Personal Statement:
I specialize in the Ancient Mediterranean world, specifically Classical Greece and the Hellenistic era. I have traveled to most of the major ancient sites of ancient Greece and Macedon, and I enjoy sharing those travel experiences in the classroom. Students are welcome to contact me over email for advice concerning travel to Greece, and particularly ancient Greek archaeological sites.
My research focuses on the interaction between intellectuals and kings in the late Classical and early Hellenistic period. Most of my research considers these intellectual exchanges in the fields of geography and politics. My current project is the first book length study of Alexander III (the Great) of Macedon as an imperial explorer. I have used Greek advice to princes literature and Achaemenid Persian geographical collection practices to further the discussion concerning Alexander’s exploratory motivations during his Asian campaign. I have also demonstrated that the Greek geographical understanding of central Asian geography was less accurate than previously thought. In doing so, I argue that Aristotle’s primary work on geography, the Meteorologica, was published in the 320s BCE, which means it was inspired by campaign geographical reports rather than a geographical guide available to Alexander and his intellectuals at the start of the campaign.
In the future, I hope to expand upon my recent article concerning the prevalence of Xenophon’s Cyropaedia within the intellectual circles of Alexander’s campaign. I believe that Alexander and the early Hellenistic kings were deeply impacted by the works of Xenophon, even to the point that early Hellenistic kingship reflected this author’s influence.
Research and Teaching Interests:
Classical Greece
The Hellenistic Age
Ancient Macedon
Achaemenid Persia
Greek Political Thought
Ancient Geography
Current Projects:
Book Manuscript: Beyond the Borders of the Sun: Exploration in the Age of Alexander the Great
Article: “Callisthenes’ Last Entry: The Araxes River and Bactria in Strabo’s Geography.”
Selected Publications:
“Setting a Royal Pace: Achaemenid Kingship and the Origin of Alexander the Great’s
Bematistai.” Ancient History Bulletin 31.1-2 (2017): 39-64.
“The Cyropaedia among Alexander’s Lost Historians.” The Ancient World 46, No.2 (2015): 134-161.
“Bede’s Monk-Kings.” Fons Luminis 2 (2012): 95-117.
Courses Taught:
2008-2009 (2) World History to 1500 CE (East Carolina)
2013 HST 111B Archaic and Classical Greece (UCSB-Summer B)
2014 HST 111C Hellenistic Greece (UCSB-Summer B)
2016 HST 2A (UCSB Fall)
2017 HST 111B (UCSB Winter)
2017 HST 2A (UCSB Fall)
Awards & Professional Activities:
FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS
2015-2016 UCSB Affiliates Dissertation Fellowship
2015-2016 UCSB Graduate Division Dissertation Completion Fellowship
2014-2015 Nominated for Graduate Student Association Award for Teaching Excellence
2014-2015 UCSB History Associates Fellowship
2014-2015 UCSB Interdisciplinary Humanities Center Dissertation Fellowship
2013-2014 Hal Drake Award Fellowship (UCSB History Department)
2013-2014 Mediterranean Seminar/UC Multi-Campus Research Project Travel Grant
2013-2014 Bert Hodge Hill Scholarship (American School of Classical Studies-Athens Summer Program)
2013-2014 Lena Dumas Travel Scholarship (UCSB Classics Department)
2012-2013 Jacobs Fund for Alexander Studies Fellowship
2012-2013 UCSB Graduate Dean’s Advancement Fellowship
2009-2010 Darcy Ritzau Fellowship (UCSB History Department)
2007-2008 Bodo Nischan Memorial Fellowship (East Carolina History Department)
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
2014-present American Historical Association
2013-present Association of Ancient Historians
2009-present Ancient Borderlands Multi-Campus Research Group
2009-present Friends of Ancient History (California)