Research

The department of Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology and Egyptology provides a lively and innovative arena for the work of academic staff, postdoctoral scholars and research students.

Our track-record in research excellence is demonstrated by our performance in the 2021 Research Excellent Framework (REF) assessment, in which we were ranked joint first in the UK for Classics (Unit of Assessment 29). In that exercise, 87% of the department's submitted research outputs were classified as either world-leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*).

Our 2021 Impact Case Studies focussed on cultural protection in post-conflict Iraq and the circulation of ancient manuscripts on the antiquities market: both were classified as world-leading (4*). Building on this success, we are focussing on preparation for our submission to the next assessment exercise, REF 2029.

Our research embraces the following fields: ancient Mediterranean history, classical literature and philology, and the archaeology of the ancient world.

We combine breadth in terms of time (from Old Kingdom Egypt and the Neolithic to Late Antiquity and Modern Reception), space (from Britain to the Mediterranean and its hinterland to the Near East and Egypt), genre and methodology. Of special significance for classicists and ancient historians are the impressive collections of a large number of electronic journals in Classics and Ancient History and early printed books held at the John Rylands Library.

In archaeology, our work combines theoretical sophistication, a concern with the contemporary social and political context of the discipline, and a commitment to practical field and laboratory-based investigations.

We are unified by a focus on the interpretation of primary material: texts, objects and ideas.