About

Before coming to Warwick, Michael completed his training at Cambridge, where he was also the Moses and Mary Finley Research Fellow in ancient history at Darwin College, as well as an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Classics. He has taught widely in the UK and Greece, and his research is focused on using inter-disciplinary approaches to the literary, epigraphic and material evidence to investigate ancient Greek and Roman society. Michael also believes passionately in making the ancient world as accessible as possible to a wider audience. He regularly talks in schools around the country, writes books intended for the popular market as well as articles for national and international newspapers and magazines, takes part in radio programmes, and has written and presented several TV series about the ancient world for History Channel, National Geographic, BBC and ITV. He is an honorary citizen of Delphi, Greece. To see his programmes, and find out more about Michael's work, visit: www.michaelscottweb.comLink opens in a new window

In January 2015, Michael was awarded the Warwick University Staff Award for Outstanding Community Contribution. See hereLink opens in a new window for more details.

In July 2015, Michael was appointed a Foundation Fellow of the Warwick International Higher Education AcademyLink opens in a new window

In Febrary 2016 Michael was appointed a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

In June 2016 Michael won a Warwick Award in Teaching Excellence (WATE)

In August 2017, Michael was awarded a National Teaching FellowshipLink opens in a new window by the Higher Education Academy - the top award for teaching in Higher Education. Read more about Michael's award hereLink opens in a new window

Michael is President of Lytham Saints Anne's Classical Association branch, a co-Director of the Sidney Stringer School Classics Hub in Coventry, and a member of the Centre for Television HistoriesLink opens in a new window, University of Warwick. He is also founder and director of the Warwick Classics Network, working with schools through Coventry and Warwickshire to facilitate the study of Classical Civilisation and Ancient History at GCSE and Alevel.

His latest book, Ancient Worlds: An Epic History of East and West was published 1st July 2016 and in paperback in January 2017. In 2017 his TV documentaries, Italy's Invisible Cities (BBC1) and Sicily (BBC2) aired to a combined audience of over 5 million in the UK.

In 2017-8, Michael was awarded a Leverhulme Research Fellowship for a project investigating the socio-political impacts of ancient global trade in luxury goods.

You can watch a short video hereLink opens in a new window, in which Michael discusses links between his research and teaching, bringing his work to a wider audience through outreach activities and what's special about Warwick.

On the 1st June 2018, Michael was appointed as a Professor of Classics and Ancient History. He also launched the Warwick Cassics Network.

In September 2018, Michael's latest BBC2 series aired: Ancient Invisible Cities, focusing on Cairo, Athens and Istanbul. In this series, Michael abseils, climbs and dives to discover hidden ancient wonders and works with a laser scanning team to bring these ancient worlds to life in virtual reality. See Michael's blog on the filming of the series hereLink opens in a new window

Michael wrote a full page article for The I Newspaper in September 2018 on his and Warwick Classics' approach to teaching and communicating about the ancient world. Click hereLink opens in a new window to read the article.

In February 2019, Michael gave his Professorial Inaugural Lecture, sponsored by the Department of Classics and WIHEA. Watch the lecture here

In October 2019, Michael became co-Lead of the Connecting Culture GRP

In October 2020, Michael became the co-Director of the Warwick Institute of Engagement.

In September 2023, Michael was appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International)Link opens in a new window as part of the University Executive Board. He continues to be research active alongside his University executive role.

Research interests

My principal research interests lie in the intersection of ancient history and archaeology within the Mediterranean and more widely across the ancient world. Previous topics of study include the interrelationships between art and text, the changing perception and experience of sacred space, the political uses of architecture, the impact and use of epigraphic documents as both text and monument and the reception of the ancient world in the modern. My PhD, now published with Cambridge University Press, focused on the spatial development of monumental dedications at Delphi and Olympia. My book with Princeton University Press in 2014 brought the literary, epigraphic and archaeological evidence for the development, perception and role of Delphi from its inception through to the 21st century. My most recent book, Ancient Worlds, is a study of the growing connections between ancient civilisations from the Mediterranean to China. I continued this research during 2017-8 as a Leverhulme Research Fellow. For my current research interests, see my ResearchLink opens in a new window page.

Teaching and supervision

Undergraduate:

• Greek Culture and SocietyLink opens in a new window
• Democracy and Imperialism in Classical AthensLink opens in a new window
• Greek ReligionLink opens in a new window
• Hellenistic WorldLink opens in a new window
• From Confucius to Constantine: Ancient Global History
• Public Engagement in ClassicsLink opens in a new window

Postgraduate:

• Taught MA in Material and Visual Culture Link opens in a new window
• Research MA Supervision
• PhD Supervision

In 2013-4, I was awarded an IATL Pedagogic intervention grant for teaching in the Greek Culture and Society module, and an IATL Academic Fellowship for my Democracy and Imperialism in Classical Athens module. In 2014-5, I was awarded an IATL Pedagogic intervention grant for my Greek Religion module.

