Staff profile

Ted Kaizer is Professor in Roman Culture and History. He was educated at Leiden (MA, 1995) and Brasenose College, Oxford (DPhil, 2000), and held a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship at Corpus Christi College, Oxford (2002-2005) before coming to Durham. His main research interest is the social and religious history of the Near East in the Late Hellenistic and Roman period. He is the author of The Religious Life of Palmyra (Stuttgart, 2002) and has written articles on various aspects of religion and history of the Classical Levant. He is the editor of Blackwell's forthcoming Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East. His present research project concerns a study of the social patterns of worship at Dura-Europos, a fortress town on the Middle Euphrates, and in this context he has also produced the historiographical introductions to two volumes in the Bibliotheca Cumontiana for the Academia Belgica in Rome: Scripta Minora VII, Franz Cumont's collected articles and reviews: D. Praet, T. Kaizer and A. Lannoy (eds.), Doura-Europos (Leuven, 2020 in press), p.XI-XCVIII; and Scripta Maiora XI, the republication of Cumont's 1926 monograph Fouilles de Doura-Europos, 1922-1923 (series editor C. Bonnet, forthcoming 2022). Fellowships awarded include: Fellowship of the Exzellenzcluster 'Religion und Politik' at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster (2009); Margo Tytus Fellowship at the University of Cincinnati (2011); Christopherson/Knott Fellowship of the Institute of Advanced Study of Durham University (2013); Dale T. Mortensen Senior Fellowship at the Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (2014); Leverhulme Trust Major Research Fellowship (2014-17). He has widely travelled through the Middle East.

Areas of Doctoral Supervision

Most areas and periods of Roman culture and history, especially social and religious history in the imperial period, and in particular of the provinces in the eastern half of the empire.

Current PhD Students

• Alison Ewins, Religious Terminology in the Local Cult Centres of the Roman Near East (second supervisor: A. Rigolio)
• Lila Knight, Drafting an Empire: Palmyrene Manpower and Military Identity, 260-272 CE (second supervisor: A. Rigolio; external supervisor: I. Haynes)
• Rory McInnes-Gibbons, The Ruins of Palmyra: Reception from Rediscovery to Rubble (with co-supervision from N. Goldschmidt and E.V. Thomas)
• Gary Watson, The Role of the Roman Army in State-Building and Provincial Development on the Near Eastern Frontier during the Imperial Era (second supervisor: P. Low)

Past Research Students

• Polly Weddle, Touching the Gods: Physical Interaction with Cult Statues in the Roman World (PhD 2010)
• Peter Alpass, The Religious Life of Nabataea (PhD 2011)
  • published Brill 2013 (http://www.brill.com/religious-life-nabataea)
• Jennifer Wilkinson, Mark and his Gentile Audience. A Traditio-Historical and Socio-Cultural Investigation of Mk 4.34-9.29 and its Interface with Gentile Polytheism in the Roman Near East (PhD 2012 in Theology - co-supervised with W.R. Telford of the Dept. of Theology & Religion)
• H.A.M. (Rik) van Wijlick, Rome and the Near Eastern Kingdoms and Principalities, 44-31 BC. A Study of Political Relations during Civil War (PhD 2013)
  • in press Brill 2020 (https://brill.com/view/title/59068)
    
• Sebastian Nichols, 'The Gods of the Nations are Idols' (Ps. 96:5): Paganism and Idolatry in Near Eastern Christianity (PhD 2014)
• Donald MacLennan, Administrative Development in the Kingdoms and Principalities of the Near East under the Aegis of Rome (PhD 2018)
• Chiara Grigolin, Shaping Seleucid Identity over Time: Cities of the Seleucid Near East and their Foundation Stories (PhD 2018)
• Eris Williams Reed, Water and Worship in the Roman Near East: Gods, Spaces and Cults (PhD 2019)

• Social and religious history of the Roman Near East
• Religions in the Graeco-Roman world
• Local identities in the Classical Levant

Authored book

• Kaizer, Ted (2002). The Religious Life of Palmyra. A Study of the Social Patterns of Worship in the Roman Period. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag.

