The Department of Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology & Egyptology (CAHAE) 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 Partnership (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: ancient epistolography (both Greek and Latin); Augustan poetry; archaic Greek poetry, esp. lyric; Hellenistic poetry; pre-Socratic and classical philosophy; Greek and Latin historiography; Greek epigraphy and its reception; the ancient life-course from birth to old age; papyrology; 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.

Classics and Ancient History forms 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 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.  We have strong links with several research centres, including the Manchester Centre for Archaeology & Egyptology, the Centre for the Cultural History of War, and the Manchester Centre for Correspondence Studies. For further details, please visit our departmental staff profiles website via: www.manchester.ac.uk/classics

The AHRC scheme encourages cross-institutional projects and co-supervision between members of the Classics pathway of the NWCDTP, and we would particularly welcome applications from students who would like to take up this opportunity. Pathway members are the University of Liverpool, University of Lancaster, Manchester Metropolitan University, and the University of Manchester.  Our shared strengths across the pathway include: Greek and Latin literature; Greek and Roman history and religions; Egyptian history from dynastic to Roman, Christian and early Islamic periods; Demotic, Greek and Coptic papyrology; the ancient life course, from conception to old age; Pre-Socratic and Classical Philosophy; and Digital Humanities. Supervision may be shared across institutions, though they 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 shared training opportunities and a strong network of colleagues and graduate students across all four institutions.

We particularly welcome applications from students from backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in Higher Education, and are committed to supporting those communities that often have been marginalised. The NWCDTP is working to address imbalances and to promote equality of opportunity: this year there are two ring-fenced studentships available for students from a BAME background.

We advise interested applicants contact potential supervisors and departments in advance of submitting an application. Please note that for consideration under the NWCDTP scheme for a project at Manchester, candidates must have submitted an application to study a PhD at the University of Manchester by 14 January 2022. Eligible applicants must then complete and submit the AHRC NWCDTP application form by 5pm GMT, 4 February 2022.  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 & 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 Prof. Andrew Morrison (NWCDTP Classics pathway lead) with an outline of their academic background and proposed area of research.