UrbNet welcomes today Dr. Elizabeth Murphy (Florida State University), who will be a residential scholar at the centre for the period 1 September 2020 - 31 August 2021.

Murphy's research concerns the social and economic organisation of the Roman world; more specifically, it focuses on the history and archaeology of labour, production, and technology, through the lens of ancient urbanism, the Roman military, and socio-economic inequality in Antiquity. Her research not only archaeologically reconstructs the experience of artisanal work in the ancient Mediterranean and the contribution of manufacturing to local and regional economies, but also addresses how such work served to reinforce professional identities among crafts people and workgroups that were embedded within Roman society. From the soldier-artisan in a frontier workshop to the urban craftperson in a downtown taberna or in an extramural industrial quarter, her research investigates the diversity of ancient working lives in a wide range of settings.

During her stay, Elizabeth Murphy will give the lecture series Socially Re-Constructing the Late Roman City: Labor, Networks, Economy, and Narratives of Urban "Decline". 

Read more about Elizabeth Murphy and check out our calendar for details on her lecture series.