Why Monarchy Endures: Answers from the Ancient Mediterranean World

Monarchy was the most widespread form of government in the ancient Mediterranean world, shaping social structures, belief systems, intellectual trajectories, and artistic expression. Even today, more than forty countries, including Australia, retain a monarch as head of state, often while struggling to reconcile the institution’s imperialist and colonialist legacies with democratic ideals. Many other states labour under quasi-monarchical authoritarian regimes enforced by military oppression or electoral manipulation. Yet we have failed to grapple properly with the reasons for the persistence of sole rule, which seriously compromises our understanding of political systems in both the ancient and modern worlds.

The project aims to discover why monarchy endured in the ancient Mediterranean world (c. 1200 BCE-600 CE) despite the emergence of democracies and republics that gave citizens an important political voice. By comparing ancient governments across Europe, North Africa, and the Near East, it aims to generate new knowledge about the creation of monarchies, the strategies monarchs used to win popular support, and why sole rule poses serious challenges to democratic constitutions. Expected outcomes include new historical explanations for the rise and popularity of authoritarian figures in modern democracies. This should provide significant benefits such as better understanding of how to cope with political change in a time of global uncertainty.

Project Funding and Team

The project is led by Associate Professor Caillan Davenport, Head of the Centre for Classical Studies. It is funded by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT240100071), which will run from June 2025-June 2029. The ARC and ANU have provided funding for a Level A Research Fellow and two PhD scholarships attached to the project.

There is capacity to incorporate additional Honours, MPhil, and PhD candidates, who will be eligible to apply for funding via CASS/Classics Honours Scholarships and the ANU’s annual Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship rounds.

Contact

Enquiries, including from prospective PhD, MPhil, or Honours students, are very welcome and should be sent to Associate Professor Caillan Davenport: caillan.davenport@anu.edu.au