skip to content

Faculty of Classics

 

For the last 50 years, at least, Greek and Roman historians in Cambridge have been grappling with big issues about the nature of Greek and Roman society and Greek and Roman politics.  

Cambridge’s current staff in Greek and Roman history, many of whom have had long careers here, introduce themselves on the web-pages to which you will find links below.  As a group they offer expertise that covers the whole range of ancient history from the early Iron Age in Greece to the end of the Roman empire in the west.  They work on the full range of political, economic, social and cultural history.  Above all they work in a methodologically sophisticated way, as keen to tackle the fundamental problems of how one writes the history of past societies at all as to revisit the classic problems of Athenian democracy or late Republican Rome.

The liveliness of the group manifests itself in rich records of individual publication, but also in a range of conference activity, graduate seminars, and workshops every year.  The history of research projects stretches back to the era before research projects were fashionable and in recent years has frequently involved projects that cross into other Faculties and Departments (in particular History and Archaeology).  Greek and Roman history in Cambridge is fully engaged at every level with the whole range of issues and evidence, from the most esoteric technical texts to the most banal archaeological finds.

Graduate students in Ancient History benefit from 24-hour access to the very fine Classics Faculty Library.  Their progress is carefully overseen both by their own supervisor and by a secondary supervisor, and is further subject to annual review.  Faculty funds enable fieldwork (whether independently or through the British Schools of Athens and Rome) and other travel abroad, and attendance at conferences. There are exchange arrangements with a range of European universities (particularly Bologna and Cologne).

The following ancient historians are currently active members of the faculty:


Associate Professor in Classics
Fellow in Classics, Gonville and Caius College
Professor Mary  Beard
Professor of Classics
Professor  Paul  Cartledge
A.G. Leventis Senior Research Fellow, Clare College
Emeritus A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture
 Daniel  Hanigan
Praeceptor in Classics at Corpus Christi College
Supervisor: Prof. Tim Whitmarsh
Title of Thesis: The Politics of Form in Imperial Greek Periplography
Professor Christopher  Kelly
Professor of Classics and Ancient History
Master of Corpus Christi College
Teaching Associate in Classics (Ancient History)
Director of Studies in Classics for Sidney Sussex (Prelim & IA)
 Jannis Frederik Koltermann
Supervisor: Prof. Christopher Whitton
College: Darwin College
Thesis: Beyond Gossip. Suetonius and the Politics of Private Life in Imperial Rome
Dr Alessandro  Launaro
Associate Professor in Classics (Classical Art & Archaeology)
Fellow and Director of Studies in Classics at Gonville & Caius College
Assistant Professor in Classics
Onassis Classics Fellow at Newnham College
Professor Martin  Millett
Laurence Professor of Classical Archaeology
Fellow of Fitzwilliam College
Assistant Professor in Classics (Late Antique and Early Byzantine History)
Fellow and Director of Studies in Classics, Trinity College
Professor Stephen  Oakley
Kennedy Professor of Latin
Fellow of Emmanuel College
University Associate Professor
Fellow and Director of Studies at King's College
Director of Studies at Robinson College
Professor Robin  Osborne
Professor of Ancient History
Fellow at King's College
Senior Lecturer in Classics (Ancient History)
Fellow and Director of Studies at Magdalene College
Director of Studies at Lucy Cavendish College
Dr Jerry  Toner
Fellow and Director of Studies at Churchill College
Director of Studies at Hughes Hall
Professor Caroline  Vout
Professor of Classics
Director of the Museum of Classical Archaeology
Fellow and Director of Studies in Classics at Christ's College
Chair of Cambridge Visual Culture
Byvanck Chair of Classical Archaeology/Art History at the University of Leiden
Professor Andrew  Wallace-Hadrill
Director of Research
Honorary Professor of Roman Studies
Dr Hannah  Willey
Associate Professor of Classics (Ancient History)
Fellow & Director of Studies in Prelim and 1A Classics at Murray Edwards

Latest news

Classics Shorts with Mary Beard: videos for schools

19 February 2023

We are thrilled to be launching Classics Shorts : a series of videos for schools introducing the ancient Greek and Roman worlds and exploring themes with continuing resonance for the modern classroom. Each film is accompanied by teaching materials for use in schools. Celebrity guests join Mary Beard and her colleagues to...

New appointment in Classical Archaeology

10 February 2023

The Faculty is delighted to announce that Dr Jane Rempel has been appointed to an Assistant Professorship in Classics from 1 September 2023. She is currently Lecturer in Classical Archaeology at the University of Sheffield.

Regius Professorship of Greek

16 January 2023

The Faculty is delighted to announce that Professor Tim Whitmarsh FBA has been elected Regius Professor of Greek from 1 April 2023. He is currently the A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture in the University. Looking ahead to his new role, Professor Whitmarsh commented: ’I am thrilled and honoured to be taking up this...

Mary Beard receives THE Outstanding Achievement Award

18 November 2022

Professor Mary Beard received the Outstanding Achievement Award at the 2022 Times Higher Education Awards . The citation hailed how she had “broken through the ivory tower’s walls and brought her unique enthusiasm for her subject – and crucially, what it can teach us about contemporary life and politics – to the world”...