Classics and Ancient History

Introduction

The Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology is internationally reputed for its world-class interdisciplinary research. Our long-standing research into the economies of the Greek, Egyptian and Roman worlds means that our postgraduate researchers can draw on a strong interdisciplinary research environment.

With individual specialisms ranging from papyrology, epigraphy and digital humanities to literary analysis and the interrogation of visual and material culture, we ask fundamental questions and challenge orthodoxies. When you study with us, you’ll be encouraged to be innovative, bold and open in your investigations.

To help you excel in your field of study, we offer training in a wide range of ancient languages, including Greek, Latin, Egyptian, Coptic, Sumerian and Akkadian. You can also study modern languages on the University’s flagship Open Languages programme .

We have dedicated budgets for supporting research and training activities, including the Histories, Languages and Cultures Postgraduate Research Fund and The Peet Travel Award . We’ll also provide you with tailored support for applications to external competitive funding schemes.

Research topics

Our Classics and Ancient History PhD/MPhil covers a broad range of potential topics for investigation. We welcome research proposals in topics including:

Reconstructing the processes by which power is asserted (and undermined) through administrative offices and officials from the centre to peripheries of the Persian and Roman empires through fragmentary documentary record.

Exploring the interplay between antiquity and later periods from the fall of the Roman empire in the west up to the present day.

Examining the body as a locus of human experience and identity in Greco-Roman antiquity.

Investigating the exchange of practices and ideas that occur when people and cultures come into contact with one another through conflict, settlement, and economic exchange across the Greco-Roman world.

Following the individual in antiquity from early youth to old age through the material and written record in ancient Greek and Latin literature.

Examining how literature of different periods and genres engages with questions about the nature of power, facilitates the negotiation of social and political relationships, and supports or subverts political power and ideologies in the Classical world.

Offering ground-up perspectives on economic life in antiquity, from household production through local markets, inter-polis networks and cross-Mediterranean trade, and from production to consumption.

Exploring religious practice and belief and the interrelationship between the two across the ancient Mediterranean, with a focus on lived experience and activities often considered on the margins of religious life.

Understanding the social, political, economic and philosophical aspects of drinking together in ancient Greece, from the Archaic to Imperial periods, and the role of the symposion in intellectual and literary culture.

Research culture

The University of Liverpool has pioneered the study of the ancient world for more than 120 years.

Our areas of expertise include:

Our classics and ancient history research groups and seminar series provide a forum for the exchange of new concepts and knowledge produced by staff and postgraduate researchers. This gives you the opportunity to present your research, develop your research profile, and interact with other leading figures in your field of study from the UK and abroad.

(Research Excellence Framework, 2021)

• Ancient Greek society, culture, politics, religion and medicine
• Philosophy
• Ancient Greek and Latin literature
• Literary cultures of the Roman empire
• The politics, economy and administration of Ancient Rome
• Receptions of Classical antiquity in the modern world.

How to apply

• 1. Identify potential supervisors It would be useful to contact potential supervisors before you begin your application, as we can only consider applications from candidates that can be supervised by our academic staff. Find potential supervisors in the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology. For any questions about finding a supervisor, please contact Postgraduate Research Enquiries: hlc-pgr@liverpool.ac.uk .

1. Identify potential supervisors

• 2. Prepare your application documents You may need the following documents to complete your online application: A research proposal (this should cover the research you’d like to undertake) University transcripts and degree certificates to date Passport details (international applicants only) English language certificates (international applicants only) A personal statement A curriculum vitae (CV) Contact details for two proposed supervisors Names and contact details of two referees.

2. Prepare your application documents

• A research proposal (this should cover the research you’d like to undertake)
• University transcripts and degree certificates to date
• Passport details (international applicants only)
• English language certificates (international applicants only)
• A personal statement
• A curriculum vitae (CV)
• Contact details for two proposed supervisors
• Names and contact details of two referees.
• 3. Apply Finally, register and apply online. You'll receive an email acknowledgment once you've submitted your application. We'll be in touch with further details about what happens next.

Fees and funding

Your tuition fees, funding your studies, and other costs to consider.

UK fees (applies to Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland)

Full-time place, per year - £5,238 Part-time place, per year - £2,619

International fees

Full-time place, per year - £25,350 Part-time place, per year - £12,650

Fees stated are for 2026/27 and may be subject to change for academic year 2027/28. The University may administer inflationary rises to international fees in subsequent academic years as you progress through the course.

Additional costs

We understand that budgeting for your time at university is important, and we want to make sure you understand any costs that are not covered by your tuition fee. This could include buying a laptop, books, or stationery.

Find out more about the additional study costs that may apply to this degree, as well as general student living costs .

Funding your PhD

If you're a UK national, or have settled status in the UK, you may be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan worth up to £30,301 to help with course fees and living costs.

There’s also a variety of alternative sources of funding . These include funded research opportunities and financial support from UK research councils, charities and trusts. Your supervisor may be able to help you secure funding.

We've set the country or region your qualifications are from as United Kingdom . Change it here.

Scholarships and bursaries

We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries that could help pay your tuition fees and living expenses.

Duncan Norman Research Scholarship

If you’re awarded this prestigious scholarship, you’ll receive significant funding to support your postgraduate research. This includes full payment of your PhD fees and a cash bursary of £23,000 per year while you study. One award is available in each academic year.

John Lennon Memorial Scholarship

If you’re a UK student, either born in or with strong family connections to Merseyside, you could be eligible to apply for financial support worth up to £12,000 per year for up to three years of full-time postgraduate research (or up to five years part-time pro-rata).

