The Classical World in Context: Religious Experience in Antiquity

A multitude of religions flourished in the Mediterranean and beyond from the second millennium BCE through the Late Roman era. Addressing the diversity of faiths and rituals, scholars will consider the consequences of contact between the Greek and Roman worlds and neighboring civilizations of the Near East, Africa, and transalpine Europe. The intersection of religions entailed continuity and coexistence as well as intolerance and conflict. Conquest, commerce, migration, and the foundation of “international” sanctuaries facilitated new forms of worship. These interactions, which both reflected and shaped religious experience, were widely manifested in art and material culture. Engaging systems of belief that range from state-sponsored religion and local cults to private devotion, researchers will investigate how communities reconciled the spiritually charged and socially fluid landscapes around them.

The Getty Scholars Program at the Villa focuses on the Classical World in Context, a multi-year initiative to explore the interconnectivity between the ancient Mediterranean region and the cultures of Africa and Eurasia. Priority will be given to research projects that apply interdisciplinary, comparative, transregional, and diachronic approaches to art, material culture, literature, and other sources for the study of antiquity.

Applications are welcome from researchers of all nationalities who are working in the arts, humanities, or social sciences.

Applicants who received their degree after September 1, 2021 should apply for a postdoctoral fellowship. Postdoctoral fellowships will not be offered at the Getty Villa in 2025-26, but may be offered for other themes at the Getty Research Institute.

Current Getty staff and members of their immediate family are not eligible for Scholar Grants. Recent recipients who have received a Getty Scholar award within the past six years may be removed from consideration.