Classical Archaeology and Ancient History

An MPhil/PhD is an advanced postgraduate research degree that requires original research and the submission of a substantial dissertation of 60,000 to 100,000 words. At Birkbeck, you are initially registered on an MPhil and you upgrade to a PhD after satisfactory progress in the first year or two. You need to find a suitable academic supervisor at Birkbeck, who can offer the requisite expertise to guide and support you through your research. Find out more about undertaking a research degree at Birkbeck.

A research degree offers you the opportunity to acquire a highly advanced set of conceptual skills developed in the pursuit of new knowledge, which can be applied within or beyond an academic or scholarly context. Research training in any academic discipline helps to channel creativity into critical innovatory reasoning. The legitimate authority of original, independent research depends upon persuasive analytical arguments supported by critically evaluated evidence.

Our current research interests include: the cultural and social history of ancient Greece; the Hellenistic world; ancient Italy and Rome; the reception of the 'classical' past within ancient and modern worlds; the study of approaches to identity in the ancient world; and cultural change in the Hellenistic and Roman worlds.

Highlights

• Birkbeck was ranked in the top eight universities in the UK for its History research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
• Birkbeck’s research excellence overall was confirmed in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework with 83% of our research rated world-leading or internationally excellent.
• The Department of History, Classics and Archaeology works closely with staff at the British Museum and the British School at Rome, as well as with archaeological superintendents in Italy, and can give advice about summer schools in both Athens and Rome.
• Read about Birkbeck research that crosses disciplines and focuses on pressing questions within the social sciences and humanities.

PhD students resident in England can apply for government loans of over £26,000 to cover the cost of tuition fees, maintenance and other study-related costs.

Flexible finance: pay your fees in monthly instalments at no extra cost. Enrol early to spread your costs and reduce your monthly payments.

Named in memory of Birkbeck’s former President, and one of the greatest historians of the twentieth century, the Eric Hobsbawm Postgraduate Scholarship fund offers financial assistance for research expenses (including travel, accommodation, conference fees and particular training needs) to doctoral students in the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology, subject to availability.

Read more about other funding opportunities for research students within the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology.

Find out about other research funding opportunities at Birkbeck (including the School of School of Social Sciences, History and Philosophy).