Dr Ralph Anderson

Lecturer

Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2619
Email: rta1@st-andrews.ac.uk
Office: C29
Location: Craigard

Biography

I grew up in Norfolk (England, not Virginia) and went to Downing College, Cambridge for my MA in Classics. I moved to Trinity Hall for my MPhil and PhD, and arrived in St Andrews in 2004 for a three-year teaching post. That was a frighteningly long time ago now, and in the meantime I've done plenty of teaching, a lot of admin, and some research.

Teaching

In sub-Honours, I teach a wide variety of topics in Greek and Roman history and the modern reception of Greece and Rome. At Honours level, I currently teach the following modules:

AN4434 Experiencing the Gods in Ancient Greece
CL4419 Magic in the Greco-Roman World: Representations and Realities

I have previously taught Honours modules on Herodotus, death and dying in Greek culture, and aspects of the modern reception of the Greeks and Romans (from the mid-nineteenth century to today, give or take a bit at either end). I currently contribute to two team-taught, third-year 'themes and methods' courses, AN3034 'Approaches to Ancient History' and CL3304 'Classical Studies: Interpretations and Receptions', where I teach topics on Greek historiography and modern reception respectively.

PhD supervision

Aneirin Pendragon

Selected publications

Belief in Greek and Roman religion
Anderson, R. T. (Editor) & Chaudhuri, P. (Editor), 14 May 2026, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 394 p.
Research output: Book/Report › Anthology
Introduction: questioning belief
Anderson, R. T., 4 Jun 2026, Belief in Greek and Roman religion. Anderson, R. & Chaudhuri, P. (eds.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 1-44
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
Open access
Perception as an alternative to belief in Greek religious experience
Anderson, R. T., 4 Jun 2026, Belief in Greek and Roman religion. Anderson, R. & Chaudhuri, P. (eds.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 211-235
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
Open access
"Work with the god": military divination and rational battle-planning in Xenophon
Anderson, R. T., 16 Jul 2021, Divination and knowledge in Greco-Roman antiquity. Addey, C. (ed.). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, p. 84-108 25 p. (Routledge monographs in classical studies).
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution
Open access
A story of blood, guts and guesswork: synthetic reasoning in classical Greek divination
Anderson, R. T., 5 Sept 2017, Prophets and Profits : Ancient Divination and Its Reception. Evans, R. (ed.). Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, Vol. Acta Classica Supplement 9. p. 50-64 14 p.
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
New Gods
Anderson, R. T., Oct 2015, The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion. Eidinow, E. & Kindt, J. (eds.). Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 309-324 15 p.
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
M. A. Flower, The Seer in Ancient Greece (book review)
Anderson, R. T., 28 Nov 2011, In: Journal of Hellenic Studies. 131, p. 230 230 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article review › peer-review
Odysseus
Anderson, R. T., 2011, The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Ancient History. Wiley-Blackwell
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Entry for encyclopedia/dictionary
Theseus and Theseia
Anderson, R. T., 2011, The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Ancient History. Wiley-Blackwell
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Entry for encyclopedia/dictionary
R. C. T. Parker, Polytheism and Society at Athens (book review)
Anderson, R. T., 2010, In: Ancient West and East. 9, p. 357-359 3 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article review › peer-review

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