Sport Liverpool Performance Programme

Apply to receive tailored training support to enhance your sporting performance. Our athlete support package includes a range of benefits, from bespoke strength and conditioning training to physiotherapy sessions and one-to-one nutritional advice.

Facilities and resources

You’ll have access to the Garstang Museum of Archaeology , one of the most important collections of antiquities in the UK, as well as collections of papyri and inscriptions hosted by the Liverpool World Museum and the University Library’s Special Collections & Archives .

Our dedicated IT suite for Digital Humanities research includes resources for digital mapping, image analysis, photogrammetry and reconstructions. The Sydney Jones and the Harold Cohen libraries house dedicated databases for Greek and Latin texts, bibliographical tools, online reference materials, subject-oriented search engines, and specialist books and journals.

Careers and employability

Postgraduate researchers gain highly valuable, transferable skills that can be applied to careers in a diverse range of sectors. As a postgraduate researcher in Classics and Ancient History, you’ll master a series of critical, analytical skills that will equip you for a diverse array of career paths.

Graduates from the Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology have been employed in academic roles in institutions such as the University of Liverpool, Durham University, University of Edinburgh, University of Sadat City, and Leiden University.

Outside of academia, graduates have also secured roles working for organisations such as the North West Ambulance Service, Merseyside Police, HM Revenue & Customs, and the Museum of Archaeology.

Career support from day one to graduation and beyond

Once you graduate after completing your PhD, you’ll gain free access to Prosper to help you unlock your potential and kickstart your postdoctoral research career.

Prosper provides structured career development and support, designed specifically for postdocs, in close collaboration with employer partners and principal investigators.

Opportunities include coaching, workshops, webinars and a buddy scheme designed to help you realise the next step in your career journey.

You can also access online resources including the Prosper portal so you can manage your personal and professional development at your own pace.

As a postgraduate researcher at the University of Liverpool, you have access to an exciting portfolio of development opportunities, designed to support your ongoing success and help you realise your ambitions.

These development opportunities, available through The Academy’s PGR Development Hub , are suitable for all subject specialisms. You might be just commencing your research or in the final stages of completing your PhD.

An initial Development Needs Analysis will encourage you to reflect on your abilities. This exploration of your personal, professional and career development needs will form the foundation of a bespoke development plan you’ll agree with your supervisor.

The aim is to immerse yourself in new experiences, engage in development opportunities designed exclusively for postgraduate researchers, and reflect on your progress.

Our campus Career Studio is a space for students and graduates to drop into and talk to a career coach. Career coaches are highly trained to help no matter what stage you are at in planning for your future career.

You can access tailored guidance and support to find and apply for full-time and part-time roles, placements, internships and graduate schemes. You will also find the help you need if you have a start-up idea or want to create a business plan. You can explore the world of work, prepare for job interviews, and access careers events and workshops.

The Career Studio is open Monday to Friday from 10am-5pm, simply drop in at a time that works for you.

Meet our PhD researchers

These are the trailblazers, the leaders, the true originals. Our postgraduate researchers are shaping their future, and the future of the world we live in, advancing knowledge with each discovery.

Entry requirements

Discover the qualifications you'll need to apply for this course.

You’ll typically need a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree and a UK master’s degree or international equivalent (preferably pass of 65% or above) in a relevant subject area.

English language requirements

You'll need to demonstrate competence in the use of English language, unless you’re from a majority English speaking country .

We accept a variety of international language tests and country-specific qualifications .

International applicants who do not meet the minimum required standard of English language can complete one of our Pre-Sessional English courses to achieve the required level.

Qualification | Details

IELTS | 6.5 overall, with no component below 6.0

TOEFL iBT | If you took a TOEFL test on or before 20 January 2026, you’ll need 88 overall, with minimum scores of listening 19, writing 19, reading 19 and speaking 20. If you took a TOEFL test from 21 January 2026 onwards, when a new scoring system was introduced, you’ll need 4.5 overall, with 4 or above in all components. TOEFL Home Edition not accepted.

Pearson PTE Academic | 61 overall, with no component below 59

Pre-sessional English

Do you need to complete a Pre-sessional English course to meet the English language requirements for this course?

The length of Pre-sessional English course you’ll need to take depends on your current level of English language ability.

If you don’t meet our English language requirements, we can use your most recent IELTS score, or the equivalent score in selected other English language tests , to determine the length of Pre-sessional English course you require.

Use the table below to check the course length you're likely to require for your current English language ability and see whether the course is available on campus or online.

Your most recent IELTS score | Pre-sessional English course length | On campus or online

6.0 overall, with writing at 6.0 and no component below 5.5 | 6 weeks | On campus or online

5.5 overall, with writing at 5.5 and no component below 5.0 | 10 weeks | On campus or online

5.5 overall, with no more than one component at 5.0 | 12 weeks | Online

5.5 overall, with no component below 5.0 | 20 weeks | On campus

5.0 overall, with no more than one component at 4.5 | 30 weeks | On campus

4.5 overall, with no more than one component at 4.0 | 40 weeks | On campus

If you’ve completed an alternative English language test to IELTS, we may be able to use this to assess your English language ability and determine the Pre-sessional English course length you require.

Please see our guide to Pre-sessional English entry requirements for IELTS 6.5 overall, with no component below 6.0, for further details.

Contact us

Have a question about this research opportunity or studying a PhD with us? Please get in touch with us, using the contact details below, and we’ll be happy to assist you.

Research areas