Program Overview
The University of Liverpool's Egyptology program offers comprehensive research opportunities covering material culture, language, literature, social history, and archaeology of ancient Egypt. Led by renowned Egyptologists, the program boasts international collaborations and state-of-the-art facilities, including the Garstang Museum of Archaeology. Graduates pursue academic and museum roles worldwide, contributing to the field's advancement.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
Egyptological research at Liverpool covers a wide range of topics within the discipline of Egyptology, including material culture, language, literature and documentary texts, and the social history and archaeology of ancient Egypt. The Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology is internationally reputed for its world-class interdisciplinary research in diverse fields ranging from the origins of humanity and Old World prehistory to the cultures, languages and texts of the late antiquity and the archaeology of the historical periods.
Careers:
Liverpool Egyptology graduates hold academic and museum posts worldwide.
Other:
- The University of Liverpool has pioneered the study of the ancient world for more than 130 years and has an international reputation for excellence in both teaching and research. Ancient History and Classics have been taught in Liverpool since 1881. In 1904 the University established the Institute of Archaeology, the first centre for the academic study of the methods and practice of Archaeology alongside Egyptology and Classical Archaeology in the UK.
- The Egyptologists in the department specialize in the language, culture and the archaeology of ancient Egypt, so we have a broad spectrum of expertise on hand.
- 100% of our research impact classified as 'outstanding' (4 ) or 'very considerable' (3 ) in the latest Research Excellence Framework (2021)
- 42 academic and research staff engaging in world-class research in the fields of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology.
- 60 registered PhD students - ACE hosts the largest and most varied postgraduate research community of all academic departments.
- Our publications on the material culture, language, literature and documentary texts, and the social history and archaeology of ancient Egypt are at the forefront of research in these fields, bringing to the department a regular stream of UK and overseas researchers.
- With 42 academic & research staff and over 60 postgraduate researchers ACE forms one of the largest hubs for the academic study of the human past in the UK.
- Research themes:
- Fieldwork and material culture studies: Excavation, finds processing and landscape studies including relations with the desert margins – Ancient Egyptian technology – Museum-based studies – The architecture of tombs and temples – The epigraphic recording of the texts and pictures on tomb walls and ancient quarries
- Textual sources & studies: Primary editions and translations of hieroglyphic, cursive hieratic texts or Coptic texts – The nature and use of Egyptian literature: literary criticism, authorship and audience, transmission and the performance of Egyptian literature, ritual and theology, the study of documentary texts as sources of law, administration and social history – Formal linguistic research into the grammar and structure of the ancient language, its writing systems, and the 3,000-year history of the language
- Integration of material, pictorial and textual sources: The ritual landscape of Egypt – The social, cultural and political history of the Ramesside Period – The Old Kingdom and early Egyptian religion and society – Social History and Economic History – Social Anthropology and Ethnography of Pharaonic Egypt.
- We particularly welcome research proposals that match those of our researchers including the collection, analysis and interpretation of primary source materials, the excavation and recording of archaeological sites, the study of all categories of material culture, the study of the ancient Egyptian language and its texts (hieroglyphic, cursive hieratic texts or Coptic) and the recreation of ancient Egyptian society in all its aspects. We also welcome interdisciplinary projects focusing on relations between Egypt and the Near East, and Graeco-Roman Egypt.
- A key focus of our research activities is the Garstang Museum of Archaeology, one of the most important collections of antiquities in the UK including material culture objects excavated in Egypt, the Aegean, Sudan and the Near East. We also maintain research collaborations with other important Egyptological collections in the North West, including those hosted by the Liverpool World Museum and the Manchester Museum.
- Our research is supported by excellent library specialist collections including extensive digital resources, bibliographical tools, online reference materials, subject-oriented search engines, and specialist books and journals held in the Sydney Jones and the Harold Cohen libraries of the University of Liverpool (open 24/7 during term time).
- Training is available in a wide range of ancient languages, including Egyptian, Coptic, Greek, Latin, Sumerian and Akkadian. Students can also study modern languages which may be necessary for their research via Liverpool’s flagship Open Languages programme.
- In 2015 our archaeological science facilities were substantially expanded, with the establishment of the Elizabeth Slater Archaeology Research Laboratories and a dedicated Research Microscopy suite. These facilities support departmental staff & student research on archaeobotany & anthracology, archaeozoology, archaeomaterials, human remains & stable isotopes, lithics & ceramics, post-excavation analysis, GIS applications, experimental archaeology and archaeological photography. In addition to the funding and training opportunities provided by the Liverpool Doctoral College, the School of Histories, Languages and Cultures (HLC) and ACE have dedicated budgets for supporting PGR research and training activities including:
- HLC Postgraduate Research Fund (Postgraduate travel and research expenses: up to £500 per year for full-time/FT PGRs; £250 per year for part-time/PT).
- The Peet Travel Award (up to £500) is available to support travel and associated costs for research into the archaeology and languages of the pre-Classical Mediterranean, including Egypt and the Near East, as well as the archaeology of early Greece and Rome.
- Our Egyptology research group provides a dynamic forum for the exchange of new concepts and cutting-edge knowledge produced by staff and postgraduate researchers. This is achieved through our dedicated seminar series which provide opportunities for academic and research staff, and research postgraduates to present their research, develop their research profile, and interact with other leading figures in their fields from the UK and abroad who participate in departmental research events as invited speakers.
MPhil / PhD Duration UK students International Students Full time 2-4 years £4,786 Faculty of Health and Life Sciences £29,750 (Band A)^ Faculty of Science and Engineering £29,750 (Band A)^ or £23,400 (Band B) Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences £23,400 (Band B) Part time 4-6 years £2,393 Faculty of Health and Life Sciences £14,900 (Band A)^ Faculty of Science and Engineering £14,900 (Band A)^ or £11,700 (Band B) Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences £11,700 (Band B) The fees stated in the table above exclude potential research support fees also known as ‘bench fees’. You will be notified of any fee which may apply in your offer letter.
- Please note that if you are undertaking a PhD within the Faculty of Science and Engineering the fee you pay, Band A or Band B, will reflect the nature of your research project. Some research projects incur a higher fee than others e.g. if you are required to undertake laboratory work. You will be informed of the fee for your programme in your offer letter. ^ Self-funded, full-time international students studying a PhD programme classified as Band A will receive a £2,000 reduction in their fees for the first year only.
