Dr. Paul Grigsby
Research Fellow in Outreach and Impact
Widening Participation Dept Lead, Warwick Classics Network, Recruitment and Outreach Sub-Committee, WIE Fellow, Warwick Award Academic Advisory Group
Email:
University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL
About
I studied for a BA in Classical and Archaeological Studies at the University of Kent (2009-2012), before moving to the University of Warwick to complete my Masters by Research and PhD in Classics. I also have a BSc in Zoology from the University of Swansea (1989-1992). My research interests centre on Greek religion and cultural identity, with an especial interest in the region of Boeotia. I am currently looking into links between natural history and local religion. My thesis considered Boeotian cultural identity as reflected through their festivals and agonistic (competitive) contests from the 7th century BC through to the 4th century AD.
Since May 2018, I have been a Research Fellow in Outreach and Impact here at the University of Warwick, where I run the Warwick Classics Network [WCN]. I currently run a project on Roman Coventry developing teaching resources that bring Roman Coventry and Warwickshire alive to our local schools, and am working on a project on the South Warwickshire Silver Denarii Coin Hoards with Warwickshire Museums. Both of these projects involve our current Classics and Ancient History students, providing them with invaluable vocational experience. You can read more about our Public Engagement activities here.
I am heavily involved with providing student experience in the Department. I supervise numerous student URSS projects every year, and co-ordinate an amazing team of student Outreach Assistants who run projects and lead sessions on Classics at local schools and on-campus events. Recent projects have included the creation of a Roman Cookery workshop and the development of sessions
I was awarded the Warwick Award for Public and Community Engagement for my public engagement work for the Dept, in 2022 and 2025.
Teaching
I am teaching the modules Introduction to Greek History and Public Engagement in Classics in 2026/2027.
The Warwick Classics Network
Launched in 2018 by Prof. Michael Scott, the work of the WCN is supported through the generous help of the A. G. Leventis Foundation, Graham and Joanna Barker, and the Dept of Classics itself. It’s main aims are:
- To provide teachers of classical subjects with resources, advice, and an active support network. The WCN website with its teaching resource section STOA is an integral part of this support.
- To promote the teaching of Classics in schools not currently offering Classical subjects on their curriculum. Working alongside the Classical Association and charities such as Classics for All, the WCN have helped introduce classics into schools in Coventry and Rugby, and run on-campus events to help with Classics teaching such as our Class CIv teachers CPD run in tandem with the Classical Association.
- To promote the research undertaken by Warwick academics to a wider audience. Through public events and the creation of specialised online resources, the WCN are dedicated to bringing the work of Warwick Classics to the wider world.
- To give our students the opportunity to take their enthusiasm for the subject into the local and wider community, running and developing sessions on Classics for both Primary and Secondary schools.
Since its creation the WCN website with its teacher resources has been visited over one million times.
Research interests
I am interested in Greek religion, mythology, and festivals. I have a particular interest in the region of Boeotia and in the formation of Boeotian identity through common cults and festivals. I have recently been examining the the actions of the Artists of Dionysus in Boeotia during the Hellenistic period and under Roman rule, and am now looking at the Boeotian landscape and natural history and its effect on the religion and lived experience of the region.
Selected Publications
'The Artists of Dionysus and the Festivals of Boiotia', in Newby,The material dynamics of festivals in the Graeco-Roman East - Oxford studies in ancient documents, 2023
Qualifications
- BSc. (Hons) in Zoology, University of Wales, Swansea
- BA (Hons) in Classical and Archaeological Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury
- MA by Research, University of Warwick
- PhD, University of Warwick
Student Drop-in Hours
tbc
