Research centres and institutes
The School of Classics hosts four research centres in collaboration with other academic Schools and departments. Each centre hosts an annual lecture, delivered by a world-leading authority in the field.
St Andrews is also a leading centre for the study of ancient philosophy, with strong collaboration between Classics and Philosophy.
Centre for Ancient Environmental Studies
The Centre for Ancient Environmental Studies was launched in 2020. It brings together researchers interested in the written and physical environments of the ancient world. By engaging in cross-disciplinary dialogue and drawing on a wide range of evidence, members of the Centre examine the complex ways that past cultures shaped and were shaped by their environments. In addition to investigating past human-environment interactions, the Centre’s work also provides insights for understanding modern ecological challenges and the importance of adapting to the limits of the natural world.
Centre for Late Antique Studies
The Centre for Late Antique Studies was launched in 2015. Members of the centre work on the archaeology, history, literature and religious life of the period that extends from approximately 250 to 800 CE.
Centre for the Public Understanding of Greek and Roman Drama
The Centre for the Public Understanding of Greek and Roman Drama was launched in 2018. It draws together researchers from across the University of St Andrews, as well as performers, practitioners and partners from further afield. It supports a broad range of projects on ancient drama and its reception, including research workshops and conferences, performances and school events.
St Andrews Centre for the Receptions of Antiquity
The St Andrews Centre for the Receptions of Antiquity (SACRA) fosters collaborative and interdisciplinary research into the reception of the ideas, artworks and other cultural remains of Greek and Roman antiquity in the modern world. It promotes collaborative work across the University of St Andrews and beyond, stimulating the development and sharing of interdisciplinary approaches.
Previous Centres
- The Centre for the Literatures of the Roman Empire ran from 2014 to 2024. It drew together a cluster of research collaborations in both Greek and Latin, prose and verse. Members of the centre worked on the literatures and cultural history of the Roman Empire from the late Hellenistic period right through to late antiquity.