In 2014-5, I have also been awarded an HRF Impact Award and an IAS Public Engagement Award for the organisation of the Department of Classics Ancient Drama Festival for Schools, at which over 560 school children will be enjoying a day of lectures and seminars surrounding a performance of Aristophanes' Thesmophoriazusae by the Warwick Undergraduate Classics Society.

In 2015-6, I was awarded a IATL Pedagogic intervention grant for teaching in my Democracy and Imperialism module.

In 2015 and 2016 I won Strategic and Departmental Impact grants to develop a new portal Oiko.world to facilitate the study of ancient civilisations and their connections, which will be incorporated into my new Undergraduate Ancient Global History module in 2018-9.

In 2018 I was awarded an IATL Academic Fellowship to help develop my new Ancient Global History module - it is the first time that ancient global history has ever been offered as a module at undergraduate level in any UK university.

Administrative roles

• Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International), 2023-
• Co-Director of the Warwick Institute of Engagement 2020-2023
• Co-Lead of the Connecting Cultures GRP 2019-2022
• Trustee and Director of Classics for All 2018-
• Director of Undergraduate Studies and Senior Tutor 2018-2020
• Director of Warwick Classics Network Project 2017-2023
• Impact Officer (Department of Classics, Warwick) 2016-2023
• Admissions Officer (Department of Classics, Warwick) 2013-6
• Widening Participation and Outreach Officer (Department of Classics, Warwick) 2013-5
• Foundation Fellow of the Warwick International Higher Education Academy 2015-2019
• Member of IATL Steering Committee, University of Warwick 2015-2023
• Member of the Teaching, Search and Development Committees of the British School at Athens 2016-2022
• President of the Lytham St Annes Classical Association branch 2014-Present

Selected publications

• X Marks the Spot: The Story of Archaeology in Eight Extraordinary DiscoveriesLink opens in a new window (Hodder and Stoughton)
• Ancient Worlds: An Epic History of East and West 2016 (Penguin Random House)
• M.I Finley: An Ancient Historian and his Impact 2016 (Cambridge) eds. R. Osborne, D. Jew and M. ScottLink opens in a new window
• 2018 Bloomsbury Press: Forward with Classics A. Holmes-Henderson, S. Hunt & M. Musie (eds). Chapter entitled ‘Widening Access to Classics in the UK: How the Impact, Public Engagement, Outreach and Knowledge Exchange Agenda Has Helped’ (co-written with Emma Searle and Lucy Jackson)

• 2018 Classical Press of Wales: Sparta in the Self-Perception of the Athenians. P. Cartledge & A. Powell (eds). Chapter entitled ‘Viewing Sparta through Athenian engagement with art and architecture

• 2017 Oxford University Press: The Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion. ed. J. Kindt. Chapter entitled ‘Sacred Space in Greece and Rome’

• 2017 University of Michigan Press: Theorectical Approaches to Archaeology in Ancient Greece L. Nevett ed. Chapter entitled: ‘Mapping the religious landscape: the case of Pan in Athens.’

• 2017 University of Pennsylvania Press: Boeotia in the Fourth Century BC. Chapter entitled: ‘Boeotia and Delphi in the 4th century BC’.

• 2016 Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Greek Architecture. M. Miles (ed.). Chapter entitled: ‘Prestige in Greek sanctuaries.’

• 2015 Oxford University Press: Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion. E. Eidinow and J. Kindt (eds). Chapter entitled: ‘Temples and sanctuaries.’

• 'The Spatial Indeterminacy and social life of athletic facilities (other than stadia)', in P. Christesen and D. Kyle (eds.), The Blackwell Companion to Ancient Sport and Spectacle (Malden, 2013).
• Space and Society in the Greek and Roman WorldLink opens in a new window (Cambridge, 2012).
• 'Displaying lists of what is (not) on display: the uses of inventories in Greek sanctuaries' in M. Haysom and J. Wallensten (eds.), Current Approaches to Greek Religion (Athens, 2011) 239-52.
• with L. Skinns and A. Cox (eds.), Risk: the 25th Darwin Lecture Series Link opens in a new window(Cambridge, 2011).
• Delphi and Olympia: the spatial politics of panhellenism in the archaic and classical periods Link opens in a new window(Cambridge, 2010).
• From Democrats to Kings: the story of how the Greek world changed from Athens to Alexander the GreatLink opens in a new window (London, 2009).
• 'Constructing identities in sacred interstate space: the case of the Arkadian monument at Delphi', BAR 1739 (2008) 431-8.
• 'Architectural sculpture in its archaeological context: the Siphnian treasury at Delphi', BABESCH 82 (2007) 23-33.

Professional associations

• Fellow of the Royal Historical Association
• External adjudicator for ancient history project proposals to the Council for the Humanities of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research
• External Adjudicator for Austrian Science Fund
• Reader for Cambridge University Press, Journal of Hellenic Studies, Journal of Ancient Civilisations and Hesperia
• Member of the Classical Association, British Epigraphic Society, Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, Society for the Promotion of Modern Greek Studies, British School at Rome, British School at Athens

Qualifications

• M.A., MPhil, PhD. (Cantab.)