(This is part of a series of conversations I’ve had with PhD students, doctors and teachers here at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History in Lund during the summer of 2022. For some the original conversation were in English, but for some in Swedish. When that’s the case I’ve published a translation as well, and any faults or strange word choices are to be considered mine. You’ll find the Swedish original here.)
Fanny Kärfve finished her PhD in March 2022 with the defence of her thesis Greeting the visitor – A contextualising study of fauces-mosaics in Pompeii and is now a Doctor in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History. Moreover, when I caught her for a few questions about her experience of the PhD in general and the application process specifically, she was so newly confermed that the doctoral ring felt strange on her finger and the laurel wreath was still fresh. Fanny got to experience several different aspects of the doctoral conferment ceremony, as her daughter was one of the girls who carried the laurel wreaths and got to borrow a dress from Kulturen for it. For a passing spectator, the conferment ceremony means gun salutes by the cathedral and a parade of black-clad individuals, but for the doctor-to-be, it is years of hard work that ceremonially comes to an end. But Fanny says she hasn’t gotten used to the idea that it’s finished quite yet. Since she’s so into it still, it was the perfect opportunity to ask about it all. This will be a summary of the conversation we had about the thesis, life and the future.
”How did you go about applying?”
”I applied for the position here in Lund three times, but I also had plans to apply either abroad or at one of the other departments with Classical Archaeology and Ancient History here in Sweden. In Sweden, a PhD position is an employment with all the benefits of such, such as job protection and parental leave, but it is also an education, and that played a role in where I applied. My project was ranked differently at the different application stages. When you get a high ranking, you get a statement about your application and I used that to improve my project plan for the next time. They then look at the relevance of the topic and if there is a new angle to the material, or a new perspective and if it is feasible. The biggest change I made was to reduce the scope of the project so that it would be doable during the PhD, and that was lucky because it grew later anyway!”
”How did you choose the topic for your dissertation?”
””I was lucky enough to be a student in the Pompeii project (a project run by the then Professor of Classical Archaeology and Ancient History here in the department) and there I found my material and realised that no one else had done anything with it. There were also people in the project who listened to questions and encouraged me to take it further, but I didn’t ask anyone for comments on the project description before applying because I didn’t want to put them in a position of conflict of interest. But after I started writing an application, I talked a lot to people who had written applications themselves, for example for excavations, and I asked other PhD students about how they wrote their applications. It helps to hear how others did it.”
”Do you have advice for anyone applying now”
”Especially for Classical Archaeology and Ancient History, language is really important! Not only does the department in Lund require ancient languages for your application to be ranked, but modern languages are also important. Much of the research is written in languages other than English, so German, French, Italian and Greek are good to read and understand. This will be taken into account when assessing the application. Having realistic expectations and knowing what you are getting into, being driven by a certain kind of stubbornness and curiosity. And, of course, a genuine love of ancient history.”
”What has been difficult and what has been fun along the way?”
”The hardest thing has been the time aspect. Setting a framework for your project and a timetable, and knowing when to stop! You can’t go on and on forever. So making it manageable was difficult. Becoming a parent during the PhD was not as difficult as one might think, it just extends the time it takes. The most enjoyable part has been being part of a context, having colleagues and a workplace, and being able to take a place in the subject.”
”And now, what happens for you after this milestone?”
”I’ve been awarded a grant to start a new project inspired by my thesis. So it’s off to Ostia!”
Thank you Fanny for taking the time, we look forward to your continued research!