Abigail Graham – Report on the Postgraduate Course in Epigraphy 2026

The BSR Postgraduate Course in Epigraphy (July 1st- July 11th 2026), an 11-day immersive course at the British School at Rome, hosted 12 PhD students from 7 countries with a broad range of historical, archaeological, linguistic, and artistic interests. Their research topics and presentations included: playwrights & obscenity, representations of performers, visibility vs. legibility of Republic monuments, social mobility of elite families from Paestum to Rome, Migration & self-representation in Late Antique monuments, Greek names in Christian Rome, depictions of gem cutters, roles of male & female scribes, Republican municipal water projects, the evolving titles of Marcus Aurelius, and role of liberalitas in public munificence. The cost of Roman sites is subject to change; budgeting for site entry costs can be a challenge. Some museums increased costs: the Forum Romanum and the Vatican (both granted free access in the past), are each ca. 20 euros per person. The BSR’s connections and permit access (Stefania Peterlini) are invaluable. As a result, we were able to visit many sites and museums at reduced rates, including the Capitoline Museums, Ostia Antica, Caecilia Metella Museum, the Tomb of the Scipios, the Catacombs of San Sebastiano and Sant’ Agnese. We also visited new collections: the Forma Urbis Museum, Parco Celio, and the Line B Metro museum. Funds to support site visits with fluctuating prices were invaluable, as was support for speakers & practical activities.

While filming a short video for the BSR’s 125th anniversary, I had a moment to reflect on the course’s legacy. In 14 years, this course has become an invaluable resource and a catalyst in research & collaboration with a cross-field impact. Recently, I produced an edited volume (CUP 2024), an edition of unpublished inscriptions from Rome (Papers for the British School at Rome:  2025), and chaired two conference panels (CA 2025, TRAC 2026) with over a dozen alumna from these courses. Last year Han Li (MOLA) made international news (BBC, CNN) with his reconstruction of an inscribed plaster wall from Roman Britain, which he developed during the 2024 course. We hope to continue the tradition where the course is the beginning of a dialogue and a pathway towards career opportunity & development.

Course Report

The BSR Postgraduate Course in Epigraphy (July 1st- July 11th 2026), an 11-day immersive course based at the British School at Rome, ran successfully for the 8th time. Twelve PhD students from seven countries came with a broad range of historical, archaeological, economic, linguistic, and artistic interests. Activities included tours by curators as well as entry to the Galleria Lapidaria at the Vatican Museums and Ostia Antica. Silvia Orlandi welcomed us at La Sapienza University for a tour of the CIL VI Archives. Carlotta Caruso guided us through the Baths of Diocletian, including a temporary exhibition and an exercise in recording inscriptions: drawing, measuring and photographing cippi in the Chiostro. Valentina Follo invited us for a rubbing session in the courtyard at the American Academy. We also explored digital resources: how to use and contribute to these initiatives.
These visits offer unique opportunities to engage with the text & contexts of inscriptions and to compare museum displays or reconstructions with original sites and texts.

The BSR is a wonderful host with excellent facilities and resources. Course feedback (below) demonstrates how participants benefitted, developing practical skills, collaborating in ongoing research and forging lasting relationships with international postgraduates and scholars. Their final presentations show the value of a hands-on approach to inscriptions as well as a group dynamic. At the BSR, we met scholars and new resident artists, who joined us for “Wine, Cheese& Squeeze”: a hands-on engagement with inscriptions. These events illustrate how the course operates in the longer term, increasing networks of engagement and interaction for participants, institutions, and researchers.

This course was amazing. I visited so many museums and collections I had never seen before…and learned so many new things about epigraphy that will be invaluable to my future. The practical parts (squeezes and rubbings) were so exciting and useful.

This is an excellent course….Well structured and suitably busy, Abigail’s enthusiasm and knowledge of her subject are infectious. Her collaborative & encouraging teaching style is exemplary.

The course was immensely interesting and enjoyable. The ability to experience inscriptions in their material and spatial context was very useful for my development as a researcher.

The organisation of the course was fantastic, we visited a remarkable number of sites & collections. The timetable was superb; days were packed but not overly. So much material and so many categories of inscriptions, Dr Graham was excellent at orienting us and answering our questions.

The talks by experts were really illuminating, supplemented by A. Graham’s helpful tutorials.
Pedagogically, I was really impressed by the handout with individual notes for each student and the sheer amount of work that was put into the course.  

The research presentations were a brilliant way to encourage work in a supportive & relaxed setting.

The BSR is an amazing place where I found many useful books and resources…[which] helped me improve my work in many ways through the library and the residents, who gave helpful suggestions.

Administrative support is exemplary, and the staff are all helpful and delightful.

Abigail Graham
Course Founder and Coordinator (2012–present)