Postgraduate community

Our postgraduate community is international, making the School the ideal environment for you to share ideas, collaborate on research, gain new perspectives and meet like-minded individuals.

Our department is a very interdisciplinary community that engages across History and Archaeology. This provides a stimulating environment and exchange of ideas. Our community is both diverse and close-knit – you’ll always find someone to talk to about the topic you’re interested in and be supported to conduct your own conferences.

There is always something going on in Classics at Edinburgh, whether it is the weekly Classics research seminar, informal reading groups, international conferences or trips abroad. All this makes for a lively and friendly community in which to study and talk. In addition to our regular staff, every two years sees the arrival of a Leventis Visiting Professor, one of whose duties is to host a major conference.

Former Leventis Visiting Professors:

  • Ewen Bowie (2023) Corpus Christi College, Oxford
  • Roderick Beaton (2021) King's College London
  • M.M. McCabe (2019) King's College London
  • François Lissarrague (2017) École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris
  • Josiah Ober (2015) Stanford University
  • Meg Alexiou (2013) Harvard University
  • Ruth Scodel (2011) University of Michigan
  • John Marincola (2009) Florida State University

In addition to the weekly events, a range of international conferences is routinely hosted by the Classics subject area. Classics staff also regularly organise field trips. In the past these have been to Hadrian’s Wall, the Bay of Naples, Athens, Tunisia, and other locations. You are encouraged to participate in fieldwork, including on excavations run by current members of staff.

Seminars

We offer a range of seminar series through which you can further your interests.

  • Classics research seminars: a forum for the exchange of ideas and the promotion of new research and debate among the research community, both within and outside the University. All welcome.
  • Classics Postgraduate Seminar Series: a weekly seminar series featuring postgraduate students from Edinburgh and further afield delivering 40 minute research papers, followed by a Q&A.
  • Archaeology research seminars: an opportunity for discussion of current research developments on a range of archaeological themes from diverse chronological and geographical areas.

In addition, the School offers a diverse range of regular seminar series and many standalone events.

Societies

The Classics department is very active. We welcome many visiting scholars to further enhance your opportunities to learn, and you’ll be able to make connections beyond the University through our visiting researchers.

You may also be interested in the Edinburgh University Archaeology Society (ArchSoc) which host regular research seminars throughout the academic year, which are open to all.

Our staff are actively involved in a number of classical societies based in Scotland.

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