Department of History Appoints Christian Thrue Djurslev as Assistant Professor in Ancient History

As of 1 March 2026, the Department of History has appointed Christian Thrue Djurslev as Assistant Professor in Ancient History.

Christian joins the department from a position as Associate Professor in Classical Philology. He is already a familiar face at History, having collaborated with several colleagues and taught the course Uses of the Past: Greece Between Antiquity and Modernity.

In his new role, Christian will bridge the gap between ancient and more recent history, with a focus on political, cultural, and intellectual history.

Meet Our New Assistant Professor

What sparked your interest in ancient history, and what continues to drive it?
Although I’ve always been fascinated by how people imagine the past, my real interest in antiquity began in high school. A study trip to Crete (not Tunisia, due to the cartoon crisis!), a written assignment on Hellenistic Egypt, and a steady stream of ancient-themed films in the cinema (including Alexander) all played their part. Taking Classical Studies in my final year left no doubt—I was hooked. After graduation, I applied to the University of Copenhagen to study Classical Greek with Mogens Herman Hansen, Thomas Heine Nielsen, and others.

My passion for Greek history led me to Exeter, England, where I focused on the Hellenistic period with Daniel Ogden and Lynette Mitchell. There, I developed an interest in Late Antiquity, eventually combining my favorite periods in a PhD on the figure of Alexander the Great in early Christianity. After a wonderful period teaching in Scotland’s beautiful capital, I returned to Denmark and began a new chapter in Aarhus. The rest is history.

My interests span all aspects of ancient history, from antiquity itself to modern scholarly debates. I mainly focus on political, cultural, and intellectual history. Broadly speaking, I study the history of the Mediterranean world in the first millennium BCE through the written sources of the first millennium CE. I’m curious about ancient historical cultures and the evolving cultural techniques used to interpret the past—especially historiography. At the same time, I explore how historical figures, events, and texts have been used by very different people for very different purposes in more recent times.

Which areas within ancient history will you focus on?
I aim to explore three key areas.

In terms of political history, I plan to focus more on the fourth century BCE and CE—periods of tremendous upheaval across Eurasia and North Africa.

Regarding cultural history, I want to rethink the phenomenon known as the “Second Sophistic,” during which intellectuals in the Greek-speaking parts of the Roman Empire devised creative ways to reinterpret their Greek heritage in light of Roman conquest and long-term occupation.

As for intellectual history, I intend to highlight later antique historiography, which remains underrepresented in the traditional canon. Many valuable texts have yet to be fully appreciated, and I believe they have much to offer the literary history of historiography. In this area, I’m already collaborating with colleagues and students to make relevant source material available in Danish translation.

What do you hope your research will lead to—or reveal?
On a general level, I’m working toward a more holistic understanding of how history was practiced in antiquity. For instance, I’m currently completing a research project on early Christian historiography, which demonstrates that Christian authors like Eusebius of Caesarea made far more use of contemporary non-Christian historiographical techniques than previously thought. This suggests that early Christian historical writing was a more integrated part of late antique historiography, rather than a separate tradition of church histories, chronicles, and hagiographies.

Future projects will explore additional aspects of ancient history and historical writing. I hope to help bridge gaps between various academic disciplines—especially history, philology, and theology.

Feel free to contact me if you have ideas for collaboration—or if you’re a student interested in writing a thesis on ancient history.

Learn more and find contact information for Christian Thrue Djurslev: https://www.au.dk/ctd@cas.au.dk