Dr. Matthew Leigh

Biography

Matthew Leigh is a Professor of Classics at the University of Oxford, where he is a fellow at St Anne's College. He has a robust academic background, having studied at Balliol College and St Hugh's College at the University of Oxford. He also spent time as a visiting student at the University of Pisa in 1992. Leigh has previously taught Classics and Ancient History at Exeter University from 1993 to 1997. He has served as a Visiting Professor of Classics at Princeton University and has returned to Princeton as a Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study. His research encompasses a broad spectrum of Roman culture, with a focus on Latin literature and Roman history. He has published several works, including studies on Roman epic poetry and ancient concepts of behavior. Currently, he is working on topics related to Roman declamation and the politics of the Augustan and Tiberian eras. Leigh's interests also extend to the intersection of comedy and curiosity within the project of classical reception in 18th-century drama and freemasonry, resulting in his publication 'Masons Mysteries 18th Century Drama' in 2019. He is also developing a project that explores the representation of slaves in Roman Comedy through the lens of pre-Civil War American slave memoirs.

Research Interests

Experience