I am a ̽̽ alumnus and joined the ̽̽ faculty in 2000. Before attending ̽̽ as an undergraduate I apprenticed in Germany as a post-and-beam carpenter and later earned my Ph.D. in Classics at The University of Chicago. For a profile of me and my work inTableau, the magazine of The University of Chicago’s Division of Humanities, click.For an interview with me with La pensée écologique, .
I became a member of the Geography and Geosciences faculty in 2021 and am also a faculty member in The Environmental Program, the Food Systems Graduate Program and an affiliate of the Gund Institute for Environment. I teach a variety of courses about the ancient world and in environmental studies. I have also taught in the Liberal Arts Scholars Program (LASP), the Teacher-Advisor Program (TAP), and the Honors College.
I specialize in the ancient Mediterranean world, particularly the languages, literatures, and cultures of Greece and Rome. My interests include orality studies, ancient ecologies, and ancient philosophy. I am also deeply interested in the reception of classical texts in modern works of art, music, and literature. My bookPlato’s Pigs and Other Ruminations: Ancient Guides to Living with Nature(Cambridge University Press, 2020) traces modern ideas about sustainability and systems science back to their origins in antiquity, on which topic also I teach a course: “Sustainability: A Cultural History.” (See here,hereԻherefor more information.) Since 2018, I have been overseeing research and a̽̽ internship in archaeology, paleobotany, sustainable agriculture, and food systems in Italy’s Sabine Hills. (See a video précis of this work, The Roman Villa Project,.)
In addition to publishing books and articles about the ancient world, I have written two opera libretti (for text, music, and videosee here) and children’s books. Non-academic pursuits include carpentry (I built my own house and outbuildings) and farming (my wife Caroline and I own and operate in Shoreham, where we produce lamb, eggs, and maple syrup on 125 acres).
Syllabi:
ENVS 2990C How to Think About Animals (PDF)(Fall 2023)