Emily Oldridge
Emily's PhD project is titled: 'Myth and Reality: The Role of Greek Myths in the Popularisation of Aegean Prehistory'
Project Description
This project aims to explore how popular interest in Greek myth has impacted upon museum exhibitions and on academic research more generally. Myths have become part of an effective marketing strategy for museums in recent years. This research project explores how this connection between myth and archaeology in exhibitions has shaped the priorities of Aegean Prehistory. It also hopes to improve the dialogue between the public and academics to improve access to archaeology.
Using archival material and exhibition catalogues, the project will explore four case studies: "Labyrinth: Knossos, Myth and Reality" (2023, Oxford); "Troy: Myth and Reality" (2019-2020, London); "Mykene: Die sagenhafte Welt des Agamemnon" (2018-2019, Karlsruhe); and "Troia- Traum und Wirklichkeit" (2001-2002, Germany). It will then compare and contrast these case studies with the presentation of archaeology in wider popular culture focusing on myths associated with Troy, Knossos and Mycenae (including novels, TV and film, theatre and video games) to determine what knowledge a visitor may enter a museum with. Then, the project will compare the case studies chronologically with previous exhibitions from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, using archival material. Finally, it will use findings from the two exhibitions which I will put on display at the Great North Museum to evaluate what the public wish to see in future displays about Aegean Prehistory.
Awards and Grants
Awards
- Ancient History Prize awarded by St John's College for my Undergraduate Studies
Research Grants and Funding
- Northern Bridge AHRC Studentship (2025-2029)
- Vronwy Hankey Memorial Fund for Aegean Studies, British School at Athens (2024)
- Brian Leech Memorial Fund, Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge (2024)
- MPhil Studentship, Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge (2023-2024)
- Travel Award for Undergraduates, Society of Dilettanti (2023)
- Travel Award, Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford (2023)
Other Roles
Content Creator and Recruitment Intern - School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Â鶹´«Ã½ - February to July (2026)
I regularly visits schools to do outreach work. I teach workshops based on my PhD work to school groups and I have presented to groups about my own journey into Classics.
I run my own social media page called on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Classics Mistake aims to improve access to Classics through discussing common misconceptions about the ancient world. As part of this, I have also begun to create educational resources for primary school teachers based on my research under the name Classics Adventures. Here is a link to the website which I am currently developing for all of this: