SCHOOL OF ARCHAEOLOGY & ANCIENT HISTORY
..
taught graduate programme
archaeology
of the roman
world
2
contents
Introduction
3
Postgraduate study in
the School
4
People & research
5
Course aims
6
Programme structure 7
Entry requirements &
application
8
On the cover: Remains of
the great Roman-era temple
precinct in the centre of
Damascus, within which a
Byzantine cathedral and
then the famous Umayyad
mosque were subsequently
built (Photo: Dr Simon
James)
Right: Survey in the
Fezzan, Libya (Photo: Prof
David Mattingly)
3
Archaeology of the
roman world
Masters/Diploma
Introduction
This interdisciplinary MA provides a unique and exciting
programme for understanding the archaeology and history of
the Roman Empire in the wider context of its neighbouring
societies. Available as a one-year full time course, or part-time
over two years, it will equip students with the skills needed to
develop their career trajectories, whether they aim to go on to
conduct doctoral research, or seek to become professionals in
archaeology, the Heritage sector, or elsewhere.
The course (available as a Masters degree or a Diploma) explores
innovative theory, crossing the traditional boundaries between
Roman Studies and Prehistory, between centre and periphery,
between Archaeology and Ancient History, and between classical
and modern historical approaches. It is offered by a School that
features a concentration of relevant staff expertise and specialisms
exceptional in Britain, ranging from Roman society, religion and
warfare, to Roman landscapes and economies (see p.5).
No comparable interdisciplinary MA programme exists in Britain:
not confined to selected geographical areas within the Empire or
to certain methodologies, the blend of approaches offered at
Leicester will provide detailed grounding in research skills,
extensive analysis of settlement and cultural systems, plus a
choice of options which will offer prospective students a chance
to specialise in key aspects of Roman studies.
Above: Tombstone of Valerinus, a Praetorian Guardsman, Rome, early
third century AD.
Left: The complexity of material culture: a sword-belt fastener of
originally Central Asiatic form, decorated in Danubian ‘Celtic’ style,
worn by a Roman soldier and deposited in Syria. From Dura-Europos,
mid-third century AD.
(Drawings: Simon James)
4
Postgraduate Study in the School
The School prides itself on its highly successful and proven
combination of leading-edge research with high-quality teaching,
in an informal and friendly environment. The outcome of the
2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) confirmed our place in
the vanguard of both Archaeology and Ancient History
departments in the UK. No less than 65 per cent of our research
was rated in the top two brackets of international excellence (4*,
3*), putting us second equal among UK Archaeology
departments, and first equal among departments teaching both
disciplines. Furthermore, the School and University consistently
appear among the highest-rated institutions in the National
Student Surveys.
The University of Leicester provides an excellent base at which to
undertake postgraduate study: its campus is close to the bustling
centre of an historic city which is now one of the most ethnically
diverse in Europe (and justly famed for its Asian cuisine!). The
University Library has seen a recent £32 million expansion to
enhance its research facilities. Located in central England,
Leicester is ideally placed for exploring Britain: by train the city is
little more than an hour from the centre of London and lies a
similar distance from Oxford and Cambridge. This is especially
valuable for the study of archaeology, since it means that the
major national museums and academic libraries of the capital are
within reach, but without the additional expense of living there.
For more about the School, its staff and research, please see
opposite, and visit our web pages at
http://www.le.ac.uk/archaeology
Top: University of Leicester
Campus
Above: Geoprospection and
geochemistry in Roman
archaeology: land use
around a Roman-period
farmstead at Woolaston,
UK (Courtesy: Dr Jeremy
Taylor)
Right: Detail of peacock
roundel in mosaic from
Ratae Corieltauvorum
(Roman Leicester)
5
People & Research
The School is home to one of Britain’s largest groupings of researchers
specialising in the archaeology and history of Roman and neighbouring
societies. The following is a snapshot of most relevant staff in October 2012
(for a full current list staff and their research interests, please see our web
pages ):
Dr Penelope Allison (Reader in Ancient History and Archaeology) Roman
housing and material culture; gender and space at Roman military sites
Dr Neil Christie (Reader in Archaeology) Late Roman-early medieval
archaeology, urbanism, landscape archaeology; Italian archaeology
Nick Cooper (Finds Officer/ULAS tutor) Roman Britain, Roman ceramics and
economies, field and urban survey
Dr Dave Edwards (Lecturer in Archaeology) Landscape archaeology, North
African and Sudanese/Nubian archaeology, social archaeology
Professor Lin Foxhall (Professor of Greek Archaeology & History) Roman Greece,
classical landscapes, gender
Dr Mary Harlow (Senior Lecturer in Ancient History) Roman History
Professor Colin Haselgrove (Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology) Iron Age
Britain and Gaul; landscape archaeology
Prof Simon James (Reader in Archaeology) Iron Age and Roman archaeology,
the archaeology of violence and warfare, the Roman military, Celtic ethnicity,
representation and appropriation of the past
Dr Naoíse MacSweeny (Lecturer in Ancient History) ) Greek and Near Eastern
History, cultural interactions, reception of antiquity
Professor David Mattingly (Professor of Roman Archaeology) Roman
farming/economy, Imperialism, Landscape Archaeology, Roman Britain and
North Africa, Roman mining
Dr Andrew Merrills (Research Fellow in Ancient History) Late Antiquity;
Roman to late Roman Egypt; travel and communication in Antiquity; Vandal
Africa; Antiquity in film
Dr Sarah Scott (Lecturer in Archaeology) Roman archaeology, Late Roman art
and architecture, anthropology of art, villas and villa society
Professor Graham Shipley (Professor of Ancient History) History and
Archaeology of Hellenistic and Roman Greece; ancient geographers; Sparta
and the Peloponnese
Dr Dan Stewart (Lecturer in Ancient History) Greek Landscapes, text and
material culture.
Dr Jeremy Taylor (Lecturer in Archaeology; Lifelong Learning) Landscape
Archaeology, Iron Age-Roman rural social organisation and settlement; GIS
Professor Marijke van der Veen (Professor of Archaeology) Archaeobotany,
Environmental archaeology, ancient agriculture, history of food, especially in
Roman Egypt
6
Course aims
This course has a series of specific goals, namely:
Above: Bust of the emperor
Caracalla, Louvre, Paris
(photo: Dr Simon James)
Right: Reconstructed
indigenous British Iron
Age buildings, Butser
Ancient Farm, Hampshire,
UK (photo: Dr Simon
James)

