PHD IN ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND CULTURES.HISTORICAL RESEARCH, PRESERVATION, CULTURAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT AND USE

Length of the program: 4 years
Program coordinator: Prof. Massimo Osanna
Scholarships: 6 positions with a stipend of € 19,000 per year are available for the academic year 2019-2020 (the stipend is supplemented with additional funding for research activities in Italy and abroad)

The training programmeme
The PhD in Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and Cultures. Historical Research, Preservation, Cultural Heritage Management and Use is an advanced course of study and research based on a multi/interdisciplinary approach, at the end of which students will defend a thesis based on their original and independent scientific work.
The focus of interest is on archaeological heritage approached as research in the field of classical antiquities, ranging from historical and literary research to preservation, management and promotion.
The doctoral programme aims to train the student in the contextual reading and interpretation of objects, spaces, practices and cultural, social, economic and religious phenomena. This training is provided through studies of cases relevant to ancient Mediterranean civilisations and the management of their complex cultural heritage. Of particular current relevance in the modern world are the themes of the mobility of people, ideas, technologies and objects, of the hybridisation of cultures and their connectivity practices. Objects, spaces, practices and phenomena are considered with relation to their physical aspect, their survival in the modern world and the necessary phenomena of their manipulation, destruction, oblivion, rediscovery, presentation and communication.
The training model of the doctoral programme is based on the balance between theoretical training and practical research and activities related to all of the functions carried out by a National Trust Body and by an Archaeological Museum in Italy, as well as by Museums and administrations of foreign countries that are particularly qualified.
Particular focus is placed on Italy, both as the training base and as a case study, considering the deep complexity of its unparalleled cultural heritage which has over the centuries generated specific know-how in the field of research, management and conservation. This focus can be effectively broadened for the students with experiences abroad, particularly with relation to the aspects of public engagement, promotion and professional training. The disciplines for which the teaching staff can offer a level of training and preparation equal to the best international institutions are: Archaeology; Prehistory and Protohistory; the History of Classical Art; Cultures of the Ancient Near East, of the Middle East and of Africa; Latin Language and Literature; Greek Language and Literature; Ancient History; Restoration and History of Architecture; Cultural Heritage Legislation.
The PhD in Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and Cultures. Historical Research, Preservation, Cultural Heritage Management and Use is aimed at students who already hold an MA Degree (or equivalent), who are strongly motivated, have a solid personal grounding, a wide knowledge of languages and wish to take a multi and interdisciplinary approach to this subject.
The doctorate proposes to train scholars capable of contributing to the advancement of research and university teaching, as well as highly qualified professionals capable of operating in the sector of safeguarding, administration, promotion and communication of the archaeological heritage.
The languages of the course are Italian and English.
  
The Ph.D. Faculty Board

Admission
Admission to the doctoral course is gained through a competition adjudicated according to qualifications earned, research projects and by interview.
Those with a Master's Degree, or equivalent, can participate in the competition.
The selection is made through the evaluation of the academic record and the research project (About 3.500 words, accompanied by an essential bibliography and abstract in Italian and English, not greater than 500 words), as well as an interview on the research themes proposed by the candidate and an English-language test.
The number of places available will be determined each year by the relevant SSM bodies.

The teaching programme
The Ph.D. programme will take place over 4 years.
The teaching activities are concentrated into the first year of the course while in the following three years, the students will focus on their research and will be required to give periodical accounts of their progress both in individual interviews and in seminar meetings. The teaching activities are divided into mandatory courses with final tests, seminar activities during which students can discuss specific aspects of their doctoral work; talks given by external lecturers on invitation; and language training activities, I.T., research management and the promotion of results.
The doctoral course may be modified for the purposes of the organisation of' summer and winter schools aimed at students of postgraduate or doctoral courses in Italy and abroad.
The students are obliged during the first year to attend all of the activities, including extra-curricular ones, organised by the course.
The research and teaching themes are as follows (others may potentially be added to coincide with developments in the research of the members of the Board):

- The mobility of men and objects in the ancient Mediterranean
- The hybridisation of the cultures and practices of their connectivity
- Funeral rituals and the representation of the deceased in written documents, in architectural forms and in the figurative decoration of ancient Mediterranean civilisations
- Philological, linguistic and literary criticism exam on Greek and Latin literature authors (VIII B.C. - VI A.D.) and on the forms of their contribution and to historical-archaeological and historical-artistic analysis
- Philological, linguistic and literary criticism exam of Greek and Latin texts transmitted on materials originating from archaeological sites (papyrus, ostracon texts, fragments of parchments discovered in archaeological digs, epigraphs, graffiti and wall murals)
- Management, promotion and use of archaeological sites
- Myth and society in Greece and Ancient Italy.
- The role of shrines in the social, political and cultural life of the ancient city
- Workshops, shops, artisans: from raw-materials to the circulation of goods
- Originals and Copies: the seriality of the production process in Greek and Roman sculpture.
- Maintenance and restoration in archaeological areas.
- Biography of the objects and materiality of the museum.
- Communicating the antiquity in the age of social media.

