Introduction

I grew up in continental Europe and west Africa. In 2003 I came to Britain to study classical and ancient Near Eastern languages in Edinburgh, Oxford and London, graduating with a DPhil in Classics from the University of Oxford in 2013. I then held various teaching and research positions in the UK and Germany before joining Queen’s in October 2016.

In addition to my academic work, I am keen to encourage public engagement with the study of antiquity: I regularly contribute to the College’s outreach programmes (especially the Ancient Worlds Network), and appear on podcasts and radio programmes (such as BBC Radio 4’s In Our Time). I am also very happy to offer talks to schools.

Teaching

My interest in classical literature was sparked many years ago by a memorable passage in book III of Homer’s Iliad and an enigmatic saying attributed to the philosopher Heraclitus; today I feel immensely fortunate to continue exploring and enjoying a wide range of Greek and Roman authors as a tutor. My teaching, which I seek to adapt to students’ needs and interests, covers the literary elements of the initial (‘Mods’) part of the Classics curriculum, as well as other papers related to ancient Greek literature. 

Research

My research is concerned with the literatures and religions of the ancient world, particularly early Greece and the ancient Near East. Past books on this topic include The Gods Rich in Praise: Early Greek and Mesopotamian Religious Poetry (OUP 2015) and Three Myths of Kingship in Early Greece and the Ancient Near East: The Servant, the Lover, and the Fool (CUP 2025). I also enjoy detailed textual work, particularly on Sumerian literature (e.g. Sumerian Literary Texts in the Schøyen Collection: Literary Sources on Old Babylonian Religion, Pennsylvania State UP 2019). In 2025 I received a Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, in recognition of outstanding accomplishments in research.

At the moment I am at work, among other projects, on a book aimed at a general audience (provisional title: The Human Story Through Ancient Myth: From Creation to the End of Time).

Publications

Please see my Faculty of Classics profile page for research updates and a full list of publications.