Cole Matthew Smith

The University of Texas at Austin

Homer A. and Dorothy B. Thompson Fellow

Research Topic: Networks and Resilience: The Late Classical and Hellenistic Economies of the Northwest Black Sea

Cole is a PhD candidate in Classics at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in archaeology. He received his BA with honors in Classics from Acadia University, an MA in archaeology from Durham University, and an MA in Classics from the University of Arizona. He is currently involved in projects in Romania at Histria and Sicily at Morgantina, and previously worked at Mt. Lykaion in Greece. His dissertation analyzes the economies of the Hellenistic Western Black Sea, including their connections to the Aegean, using two theories, network theory and resilience theory, via assessment of three evidence types: transport amphorae, inscriptions, and bronze and other fiduciary currency. While at the ASCSA, Cole will be carrying out analysis of transport amphorae, compiling inscriptions, and visiting important production and trading centers in the North Aegean.