Research
My research looks at Roman social and cultural history, with a focus on trying to look at history 'from below'. I'm also interested in sensory history, disasters, and the use of Classics to create various imagery and stereotypes relating to subordinate groups.
Publications
Homer's Turk: How Classics Shaped Ideas of the East (Harvard University Press, 2013) which shows how historians and travel writers have used classical sources to help create various images of Islam and the Orient.
Roman Disasters (Polity Press, 2013) looks at the important role that disasters played in Roman life and culture, ranging from floods and fires to warfare and famine.
Popular Culture in Ancient Rome, Polity Press, 2009, analyses the life of the non-elite in Roman society.
Leisure and Ancient Rome, Polity Press, 1995, looks at the important role leisure in various forms played in Roman society at all levels.
