Biography
My doctoral research focuses on maritime trade, connectivity, and mobility in the Mediterranean during the Archaic and Classical periods. My major research questions concern the degree of impact technological developments in both naval infrastructure and wooden ship construction had on the growth of the ancient economy in these periods. Investigations into the ancient environment, resource access and management, and networks of resource supply also feature prominently in my research. Furthermore, my project involves examining the institutions which influenced economic transactions and technological development, whether these be formal political or religious institutions, or informal social and cultural expectations. As a maritime archaeologist and an ancient historian, I study material evidence, such as the hull remains of ancient shipwrecks and excavated port and harbour sites, as well as ancient textual and epigraphic evidence for maritime supply and infrastructure. In addition, I have studied in the past and maintain great interest in questions of identity negotiation and cultural exchange within communities dedicated to facilitating pan-Mediterranean maritime trade and exchange, with particular attention to the Tyrrhenian Sea region in the Archaic period.