I was Wykeham Professor of Ancient (Greek) History from 1996-2016. Before that I was Tutor in Greek and Latin Languages and Literature at Oriel College, Oxford; before that, an undergraduate and graduate at New College. I gave the Towsend lectures in Cornell in 2008 and the Sather lectures in Berkeley in 2013.
Research Interests
I study Greek society from an anthropological perspective; in particular, I am interested in how the Greeks' thought and behaviour was shaped by their religious beliefs. Of late I have been studying the interaction of Greek religion with other polytheistic systems, particularly in Asia Minor. Inscriptions are a prime source of evidence for me, and a great joy.
Greek Gods Abroad: Names, Natures, Transformations (Oakland, 2017) edited, Personal Names in Ancient Anatolia, (2013) On Greek religion, (Cornell University Press 2011). Polytheism and Society at Athens, (Oxford 2005). Athenian Religion: a History, (Oxford 1996). Miasma. Pollution and Purification in Early Greek Religion, (Oxford 1983), Notes: ed. 2 1996
