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Original perspectives on the ancient world

The Classics Research Division has a proud history stretching back more than 100 years. It is renowned for its world-leading insights into the cultures, histories, societies, languages, religions and material remains of the ancient Mediterranean.

We consider the ancient world as a single entity, investigating the interactions between its civilizations, social groups and their legacies. Combining the best of traditional and modern approaches, we examine both the centres and shifting geographical and cultural boundaries at the peripheries.

Our research also investigates the ancient world as cultural capital, available for use and re-use by a range of cultures in Europe and beyond.

Our research activity is organised in three research clusters:

  • Communities and Networks looks at the internal make-up of ancient communities and the networks within which they operated. 
  • Disciplinary Interfaces challenges conceptual boundaries imposed by previous generations of scholarship. Key areas investigated by this cluster are: interactions and continuities between different regions and cultures; interactions between languages; and chronological continuities.
  • Legacies focuses on how ancient culture was received both within antiquity and in the modern period, as well as studying its contemporary relevance.

With the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology at our heart, the Division attracts students, researchers, visitors and staff from across the globe and boasts strong international connections and collaborations at research and teaching level.

Professor Eleanor Dickey has created an ancient schoolroom to engage schoolchildren with the ancient world.

research highlights

Virtual Rome: Professor Matthew Nicholls

Historians and tourists can take a virtual step back in time to explore the iconic and ancient city of Rome thanks to the expertise of a Classics Research Division academic.

Created by Professor Matthew Nicholls, the expansive, multi-award-winning digital model depicts Rome as it stood in 315 AD and features all the major monuments and the many square miles of ordinary housing, tombs and commercial buildings. 

Virtual Rome provides a view of the entire city, with all structures in their proper contexts, and is shedding new light on history’s shadows. For example, the model can be used to investigate questions of sight lines, illumination and routes through the metropolis. Find out more about this research or for more information visit the Virtual Rome website.

The Reading Ancient Schoolroom: Professor Eleanor Dickey

What did ancient children do in school? How did they act? Did they all arrive at the same time, listen to lectures from the teacher, and raise their hands when they wanted to speak, as schoolchildren often do today? 

The Reading Ancient Schoolroom is a historically accurate reconstruction of an ancient schoolroom based on the research of Professor Eleanor Dickey, who was made a fellow of the British Academy in 2014. It gives modern children an immersive experience of antiquity, acting the part of ancient children, wearing their clothes and using their writing equipment. 

The Ancient Schoolroom

Professor Eleanor Dickey has created a historically accurate reconstruction of an ancient schoolroom, giving modern children an immersive experience of antiquity.

Study Opportunities

We pride ourselves on our thriving, prolific – and thoroughly inclusive – research community. With the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology at the Classics Research Division's heart, we attract students, researchers, visitors, and staff from all over the world.

As an ongoing commitment to the next generation of academic teachers and researchers, we also regularly advertise positions for Graduate Teaching Assistants.

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2025/26
2026/27