About

I’m a classical philologist interested in ancient agriculture; sensory studies; and ancient magic, religion, and ritual, with much of my work examining the intersection of these areas. My forthcoming book, The Scent of Ancient Magic, deals with the complex relationship between scent and magic in the ancient Mediterranean. Magicians and other ritual practitioners used smells to create the right ambience for spells and initiations, while scents acted as a gut-level model for how magic—something which was, like scent, intangible but powerful—was supposed to operate. My next book project will examine ancient farming and how Romans used agriculture as part of their public image. I’m also interested in the modern reception of classical antiquity, especially in perfumes and video games.