Book review

• Kaizer, Ted (2016). The future of Palmyrene studies. Journal of Roman Archaeology 29: 924-931.
• Kaizer, Ted (2015). On the origins of Palmyra and its trade. Journal of Roman Archaeology 28: 881-888.
• Kaizer, Ted (2009). Forschungsbericht Römische Religion (2006-2008): 4.6 Orient [2003-2008]. Archiv für Religionsgeschichte 11: 359-364.
• Kaizer, Ted (2008). Old and new discoveries at Palmyra. Journal of Roman Archaeology 21: 652-664.
• Kaizer, Ted (2003). The Near East in the Hellenistic and Roman periods between local, regional and supra-regional approaches. Scripta Classica Israelica 22: 283-295.

Chapter in book

• Kaizer, Ted (2016). Divine constellations at Palmyra. Reconsidering the Palmyrene ‘pantheon’. In The World of Palmyra. Kropp, A. & Raja, R. Copenhagen: Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab. 1: 17-30.
• Kaizer, T. (2016). Revisiting the “temple of Bêl” at Dura-Europos: a note on the fragmentary fresco from the naos. In Icon, Cult, and Context: Sacred Spaces and Objects in the Classical World. Heyn, M.K. & Steinsapir, A.I. Los Angeles: UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press. 82: 35-46.
• Kaizer, T. (2015). ‘Familiar strangers’ gods and worshippers away from home in the Roman Near East. In Religious Identities in the Levant from Alexander to Muhammed: Continuity and Change. Blömer, M., Lichtenberger, A. & Raja, R. Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols. 4: 19-32.
• Kaizer, Ted (2015). Dura-Europos under Roman rule. In Ruling the Greek World: Approaches to the Roman Empire in the East. Cortés Copete, J.M., Muñiz Grijalvo, E. & Lozano Gómez, F. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag. 52: 91-101.
• Kaizer, Ted (2014). Euhemerism and religious life in the Roman Near East. In Divinizzazione, culto del sovrano e apoteosi: tra Antichità e Medioevo. Gnoli, T. & Muccioli, F. Bononia University Press. 295-306.
• Kaizer, Ted (2013). Identifying the divine in the Roman Near East. In Panthée: Religious Transformations in the Graeco-Roman Empire. Bricault, L. & Bonnet, C. Boston: Brill. 177: 113-128.
• Kaizer, Ted (2013). Creating local religious identities in the Roman Near East. In The Cambridge History of Religions in the Ancient World: volume II. From the Hellenistic Era to Late Antiquity. Salzman, M.R. & Adler, W. Cambridge University Press. 54-86.
• Kaizer, Ted (2011). Religion in the Roman East. In A Companion to Roman Religion. Rüpke, Jörg Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. 446-456.
• Kaizer, Ted. (2010). From Zenobia to Alexander the Sleepless: paganism, Judaism and Christianity at Late Roman Palmyra. In Zeitreisen: Syrien - Palmyra - Rom. Festschrift für Andreas Schmidt-Colinet zum 65. Geburtstag. Bastl, B., Gassner, V. & Muss, U. Vienna: Phoibos-Verlag. 113-123.
• Kaizer, Ted (2010). Funerary cults at Palmyra. In Cultural Messages in the Graeco-Roman World: Acta of the BABESCH 80th Anniversary Workshop Radboud University Nijmegen, September 8th 2006. Hekster, O. & Mols, S.T.A.M. Leuven - Paris - Walpole, MA: Peeters. 23-31.
• Kaizer, Ted. (2009). The Parthian and early Sasanian empires, c. 247 BC - AD 300. In The Great Empires of the Ancient World. Harrison, T. London: Thames & Hudson. 174-195.
• Kaizer, Ted. (2009). Patterns of worship in Dura-Europos: a case study of religious life in the Classical Levant outside the main cult centres. In Les religions orientales dans le monde grec et romain cent ans après Cumont (1906-2006) Bilan historique et historiographique. Bonnet, C., Pirenne-Delforge, V. & Praet, D. Brussels - Rome: Brepols Publishers. 45: 153-172.
• Kaizer, Ted. (2009). Religion and language in Dura-Europos. In From Hellenism to Islam Cultural and Linguistic Change in the Roman Near East. Cotton, H.M., Hoyland, R.G., Price, J.J. & Wasserstein, D.J. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 235-254.

