Dr Maeve McHugh FHEA

• Monday 15:00-15:50 
• Thursday 14:00-14:50

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2018)
• PhD  (2014, UCD)
• MA  (2009, UCD)
• BA (2008, UCD)

I joined the Department of Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Birmingham in 2017 as a Teaching Fellow in Classical Archaeology, and in 2021, I became a Lecturer in Classical Archaeology. Since joining the Department, I have developed my research which is motivated by a strong interest in reconstructing the lives and experiences of communities that are often overlooked in ancient history.

My research specifically revolves around the lives of households and individuals who earned their living, and I aim to gain a deeper understanding of their lives using historical, archaeological, and ethnographic data. I particularly enjoy the opportunity to reconstruct their lives through my ongoing fieldwork projects.

In my teaching, I guide students to unravel the lives of these groups in my modules on ancient Greek daily life. Additionally, I lead students on guided trips to archaeological sites as part of the Study Tour module, which is always an exciting experience. Beyond the classroom, I have enjoyed working closely with students as part of our volunteering program with the Archaeology Collection, the Department’s teaching collection of ancient antiquities.

I teach on single and joint honour programmes in the Department, more specifically, I teach on the following modules.

Year One:

• LC Greek World
• LC Roman World
• LC Rethinking the Ancient World B
• LC Project: Meet the Greeks

Year Two:

• LI Study Tour

Year Three:

• LH Dissertation

Postgraduate:

• LM Research and Scholarship

I am available to discuss research projects on any of the major research interests: ancient agriculture; ancient landscapes; pedestrian landscape survey; and lives of non-elites in antiquity.

My research aims to create multi-vocal narratives of ancient life from the perspectives of rural communities and individuals traditionally labelled as economically poor. My goal is to provide a better-rounded picture of the lives and experiences of free and enslaved individuals and rural communities as they went about their working lives.

 I am involved in the Department’s The Ancient City and Landscape, Nature, and the Environment research themes.

I am a member of the School’s Centre for Material Cultures and Materialities and the International Centre for Heritage.

 Current projects

 I am a senior archaeologist and intensive survey co-director of the Bays of East Attica Regional Survey (BEARS). 

I am the academic coordinator for the Department’s Archaeology Collection, which is a collection of over 1000 antiquities from the worlds of Greece, Rome, and Egypt. It is a teaching collection intended for student use and engagement. There are volunteering opportunities available to students during the academic year.  These will be advertised to students on the Department’s Canvas page.