First Year

Activities

Advanced institutional courses: Yes
Seminar or laboratory activities: No
Research-related activities: Yes
Training and research activities independently chosen by the doctoral student and approved by the Faculty Board: Yes

Course List

Introduction to Research Methodologies in Classical Studies and Digital Humanities (Case Studies)

The course — compulsory for all doctoral students regardless of year — consists of a series of lectures, averaging 2 hours each, on the methodologies and state of the art of all the disciplines represented in the PhD Programme. The lectures are delivered by members of the Faculty Board or by other experts, Italian or foreign, of recognised international scientific standing. An archive of all lectures held since the founding of the PhD Programme in Classical Antiquity and Its Legacy is available at https://www-2025.dott.antichita.uniroma2.it/archivio-convegni-e-conferenze-2024-2026/ for the years 1999–2023, and at https://www-2025.dott.antichita.uniroma2.it/archivio-convegni-e-conferenze-2024-2026/ from 2024 onwards. Lectures are generally held in person, and in some cases are accessible online to the general public via the Microsoft Teams platform.

Type: workshop
Course type: international
Field: humanities
Advanced training: Yes
Final assessment: Yes
Language: Italian/English
Format: traceable to the doctoral student’s training plan
Average total hours/year: 20

In some cases — for instance when lectures are given by Italian and especially foreign scholars, whose travel and accommodation costs the PhD Programme is not authorised by the university to reimburse, nor can they be covered by individual faculty members’ research funds — lectures may also be held entirely online.

Other Teaching Activities

In order to allow students to work intensively on their own research topic alongside their designated supervisors (to whom they must report monthly), no other teaching activities are scheduled. Doctoral students are nevertheless invited, without any formal obligation to attend, to selected conferences, seminars, and lectures given by qualified Italian or foreign scholars, independently invited by individual members of the Faculty Board as part of their institutional activities. It should also be noted that, on a biennial or annual basis, doctoral students organise an international conference on topics relating to the ancient world (recent editions have focused on landscape in the ancient world). On these occasions, all doctoral students are invited to participate with their own papers and, at the same time, to engage with scholars from different backgrounds on related topics. The PhD Programme also covers all expenses for students’ participation — both as speakers and as attendees — in conferences and congresses in Italy and abroad on topics in archaeology, philology, and ancient history; participation must be approved by the coordinator and by at least one of the doctoral student’s supervisors.

Thesis Topic Selection

The thesis topic, which must be submitted as part of the doctoral competition application, is subsequently presented in detail by the doctoral student at the first plenary meeting, at the beginning of the first year of the programme. The Faculty Board, having heard the presentation, may accept the proposed research topic or request that it be reformulated, and may also — in cases where there is doubt about the feasibility of the research — suggest a new research proposal. In such cases, one or more members of the Faculty Board are delegated to work with the student on formulating alternative topics, taking into account the student’s scholarly competencies and interests. The newly chosen topic is then resubmitted for approval by the Faculty Board at the earliest available opportunity.

Assessment for Progression to the Following Year

At the end of each of the three years of the programme, an oral assessment of the research conducted is held, taking the form of a one-hour academic lecture delivered before the Faculty Board and fellow doctoral students, reporting on the progress of the thesis work. At the end of the lecture, the Faculty Board — and in particular the doctoral student’s supervisors — deliberate on the student’s admission to subsequent years (for first- and second-year doctoral students) or to the final defence (for third-year doctoral students), also verifying that the student has fulfilled the obligation to report on their thesis to their designated supervisors on a monthly basis.

Notes

Attendance at the course is compulsory; exceptions may be granted only for justified reasons, and in any case for no more than 30% of the scheduled lectures.

Second Year

Activities

Course List

Introduction to Research Methodologies in Classical Studies and Digital Humanities (Case Studies)

Altre attività didattiche

Thesis Preparation

At the time of presenting their research project at the beginning of the first year of the programme, students are also invited to submit a general outline of the phases into which the work will be divided (e.g. collection of sources and bibliography; visits to sites, libraries, or archives; analysis of documentation; drafting of the text; compilation of indices, etc.) and of the years in which each phase will take place. In drawing up this plan, they will be assisted by their assigned supervisors, who will also be responsible for monitoring the completion of the planned tasks and for suggesting ways to overcome any difficulties encountered. At the beginning of the second and third years, the timeline established in the first year is reviewed and, if necessary, updated in agreement with the supervisors and the coordinator. Should the problems encountered be significant, the entire Faculty Board is called upon to work out a revised schedule and, where appropriate, to reformulate the objectives of the research project. For the preparation of the thesis, doctoral students may make use of all bibliographic resources — both print and digital — available at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata,” as well as of the Italian and foreign scientific institutions required (libraries, archives, museums, heritage superintendencies), access to which will be facilitated and mediated by members of the Faculty Board, and in particular by the supervisors.

Assessment for Progression to the Following Year

At the end of each of the three years of the programme, an oral assessment is held, taking the form of a one-hour academic lecture delivered before the Faculty Board and fellow doctoral students, reporting on the progress of the thesis work. At the end of the lecture, the Faculty Board — and in particular the doctoral student’s supervisors — deliberate on the student’s admission to subsequent years (for first- and second-year doctoral students) or to the final defence (for third-year doctoral students), also verifying that the student has fulfilled the obligation to report on their thesis to their designated supervisors on a monthly basis.

Notes

At the end of the second year of the programme, an oral assessment is held, taking the form of a one-hour academic lecture delivered before the Faculty Board and fellow doctoral students, reporting on the conduct of the research, the results achieved, and the work plan for the following year. At the end of the lecture, the Faculty Board — and in particular the supervisors — deliberate on the student’s admission to the third year, having also verified that the student has fulfilled the obligation to report monthly to their supervisors and has attended at least 70% of the scheduled teaching hours.

Third Year

Activities

Course List

Introduction to Research Methodologies in Classical Studies and Digital Humanities (Case Studies)

Altre attività didattiche

Admission to the Final Examination

At the end of the third year of the programme, an oral assessment is held in the presence of the Faculty Board and fellow doctoral students, consisting of a final report on the thesis work. At the end of the presentation, the doctoral student’s supervisors give a reasoned opinion on admission to the final defence or — alternatively — on the need to request an extension for the completion of the thesis. In the former case, the supervisors, in agreement with the coordinator, propose the names of the two external reviewers, the internal member of the final examination committee, and the names of the external committee members. The Faculty Board, having verified that the student has fulfilled the obligation to report monthly to their supervisors, approves. The coordinator sends the thesis to the reviewers, who must provide a written evaluation of the work, specifying whether or not the doctoral student may be admitted to the final examination, or whether formal or substantive revisions to the text are required. If the requested revisions are minor, the candidate corrects the thesis, uploads it to the university platform (Delphi), and the coordinator requests the Rector to appoint the final examination committee; if, conversely, more substantial revisions are required, the coordinator, in agreement with the university doctoral office, arranges a short extension to allow the corrections to be implemented.

Final Examination Procedure

At the final examination, the candidate presents their work in detail, focusing in particular on the state of the art, any difficulties encountered, the methodology adopted, and the objectives achieved. The committee members, at the end of this presentation, each intervene individually to express their assessment and pose questions to the candidate. At the conclusion of the discussion (which lasts on average 2–3 hours), the committee delivers its final judgement, using the following grading scale: adequate quality; appreciable quality; notable quality; excellent quality; excellent quality with distinction. At the end of the examination, the committee draws up the official record, which is forwarded to the relevant administrative offices for the necessary proceedings.