Graduate Student, Archaeology
PhD candidate
Thesis Title: Shops in Roman Pompeii
About
My doctoral research on "The Shops of Roman Pompeii: a case study of Region VIII" concentrates upon the physical materials of more than 100 shops in the ancient city of Pompeii as destroyed and subsequently preserved by a catastrophic volcanic eruption in AD 79. The contextualization and explanation of these archaeological structures and their contents provides an understanding of the socio-economic spectrum at Pompeii, as well as presenting a clearer picture of population, urban planning, ownership and commerce in the Roman world. The proportionality of shops versus domestic and civic buildings, when connected to artefactual assemblages, demonstrates the use of individual structures and the characterization of practices within neighbourhoods, as well as property ownership legalities, revealing previously shrouded aspects of Roman domestic life.
Since 2006 I have been a member of staff and since 2011 a Primary Researcher with The Pompeii Food and Drink Project in the archaeological analysis of daily life patterns through non-invasive study of structures associated with production, trade and consumption. In this role I have instructed fieldwork and research, and lectured upon the Roman world and Pompeian life, especially socio-economic development. During the annual research season I co-lead the evaluation of structures; in the off-season I have rewritten the project's orientation guide (2009, updated 2011), assisted in the writing of a future site survey guide and co-ordinated pre-season contact with staff and students with led to pastoral support during field seasons.
During the course of my doctoral studies I have presented my research as part of the Theoretical Roman Archaeology Conference 2010 at the University of Oxford, and as award-winning research posters at several conferences. I edited the publications "Food & Drink in Archaeology I." University of Nottingham Postgraduate Conference 2007. Prospect Books, Totnes: 2008 (Winner of Gourmand Award 2009 Best Culinary History Book (UK); Best Culinary History Book 3rd place in the World) and "Food & Drink in Archaeology II." University of Nottingham Postgraduate Conference 2008. Prospect Books, Totnes: 2009. I initiated and organized an annual major conference series "Food & Drink in Archaeology" in 2007 and 2008, and received funding from several bodies, including the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to support this initiative.
Over the course of my undergraduate, master and doctoral studies I have been the recipient of major competitive scholarships and awards, including:
* the Imperial Oil Higher Education Award for outstanding academic achievement 1999-2003 (undergraduate);
* the University of Nottingham Recognition of Excellence in the Arts Tuition Scholarship 2005-8 (doctoral);
* several smaller awards from the British School at Rome, the University of Nottingham and smaller funding bodies.
Past Research
In 2003 I graduated with a BAH in Classics from Queen's University, Canada. My studies covered a vast area of knowledge upon the ancient Greek and Roman world, including ancient languages, history, art and archaeology. My undergraduate dissertation focused upon "Women in the Lives of C. Julius Caesar and Cn. Pompeius Magnus", with a concentration upon female members of both families traditionally forgotten with relation to the political, personal and marital ties between Julius Caesar and Pompeius Magnus.
In 2004 I received a MA in Roman Archaeology from the University of Nottingham. My graduate research, titled "Studies of Selected Tombs from Rome: the Necropolis Ostiense, the Vatican Carpark Necropolis and the Necropolis of Isola Sacra at Portus" concentrated upon the examination and comparison of death and burial practices in non-elite Republican and Imperial tombs at Rome and Portus. Two months of intensive instruction as part of the degree were undertaken at the British School at Rome.
Contact Information
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