The Philology and History of the Ancient World caucus in the Department of Classics runs three doctoral programs:
A.Greek and Latin Philology - coordinator: Francesca Romana Berno
This program aims to develop specialized skills and advanced research methodologies in literary, philological, grammatical, ecdotic, historical-linguistic, dialectological, epigraphic-papyrological studies relating to the Greek and Roman worlds. The reference period spans a time span from the first incunabula of the 2nd millennium BC, with Mycenaean documentary texts, to the reception and success of ancient culture in later eras, including the modern one. Particular attention is also paid to the dynamics of contact and interaction between different cultures and literatures, such as those between the Jewish and Hellenistic worlds and between the Greek and Roman worlds.
B. Ancient History - coordinator: John Thornton
The three-year Ancient History program instructs students in interdisciplinary approaches to the history, cultures and civilizations of the Greek and Roman worlds. It trains ancient historians in a range of methodologies, helping them to hone philological skills and expertise in the disciplines of ancient history, including epigraphy, archaeology and papyrology.
C. Philology of the Near- and Middle-East - coordinator: Alessio Agostini
The curriculum has as its fundamental reference the field of philological, linguistic, epigraphic, papyrological, and historical studies of the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Asia, from the end of the fourth millennium BCE to the first millennium CE. The program is designed to provide training in the languages and cultures of the Aegean area, Egypt and the Nile Valley, Ethiopia, Anatolia, the Syro-Palestinian region, Northern and Southern Arabia, Mesopotamia, Iran and contiguous regions, extending to Central Asia. Attention is directed toward all types of textual documentation, taking into account also its material dimension.
(updated November 2025)
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The teaching offering of the Doctorate –attendance is compulsory – fulfils the specific training function, complementing and integrating the development of the doctoral project. It consists of:
1. Doctoral seminar lectures: Held by faculty members of the College or by invited faculty members, including foreigners, they are held according to a pre-established schedule, normally in the two central weeks of February and June. At least 30 hours of lectures are planned for the first year, at least 20 for the second, and at least 10 for the third. First-year doctoral students, within the required time frame, must undergo two methodological-practical workshops (“Scientific Writing Workshop” and “Laboratory for Introduction to Digital Research Tools”), common to all curricula, lasting approximately 6 hours each. Each curriculum has the power to offer specific lessons with respect to disciplinary skills.
2. Conferences and seminars: Organized by members of the College, including by involving guest lecturers as visiting scholars, these activities are in addition to the seminar lectures and are distributed throughout the academic year. They are always designed for specific doctoral training needs.
3. Conferences and seminars offered by doctoral students: In addition to the now traditional “Semi di Sapienza”, a conference (the proceedings of which are regularly published) organized entirely by third-year students, starting in the 2025-2026 academic year, doctoral students, in agreement with their tutors and co-tutors, can propose other initiatives that make them an active participant in teaching and research.
Doctoral and co-guardian students from foreign universities agree to participate in teaching activities with their supervisors.
For more information, see the sections "Teaching provided" and "Scheduled teaching".
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