to provide students with an appropriate level of
competence in the geography, chronology and culture of
the Roman Empire and in the main categories of
monuments and artefacts

to familiarise them with current theoretical and
methodological approaches to Roman Studies and to
enable them to reflect critically on the potential of these

to enable them to reflect critically on the economic, social,
political, cultural and religious developments and
interaction between the provinces of the Empire and
between the Empire and its neighbours

to develop students’ ability to conduct independent
research

to build their awareness of the potential of
interdisciplinary research

to enhance the career prospects of students, whether in
archaeology, related or other professions, especially by
equipping them with transferable skills (in written and
oral communication, team-working, numeracy and IT)

to equip those who desire it to advance to research
degrees with the skills they will need
7
Programme Structure
Following the compulsory Induction week, this campus-based
MA will comprise four 30-credit modules, consisting of two
compulsory core modules and two option modules plus a 60credit dissertation, totalling 180 credits. (The 120-credit Diploma
comprises four modules, but omits the dissertation. It is also
possible to take a 90-credit dissertation plus three modules – two
core and one option)
Core Modules
Option modules
Dissertation
Methods of Teaching
and Assessment

Theory and Method in Roman Studies (Semester 1) An
integrated introduction to current theoretical debate for
archaeologists and ancient historians alike, covering
material culture, sources and research skills

Rome and its Neighbours (Semester 2) Economic, social,
political, cultural and religious developments and
interaction between the provinces of the Empire and
between the Empire and its Neighbours in both East and
West.
Two to be selected from a list of courses available (titles and their
scheduling will vary each year depending on staff research leave
etc.). Full-time students will take one in each semester, part-time
students to take both in the second year. Examples of options:

Conflict, Warfare and Violence in Antiquity

Ceramics

Greco-Roman Landscapes

Britain in the Roman Empire
Undertaken between late May and mid-September, on a topic
selected by the student and prospective supervisor, designed to
draw upon knowledge gained through taught modules.
The course will be taught chiefly through lectures and seminar/
tutorial sessions supported by field visits to sites, monuments and
museums within Britain and, where appropriate, by practical
sessions. Core modules will be team-taught, drawing on the full
range of expertise available in the School.
Assessment will be by essays and written project work, and in
certain options by practical tests. There will be no examinations.
Fieldwork
Opportunities
Engagement in archaeological fieldwork is not a requirement of
the course, but is very strongly encouraged. Opportunities will be
available to take part in fieldwork projects. Recent and ongoing
projects by members of staff range from the exploration of Roman
agriculture and water management in the desert (Libya and
Jordan) to military archaeology on a wetland site in Roman
Britain.
8
Entry Requirements & Application
Prior qualifications
Costs
Funding
Applicants would normally be expected to possess a good first
degree, upper second class or higher in Archaeology, Ancient
History or cognate disciplines, or the equivalent for overseas or
European applicants. International/EU students must have a level
of English proficiency of 6.5 IELTS or 600 TOEFL.
Tuition fee information is available on
http://www2.le.ac.uk/study/feesor
http://www.le.ac.uk/international/ for International students.
Britain and the European Union: We occasionally have a funded
studentship and more commonly some bursaries available to high
calibre applicants. Prospective applicants should liaise with the
Course Directors well in advance (see below).
Outside the European Union: Applications from outside the EU are
welcome. Potential students should usually seek funding from
their own country, although the University of Leicester may be
able to advise in special circumstances. Again, we occasionally
have some bursary funding to support outstanding candidates.
Please contact the Course Director and also see International
Office site for information on possible scholarships available
http://www.le.ac.uk/international/future/scholarships.html.
How to apply
Applicants hoping to be awarded some funding should apply by
the end of January in the year for which entry is sought.
Other applicants (e.g. those funding themselves or securing
finance from other sources) may apply for entry at any time
before the commencement of the course. (Final deadline: midAugust).
For information on how to apply, please visit the ‘Study with us’
web pages, http://www2.le.ac.uk/study/postgrad or alternatively
paper copies may be downloaded from
http://www2.le.ac.uk/study/postgrad/how-to-apply/postapplying
or requested along with a prospectus from
http://www2.le.ac.uk/study.
Contacts
Course Director:
e-mail
tel.
School web page:
Potential applicants are invited to contact us about this course.
Professor Simon James
[email protected]
+44 (0)116 252 2535
www.le.ac.uk/archaeology;
www.le.ac.uk/archaeology/pg/index.html
December 2012