PHILOLOGY AND HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

Call for application 42nd cycle

Bando ordinario

Applications for participation in the competition, together with the corresponding payment, must be duly completed no later than 14:00 CET on 17 June 2026.

Educational goals and objectives

PHILOLOGY AND HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

The PhD Programme in ‘Philology and History of the Ancient World’ is unique in Italy due to its exceptional coherence, which stems from the premise of the indissoluble link between ‘history and philology’. This link brings together the numerous and highly diverse disciplines that make up the programme, all of which are strictly concerned with the ancient world, be it the ‘classical’ West, the Eastern Mediterranean, or the vast region stretching from East Africa to Central Asia.

It aims, in fact, to provide an interdisciplinary education that prepares students for the rigorous reading and interpretation of textual output (material, intellectual, literary, epigraphic, papyrological and documentary) of the ancient cultures and societies of the aforementioned geographical and cultural areas, as well as to a thorough understanding of the cultural, political, economic and social history of the ancient Greek, Roman and Eastern world as a whole.

From the 26th cycle onwards, the programme is divided into three curricula, which periodically update their statements of purpose, adapting them both to the composition of the Faculty and to the insights arising from international academic debate:

1. Greek and Latin Philology
The curriculum aims to develop specialist skills and advanced research methodologies in the fields of literary, philological, grammatical, text-critical, historical-linguistic, dialectological, epigraphic and papyrological studies relating to the Greek and Roman worlds. The period covered spans a timeframe ranging from the earliest incunabula of the 2nd millennium BCE, with Mycenaean documentary texts, to the reception and influence of ancient culture in subsequent eras, including the modern era. 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.

2. Ancient History
The objectives of this curriculum are to provide an interdisciplinary education combining history, epigraphy and knowledge of archaeological data relating to the ancient world and its development, with a view to conducting philologically grounded and historically structured research.

3. Philologies of the Near and Middle East
This curriculum is fundamentally based on philological, linguistic, epigraphic, papyrological and historical studies of the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Asia, from the end of the 4th millennium BCE to the 1st millennium CE. The programme is designed to provide training in the languages and cultures of the Aegean region, Egypt and the Nile Valley, Ethiopia, Anatolia, the Syro-Palestinian region, North and South Arabia, Mesopotamia, Iran and neighbouring regions, extending as far as Central Asia. The focus is on all types of textual documentation, including its material aspects.

Number of positions available

Sapienza Scholarships	Affliliated Institutions or Excellence	Industrial PhD	Without scholarship
7	0	0	2

Themes, curriculum and specific competence

Sapienza scholarships: 7

The call includes additional places reserved for scholarship recipients from foreign countries.

Admission Procedure

Written examination	The written examination will vary according to each curriculum: A) translation of both a Greek and a Latin text and commentary of one of them for students who apply for the curriculum of GREEK AND LATIN PHILOLOGY; Greek and Latin dictionaries are allowed; B) paraphase and commentary on a historiographical or documentary source for students who apply for the curriculum of ANCIENT HISTORY; Greek and Latin dictionaries are allowed; C) an essay on a theme concerning issues on methodology and/or the history of the disciplines for students who apply for the curriculum of NEAR AND MIDDLE-EAST PHILOLOGY. The written examination tests will be chosen by lot among three selections for each curriculum. The duration of the written test is maximum six hours. Candidates who obtained at least 40/55 in the written test are admitted to the oral exam.
language	ITALIANO INGLESE

Oral interview	The oral examination consists of the interview and also includes the evaluation of the candidate’s qualifications. It is designed to assess the candidates’ skills, their aptitude for research and the feasibility of the submitted research project. The qualifications to be assessed are those listed in the assessment grid, in addition to the Research Project. The minimum positive score for the oral test is 30/45. Taking into account both the written and oral examinations, the maximum mark that can be achieved is 100 out of 100.
language	ITALIANO INGLESE

contacts and info	Dott.ssa Beatrice Lucidi beatrice.lucidi@uniroma1.it tel. (+39) 06 4991 3847
more info	The PhD programme in Philology and History of the Ancient World offers a scholarship under the Joint PhD agreement with the School of Classics at the University of St Andrews. The candidate identified by the admissions committee, on the basis of his/her research proposal, as the most suitable to receive this scholarship, will spend 18 months at each of the two institutions. This period will be divided into blocks of at least 6 months’ duration. For details of the specific documentation that candidates interested in this particular scholarship must submit, please refer to the section ‘Additional documentation required from candidates’.

