Areas of research interest:
I research ancient socio-military history with emphasis on the role of animals in the military arena and human-animal studies (HAS). I specialize in Philip and Alexander studies and the Macedonian adoption of elephant warfare from India, which is the subject of my current book project. I have additional interests in violence and massacre in ancient combat as well as the combat experience and have published on the topic here: https://journal.fi/arctos/article/view/96053
Current projects include:
-Ancient War Elephants, a monograph investigating the use of war elephants and growth of war elephant culture from ancient India to Carthaginian Spain.
- “Special Ops Camels,” an investigation of the Macedonian use of Old-World camelids during the reign of Alexander the Great (r.336-323 bce) and the Wars of the Diadochoi (323-281 bce).
- “Soldier Dog,” a study of the Greek use of canines in the military arena and in battle based on iconographic and literary evidence from the Archaic through Classical Periods (c.750-323 bce).
Areas of Teaching Interest:
I teach introductory courses on the ancient Mediterranean world, the history of Greece, and a new special interest course, The Experience of Ancient Greek Combat. At the graduate level, I offer readings and research seminars in ancient Macedonian imperialism. Currently, I am developing a course on ancient animal culture that combined human-animal studies (HAS) and traditional historical approaches to the ancient past.
Education:
University of Evansville, Evansville, IN, B.A. in history, minors in Spanish, French
University of Missouri-Columbia, M.A. in history, focus on antiquity
University of Missouri-Columbia, PhD in history, focus on ancient war, Macedonia