The teaching activities of the first year are divided into two terms: November-February and March-June and are organized as follows:

>1st year:
- 6 seminar courses (approx. 10 two-hour sessions);
- 6 workshops (three consecutive meetings);
- active participation in conferences and seminars organized by the doctoral program or by other universities and research institutions;
- preparation of a detailed research project for the transition to the 2nd year of the program.
2nd year:
- active participation in conferences and workshops organized by the doctoral program or other universities and research institutions;
- two days of presentation of the progress of the research in the presence of tutors and the Board;
- research work on the thesis and preparation of a chapter.
3rd year:
- seminars presenting the research in progress in the presence of tutors and the Board and active participation in conferences and workshops;
- research work on the thesis and preparation of a chapter.
4th year:
- completion of the thesis.

Research activity
Students carry out their research activity under the supervision of a thesis supervisor chosen from among the members of the PhD. Faculty Board. A second supervisor may be assigned by the Board, chosen from among the members of the Board itself or also externally by potentially activating a condition co-supervision on agreement. Admission to the second year will be decided on the basis of the presentation of a detailed research project, including a three-year work plan, discussed in interview in which at least three members of the board for each student will participate. The Board members may also assign the student reading lists for their future research, apart from the discussion of the project itself and the papers prepared for the seminar courses attended.
Admission to the third year is decided on the basis of the discussion and approval of a detailed outline of the thesis and one chapter that the student intends to write.
Admission to the fourth year is decided on the basis of the presentation and discussion, and therefore of the approval by the thesis supervisor, of a further chapter of the thesis and a detailed table of contents.

International orientation
The Ph.D. program in Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and Cultures. Historical Research, Preservation, Cultural Heritage Management and Use is designed to be innovative and interdisciplinary, with an international orientation, aiming to attract the best students and to consistently involve in the teaching activities the leading International experts in the field, in addition to scholars working in foreign universities who currently serve as members of the faculty board.
Each student will be required to spend at least one year (also broken into several terms or semesters) in foreign universities, research institutes, archives and libraries.
The official languages of the Ph.D. program are Italian and English. Courses and seminars may be held in Italian or English.
The PhD program aims to build a series of international partnerships through which it aims to develop the mobility of students and teachers.

International collaboration
Leading international universities and research centres with which the college maintains research partnerships:
German Archaeological Institute, Central Berlin, Germany
École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris-France
Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades, Greece
In addition, discussions are in progress to organise internships and apprenticeships, with the following public bodies of the Ministry for Heritage and Culture
- Pompei Archaeological Park
- Herculaneum Archaeological Park
- Paestum Archaeological Park
- Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park
- Colosseum Archaeological Park
- Naples Archaeological Museum
- Egyptian Museum
- Salinas Museum Palermo

Study programme of the XXXV course (2019-2020)

In preparation

Scholarly skills
The following activities are organized in collaboration with the other SSM PhD Programs.

Language courses: The SSM organizes, through the University of Naples Fredrick II, Italian language courses for non-native speakers, as well as course in English, French, German, and Spanish.
Computer skills: Ph.D students will be trained in the critical use of e-resources, paying special but not unique attention to those available at the School. Special seminars will aim at improving the students' familiarity with tools such as reference managers, spreadsheets, etc.
Research management, knowledge of research systems and of funding opportunities: The SSM offers training activities to improve the students' knowledge of research management methods, also in relation to funding opportunities. ERC, FIRB principal investigators and other scholars awarded with fellowships from international institutions will lead and attend specific meetings focusing on how to plan research projects.
Valorization of research results and copyright: The SSM will strive to increase the students' knowledge of the rules concerning the exploitation of research results as well as their dissemination, the protection of researchers' work, and copyright. Specific training activities will also be devoted to developing an understanding of how to patent ideas and projects both nationally and internationally.