Curriculum studiorum

Graduation date and grade of the Master's degree
detailed list of exams including completion dates and scores of Masters's degree
Graduation date and grade of the Bachelor’s degree
detailed list of exams including completion dates and scores of Bachelor's degree
History of Scholarships, Research Grants (or similar)
Certificates of Foreign Languages
Certificates of participation in post-graduate university courses
certificates of Participation in research groups
Computer skills

Required documentation

§ research project

mandatory
The research proposal must not exceed 8,000 characters in length with a selected bibliography of no more than ten references (spaces, notes and any bibliographical references are included in the count). In addition to a description of its objectives and its originality in relation to existing knowledge, it must also include an outline of its structure and a three-year work schedule (for further details, see the ‘Research Proposal’ section).
Applicants for the Sapienza – St Andrews Joint PhD scholarship must submit a proposal written in English, not exceeding 1,000 words, excluding the bibliography. In addition to a description of the project and its originality compared to existing research, the proposal must also outline its structure and include a three-year work schedule.
The following must be stated on the cover page of the research proposal, or above the title: 'Proposal submitted for the Sapienza–St Andrews Joint PhD Scholarship'., the file must be uploaded within le ore 14:00 del 17/06/2026

§ List of publications

optional
Please list any publications by type (article in a top-tier journal, journal article, monograph), the file must be uploaded within le ore 14:00 del 17/06/2026

§ description of previous research experience

optional, the file must be uploaded within le ore 14:00 del 17/06/2026

§ degree thesis (complete)

mandatory, the file must be uploaded within le ore 14:00 del 17/06/2026

§ publications (a single pdf for each publication)

optional, the file must be uploaded within le ore 14:00 del 17/06/2026

§ other document: Motivation letter

optional
This document must be written in English and is required only for applicants interested in the Sapienza - St Andrews Joint PhD. It should provide an overview of the project and its objectives, referencing the relevant research areas and scholars at both institutions., the file must be uploaded within le ore 14:00 del 17/06/2026

§ Curriculum Vitae et Studiorum

mandatory
Please provide details of the qualifications taken into account in the assessment grid., the file must be uploaded within le ore 14:00 del 17/06/2026

Language Skills

the candidate must know the following languages

ENGLISH

the candidate will have to know one among

FRANCESE

TEDESCO

Exam Schedule

Written examination

day	23/06/2026
notes	none
time	08:30
classroom	Aula XXII
address	Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia, Dip. di Scienze dell'Antichità, III piano, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5
publication on notice board	NO
publication on the web site	Yes
web site	https://phd.uniroma1.it/web/FILOLOGIA-E-STORIA-DEL-MONDO-ANTICO_nD3501.aspx
date of publication	25/06/2026
contacts	dottorato.filologia@uniroma1.it

Oral interview

day	02/07/2026
notes	none
time	08:30
classroom	Aula XXII
address	Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia, Dip. di Scienze dell'Antichità, III piano, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5
publication on notice board	NO
publication on the web site	Yes
web site	https://phd.uniroma1.it/web/FILOLOGIA-E-STORIA-DEL-MONDO-ANTICO_nD3501.aspx
date of publication	02/07/2026
contacts	dottorato.filologia@uniroma1.it

Evaluation scale

Written examination

Prova scritta

Punteggio massimo complessivo per la prova/overall max score: 55

Conoscenza e competenza della tematica oggetto della prova
Knowledge and proficiency in the subject matter of the test

Punteggio massimo/max score: 20

Capacità e chiarezza nell’elaborazione
Ability and clarity in elaboration

Punteggio massimo/max score: 15

Completezza descrittiva e recenti acquisizioni sul tema oggetto della prova
Descriptive completeness and recent findings in the subject matter of the test

Punteggio massimo/max score: 20

Oral interview

Prova orale

Punteggio massimo complessivo per la prova/overall max score: 45

Voto di laurea (magistrale, specialistica o a ciclo unico)
Degree Mark

Punteggio massimo/max score: 5

Voto di laurea
Degree Mark

110, 110 e lode 110, 110 cum laude	5,0
109 -108	4,0
107 -106	3,0
105 -104	2,0
103 -102	1,0
<102	0,0

Media degli esami (per coloro che discuteranno la tesi dopo la data stabilita per la valutazione dei titoli, ma comunque prima del 31 ottobre 2026)
Arithmetic mean (for those who discuss their theses after the date set for the assessment of qualifications, but in any case before 31 October 2026)

