History, and to the AHRC North West Consortium Doctoral Training Programme (NWCDTP) Classics Pathway for associated funding.

Classics and Ancient History at the University of Manchester includes academic experts in a broad range of aspects of Greek and Latin literature and Greek and Roman cultural, social and political history from the Archaic period to late antiquity and we welcome applications across our broad range of specialisms. Particular research strengths at the University of Manchester include: Greek epigraphy and its reception; ancient epistolography; Augustan poetry; papyrology; the ancient life-course from birth to old age; archaic Greek poetry; Pre-Socratic and Classical Philosophy; Egyptian history from dynastic to Roman and early Christian periods; the language, literature and social history of technical subjects in the ancient world, especially medicine and law; Indo-European comparative and historical linguistics; the history of the Latin and Greek languages; Greek and Latin historiography; Hellenistic poetry; archaic Greek lyric.

Classics and Ancient History are part of a department that also includes Archaeology and Egyptology, thus offering unique opportunities for collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches to the past. The Department comprises over 20 permanent staff plus several temporary staff including postdocs, a dedicated fieldwork and lab technician, a departmental reference library and common room. Weekly research seminars offer the opportunity to hear about research from colleagues across the UK, and for our own PhD students to present their work in a supportive setting. There is a weekly lunch for all staff and postgraduates, MA and PhD, and visitors. The Department has strong links with several research centres, including the Manchester Centre for Archaeology & Egyptology, the Centre for the Cultural History of War, and the Cultural Theory Institute. For further details, visit the departmental staff profiles website: https://www.alc.manchester.ac.uk/classics-and-ancient-history/about/people/

The AHRC scheme encourages cross-institutional projects and co-supervision between members of the Classics & Ancient History Pathway of the NWCDTP, andwe would particularly welcome applications from students who would like to take up this opportunity. Pathway members are the University of ManchesterUniversity of LiverpoolUniversity of Lancaster, and Manchester Metropolitan University. Particular shared strengths across the Pathway include: Greek and Latin literature; Egyptian history from dynastic to Roman and early Christian periods; Demotic, Greek and Coptic papyrology; Greek and Roman history; the pre-modern life course from birth to old age; Pre-Socratic and Classical Philosophy; and Digital Humanities. Although supervision may be shared across institutions, these are not joint PhDs, but are based in a single university; anyone wanting to explore the possibility of co-supervision should, therefore, contact in the first instance the department in which they intend to register as a PhD student. Current funded students in the Classics Pathway are active in organising training sessions, reading groups, workshops and other events, and are supported by a strong network of colleagues and graduate students across all four institutions.

Interested applicants are advised to contact potential supervisors and departments in advance of submitting an application. Please note that for consideration under the NWCDTP scheme, candidates must have submitted an application to study a PhD at the University of Manchester by 13 January 2019. Eligible applicants must then complete and submit the AHRC NWCDTP Application Form by 5pm GMT, 7 February 2019.  Please note that this is a strict deadline and applications received after 5pm will not be included in the competition.

For information on applying to the University of Manchester for a PhD in Classics or Ancient History, please visit this webpage: https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/programmes/list/02945/phd-classics-and-ancient-history/

Full details of the NWCDTP scheme can be found here: http://www.nwcdtp.ac.uk/

Potential applicants to the University of Manchester are requested in the first instance to contact their preferred PhD supervisor and Dr Ina Berg (NWCDTP Classics Pathway Co-ordinator) [email protected]) with an outline of their background and proposed area of research.

Queries about the Classics Pathway overall may be directed to: [email protected]