Why Monarchy Endures: Answers from the Ancient Mediterranean World PhD Scholarship

Applications are invited for one PhD scholarship in monarchy and government in the Ancient Mediterranean world (c. 1200 BCE – 600 CE). The scholarships are supported by the Australian National University (ANU) and form part of an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship (FT240100071) Project. The project aims to discover why monarchy endured in the ancient Mediterranean world despite the emergence of democracies and republics that gave citizens an important political voice. By comparing ancient governments across Europe, North Africa, and the Near East, it aims to generate new knowledge about the creation of monarchies, the strategies monarchs used to win popular support, and why sole rule poses serious challenges to democratic constitutions. The PhD candidate will develop an independent project on ancient monarchy and religion, preferably with a comparative element. Compelling proposals on other aspects of ancient monarchy in the Ancient Mediterranean, European, and Near Eastern world may also be considered. Within this framework there is considerable flexibility in the choice of monarchies, constitutions, and cultures studied and in the methodological approach taken. The successful candidate will be affiliated with the Centre for Classical Studies (CCS) which sits within the School of Literature, Languages, and Linguistics (SLLL). The CCS is a dynamic centre for the study of the ancient world, currently home to six staff members, five PhD candidates, and the ANU Classics Museum, which houses more than 650 objects from the ancient Mediterranean world.