29 - 30	5,0
28 – 28.99	4,0
27 - 27.99	3,0
26 - 26.99	2,0
25 - 25.99	1,0
<25	0,0

Progetto di ricerca
Research project

Punteggio massimo/max score: 20
Il progetto di ricerca deve permettere di valutare la propensione alla ricerca dei candidati e la loro capacità di organizzare in autonomia le diverse fasi di lavoro. Esso deve avere una lunghezza massima di 8.000 caratteri con una bibliografia selezionata di massimo dieci titoli (spazi, note ed eventuali indicazioni bibliografiche sono inclusi nel computo) e deve contenere, oltre a una descrizione dei suoi obiettivi e della sua originalità rispetto a quanto già noto, anche un’indicazione della sua struttura e un cronoprogramma dei tre anni di lavoro. Il progetto presentato ai fini concorsuali, per i candidati ammessi, può essere parzialmente modificato, previo accordo con il tutor, durante lo svolgimento dell’attività di ricerca.
The research proposal must enable the assessment of candidates’ aptitude for research and their ability to organise the various stages of the work independently. It must not exceed 8,000 characters with a selected bibliography of no more than ten references (spaces, notes and any bibliographical references are included in the count) and must include, in addition to a description of its objectives and its originality in relation to the state of the art, an outline of its structure and a three-year work schedule. APPLICANTS FOR THE SAPIENZA - ST ANDREWS JOINT PHD SCHOLARSHIP must submit a proposal written in English, not exceeding 1,000 words, excluding the bibliography. In addition to a description of the project and its originality compared to existing research, the proposal must also outline its structure and include a three-year work schedule. The following must be stated on the cover page of the research proposal, or above the title: 'Proposal submitted for the Sapienza–St Andrews Joint PhD Scholarship'. For successful candidates, the project submitted for the competition may be partially amended, subject to agreement with the supervisor, during the course of the research.

Conoscenza dello stato dell’arte Knowledge of the state of the art	3,0
Originalità e contenuto innovativo Originality and innovative content	9,0
Chiarezza e completezza dell’esposizione degli obiettivi, delle metodologie e dei potenziali risultati; fattibilità Clarity and comprehensiveness in the presentation of objectives, methodologies and potentialoutcomes; feasibility	5,0
Pertinenza del progetto con gli obiettivi formativi del dottorato Relevance of the project to the PhD educational objectives	3,0

Pubblicazioni
Publications

Punteggio massimo/max score: 3

È possibile assegnare fino a un massimo di punti per ciascun prodotto valutabile. All'interno della sotto-categoria, si possono valutare più prodotti, fino al raggiungimento del punteggio massimo complessivo di 3 punti previsto
A maximum number of points can be awarded for each product eligible for evaluation. Within the sub-category, multiple products can be evaluated, up to the maximum total score of 3 points allowed

Articolo in rivista di fascia A Article in journal (top rank)	0,5
Articolo in rivista scientifica Article in scientific journal	0,5
Capitolo di libro Book chapter	0,5
Monografia Monograph	1,5

Esperienze di ricerca
Research experiences

Punteggio massimo/max score: 3

È possibile assegnare fino a un massimo di punti per ciascuna esperienza valutabile. All'interno della sotto-categoria, si possono valutare più esperienze, fino al raggiungimento del punteggio massimo complessivo di 3 punti previsto
A maximum number of points can be awarded for each experience eligible for evaluation. Within the sub-category, multiple experiences can be evaluated, up to the maximum total score of 3 points allowed

Esperienze all’estero (almeno due mesi, compreso Erasmus) Research experiences abroad (at least two months, Erasmus included)	1,0
Contratti di collaborazione alla ricerca Research collaboration contracts	1,0
Corsi di formazione alla ricerca Training courses for research	1,0

Competenze linguistiche
Language skills

Punteggio massimo/max score: 4
L'ottima conoscenza dell'inglese e la conoscenza del francese e del tedesco come lingue di lavoro sono considerati requisiti obbligatori. La verifica delle competenze linguistiche avverrà con la lettura e traduzione di due testi in lingua straniera selezionati dalla Commissione secondo le indicazioni sopra fornite. Si valuteranno anche eventuali certificati/diplomi.
An excellent command of English and a working knowledge of French and German are considered essential requirements. Language proficiency will be assessed by means of the reading and translation of two texts selected by the selection panel in accordance with the guidelines provided above. Any certificates or diplomas will also be taken into account.

Conoscenze informatiche
Computer skills

Punteggio massimo/max score: 2
Conoscenze informatiche ed eventuali certificazioni
Computer skills and certifications

--specificare una descrizione--

Colloquio
Interview

Punteggio massimo/max score: 8
Valutazione globale del colloquio
Overall assessment of the interview

Valutazione globale del colloquio
Overall assessment of the interview

Valutazione del grado di consapevolezza delle tematiche attinenti al progetto di ricerca presentato e più in generale al curriculum prescelto Assessment of the level of awareness regarding issues relating to the submitted research project and, more generally, to the chosen curriculum	4,0
Capacità argomentativa Argumentative skilss	4,0