Jeremy McInerney
Davidson Kennedy Professor of Classical Studies, University of Pennsylvania

I've been at the University of Pennsylvania for over twenty years now and in that time have had the good fortune to teach many wonderful students. Some have gone on to academic careers, completing PhDs in fields such as Classics and Sociology, while others have created careers in the military, on Wall Street, and in professions such as medicine and the law.  It is a real source of pride for me that graduate students who have worked with me are now teaching at places such as Notre Dame and Brooklyn College and are embarked on active careers as scholars and teachers.

My research has moved across a few areas, not necessarily closely connected. I have written on ethnicity at the local level in a book on ancient Phokis and recently returned to this topic, editing a volume for Blackwell on ethnicity in the ancient Mediterranean world. Between these projects I wrote a study of cattle in the Greek world that addressed a whole set of questions around cattle, from the empirical (who owns the herds, where are they raised, what do cows cost in the 5th century) to the interpretive (why are there so many myths about cattle, what lies at the heart of sacrifice). The book was an absolute blast to write and reminded me of how lucky we are to work in a field that allows us to do research in areas we love.

I am currently at work on a few different projects. One is the topic of salt production in the Greek world, while another is the theme of hybridity. If you have any thoughts on either of these I'd love to hear from you.