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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
AG Leventis Professor of Greek Culture
Professor Christopher  Kelly
Professor of Classics and Ancient History
Master of Corpus Christi College
Junior Research Fellow, Christ's College
Teaching Associate in Classics (Ancient History)
Director of Studies in Classics for Sidney Sussex (Prelim & IA)
Dr Alessandro  Launaro
Professor of Roman 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
Emeritus Laurence Professor of Classical Archaeology
Life 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
Emeritus 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
Professor of Ancient History
Fellow and Director of Studies, St John's College
Dr Jerry  Toner
Fellow and Director of Studies at Churchill College
Director of Studies at Hughes Hall
Professor of Classics
Director of the Museum of Classical Archaeology
Fellow in Classics at Christ's College and Director of Studies, Prelim and IA
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

VIEWS Visiting Fellowships and Remote Inclusivity Fellowships

31 March 2025

The Faculty is pleased to announce that the UKRI funded VIEWS project has launched this year’s visiting fellowship competition, with a new virtual fellowship aimed at tackling inequalities in academia alongside the usual competition. For more information see here . The deadline for both competitions is Friday 23rd May 2025...

Assistant Professor in Classics (Greek and Latin Language Teaching)

25 March 2025

The Faculty of Classics is seeking to appoint an Assistant Professor in Classics (Greek and Latin Language Teaching) from 1 September 2025. Teaching responsibilities include contributing to the development and delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate language courses in ancient Greek and Latin, including ab initio...

Trinity College Project Completion Grant

28 February 2025

The Faculty is delighted to announce that Dr Frisbee Sheffield has been awarded a Trinity College Project Completion Grant. The award, for Mid-Career Researchers in the Humanities, will enable a period of research leave in Lent Term 2026 in connection with a project on Socrates and the Ethics of Conversation.

Teaching Associate in Ancient History (Temporary Cover)

21 February 2025

The Faculty of Classics is seeking to appoint a Temporary Teaching Associate in Classics (Ancient History) from 1 October 2025 (or as soon as possible thereafter) for two years. This post is open to those, at any stage in their career, with a primary research and teaching interest in ancient history. The Faculty is...