Humanities & Social Sciences

Humanities

 
 
 
 

Study of the Humanities has been at the heart of the BSR since its foundation in 1901 while the Social Sciences are an equally important but more recent addition to its activity.

Our aim is to act as a catalyst for academic research and creative practice through engagement with Mediterranean, Italian and Rome-based international agencies to enhance connectivity, partnership and collaboration for UK and Commonwealth researchers and creative artists.

Humanities research at the BSR covers all periods from antiquity to the present. Our work in the Science Sciences engages with global challenges as our pre- COP26 roundtable series run in conjunction with UCL under the auspices of the British Embassy show.

Public lectures, Conferences and Workshops

From October to June the BSR presents public lectures by our award-holders and other invited speakers. These are complemented by the talks, lectures and exhibitions offered as part of the Fine Arts and Architecture programmes.

The BSR’s superb 120 seat Sainsbury Lecture Theatre, Gallery and seminar spaces, host conferences and book presentations providing a forum for speakers from many disciplines. These augment the interdisciplinary lecture programme and promote intellectual exchange, both within the BSR and amongst the wider academic community.

The BSR hosts conferences throughout the year. These range across the full interdisciplinary scope of the BSR and enable resident scholars and artists to present their research, as well as promoting intellectual exchange with the wide range of artists and scholars in Rome, Italy and internationally.

Explore more on Humanities activities in the British School at Rome Annual Review.


Evening film screening ‘Quo Vadis’, photo by Antonio Palmieri

Latest Events

Latest Events

ITALY
City of Rome | Janiculum and Janus: A Reassessment of Cult and Topography
This paper examines a specific dimension of the multiform cult of Janus, with particular attention to its Roman topography and the problematic evidence for his
15 April 2026
18:00 - 19:30
ITALY
City of Rome | Coin Circulation in Late Republican Rome: Monetary Pools, Mobility, and the Presence of Non-Roman Coinage (c. 120–80 BC)
The lecture examines patterns of coin circulation in the city of Rome between second and first centuries BC, drawing on evidence from coin finds from
22 April 2026
18:00 - 19:30
ITALY
City of Rome | Taming the Tiber: Roman Water Management in the Tiber Valley and its Impact on Riparian Communities
Flooding has formed one of Rome’s most persistent environmental challenges and during the Roman era the city was subject to frequent and devastating inundations. Throughout
29 April 2026
18:00 - 19:30

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