Something New Under the Sun

Announcing the New Ancient History Graduate Program

By Professor Ray Van Dam

The Departments of Classical Studies and History are pleased to announce their joint sponsorship of a new graduate program in ancient history. The Interdepartmental Program in Greek and Roman History (IPGRH) will begin offering courses this coming Fall Term.

Geographically the core of the Program will be the extensive region that came to be included in the Roman Empire, in particular the regions surrounding the Mediterranean, although it will also include some neighboring regions with which Greeks and Romans interacted, such as Central Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Near East, and north Africa. Chronologically the program will cover the period from archaic Greece to the later Roman Empire (ca. 750 B.C. to ca. A.D. 500), again with some overflow back to the Bronze Age and forward to early medieval and early Byzantine history. Because of its ties with these two sponsoring departments, this Program will distinguish itself from similar programs elsewhere by emphasizing high competence in both classical studies (including ancient languages) and historical studies (including historical methodologies and historical fields outside ancient history). This new Program will prepare graduate students for careers in teaching and research by either a classics or history department.

The University of Michigan already has exceptional resources for the study of ancient history. Many faculty members from the Department of Classical Studies teach historical topics and relevant ancillary disciplines, such as archaeology, epigraphy, and ancient law. These professors include Sue Alcock, John Cherry, Sara Forsdyke, Bruce Frier, Traianos Gagos, Sharon Herbert, Sabine MacCormack, David Potter, and Arthur Verhoogt. In the History Department Beate Dignas teaches Greek history and epigraphy, and Ray Van Dam (who will serve as the Director of the Program) teaches Roman and late antique history. Professors in the History Department also offer courses in related fields, such as early medieval, early Byzantine, and early Islamic history. The new Program will furthermore be able to draw upon the resources of the Department of Near Eastern Studies, which has recently improved its offerings in ancient Judaism, early Christianity, and patristic studies, and of the Interdepartmental Program in Classical Art and Archaeology (IPCAA), the premier graduate program for classical art and archaeology in the country. We hope that soon the new program will have the same sterling reputation for the study of ancient history that IPCAA already has in art and archaeology.

For graduate students in other doctoral programs (such as students in Classical Studies or IPCAA) the Program will offer a Certificate in Greek and Roman History. This Certificate will provide students with an introduction to the current methodologies and issues of ancient history and an opportunity to enrich their analytical skills in research courses on topics from ancient history.

These days, undergraduates are certainly interested in courses about Greek and Roman history. We hope that professors who are teaching promising undergraduates will encourage them to take a look at our Program, and to apply. More information about application procedures, course requirements, and funding for students is available at our website: http://www.umich.edu/~ipgrh/ This website is still under construction, and more details will be posted. The gorgeous homepage alone is worth a visit!

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