Edited book

• Kaizer, Ted (2016). Religion, Society and Culture at Dura-Europos. Yale Classical Studies 38. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Kaizer, Ted, Leone, Anna, Thomas, Edmund & Witcher, R.E. (2013). Cities and Gods. Religious Space in Transition. BABesch. Annual Papers on Mediterranean Archaeology. Supplement 22 - 2012. Peeters.
• Hekster, Olivier & Kaizer, Ted. (2011). Frontiers in the Roman World. Proceedings of the Ninth Workshop of the International Network Impact of Empire (Durham, 16-19 April 2009). Impact of Empire 13. Leiden - Boston: Brill.
• Kaizer, Ted & Facella, Margherita. (2010). Kingdoms and Principalities in the Roman Near East. Oriens et Occidens 19. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag.
• Kaizer, Ted. (2008). The Variety of Local Religious Life in the Near East in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods. Religions in the Graeco-Roman World 164. Leiden - Boston: Brill.

Edited Sources, Research Data Sets and Databases

• Kaizer, Ted. (2010). Eupolemos (723). Brill's New Jacoby. Leiden: Brill.
• Kaizer, Ted. (2010). Pseudo-Eupolemos (724). Brill's New Jacoby. Leiden: Brill.

Journal Article

• Kaizer, Ted (2017). Empire, community, and culture on the Middle Euphrates: Durenes, Palmyrenes, villagers, and soldiers. Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies 60(1): 63-95.
• Kaizer, Ted (2016). Lucian on the temple at Heliopolis. Classical Quarterly 66(1): 273-285.
• Dirven, Lucinda & Kaizer, Ted (2013). A Palmyrene altar in the Cincinnati Art Museum. Syria 90: 391-408.
• Hekster, Olivier & Kaizer, Ted (2012). An accidental tourist? Caracalla's fatal trip to the temple of the Moon at Carrhae/Harran. Ancient Society 42: 89-107.
• Kaizer, Ted (2011). Interpretations of the Myth of Andromeda at Iope. Syria 88: 323-340.
• Kaizer, Ted (2007). 'Palmyre, cité grecque'? A question of coinage. Klio 89(1): 39-60.
• Kaizer, Ted (2006). Capital punishment at Hatra: gods, magistrates and laws in the Roman-Parthian period. Iraq 68: 139-153.
• Kaizer, Ted (2006). In search of Oriental cults: methodological problems concerning ‘the particular’ and ‘the general’ in Near Eastern religion in the Roman period. Historia 55(1): 26-47.
• Kaizer, Ted. (2005). Leucothea as Mater Matuta at colonia Berytus a note on local mythology in the Levant and the Hellenisation of a Phoenician city. Syria 82: 199-206.
• Kaizer, Ted (2004). Religious mentality in Palmyrene documents. Klio 86(1): 165-184.
• Hekster, Olivier & Kaizer, Ted (2004). Mark Antony and the raid on Palmyra: reflections on Appian, Bella Civilia V.9. Latomus 63: 70-80.
• Kaizer, Ted (2004). Some remarks about religious life in the Decapolis. Hallesche Beiträge zur Orientwissenschaft 38: 173-185.

Newspaper/Magazine Article

• Kaizer, Ted (2016). Tadmor-Palmyra, a unique civilization between East and West. Omnibus 71: 9-11.
• Kaizer, Ted (2009). Hatra: temples, dieux et cultes. Les Dossiers d’Archéologie 334: 34-39.
• Kaizer, Ted (2006). Mithras, or ‘the passion of the bull-slayer’. Omnibus 52: 27-29.
• Kaizer, Ted (2005). Ein Haus der Götter: Kulte und Religion in der Karawanenstadt Palmyra. Welt und Umwelt der Bibel 36(2): 30-35.