Classics
Classics and Ancient History are well provided for at Newcastle. The main University Library has a good research collection in classics and outstanding holdings in ancient medicine and classical archaeology. Our own Classics Library has a wide-ranging provision of primary texts and reference works, including a complete Pauly-Wissowa.
Roman material collected from Hadrian’s Wall and the Shefton Collection of Greek Art and Archaeology are available to researchers and are stored and displayed in the Great North Museum, which is adjacent to campus.
Our research interests and the content of our taught programmes are closely interlinked and we offer research degree supervision (MLitt, MPhil and PhD) in the subjects covered by our MAs. The MA in Classics reflects specific research strengths with strands on: ancient philosophy, science and medicine; rhetoric and historiography; the reception and recreation of ancient texts; and ancient concepts of divinity. This programme is usually taught through tutorials to encourage the development of ideas through one-to-one interaction.
The MA in Ancient History is based on the research theme ‘Rulership, Power and Court Societies in the Ancient World’. This reflects research strengths in several periods covering most of the ancient Greek and Roman world: ancient Persia; Alexander the Great; Greek society in Roman times; Roman Republic; the Emperor Hadrian; (late) Roman Empire; the Jews in the Hellenistic and Roman periods; Egypt (including documentary papyrology). The programme is typically taught in small groups.
The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008 confirmed our reputation for excellence that reaches back to 1874, when Latin and Greek were first taught at Newcastle.
Eighty per cent of our submission was classed as ‘internationally excellent’ or ‘recognised internationally’ and 10 per cent was classed as ‘world leading’.
As a postgraduate student, you will be part of our lively research culture, which includes regular seminars and an annual postgraduate conference where you may present papers and discuss your work. You will have access to the postgraduate common room and computer clusters, and can borrow laptops for research trips. If you are studying for a PhD you will also have access to our Postgraduate Research Suite and you may be able to draw on financial support for research trips.
