Jeremy Simmons, a Ph.D. candidate in Classical Studies, has received the Emeline Hill Richardson/Millicent Mercer Johnsen Rome Prize in Ancient Studies. The fellowship, awarded by the American Academy in Rome (AAR), supports innovative and cross-disciplinary work in the arts and humanities. The prize is given annually to around thirty artists and scholars, both at early and middle stages of their careers, who the Academy feels represent the highest standard of excellence in their respective fields. Fellows remain in residence at the Academy in Rome and are encouraged to collaborate across disciplinary divides.
Thanks to the support of the AAR, Jeremy will continue his doctoral research on transoceanic trade between the Roman Mediterranean and Indian subcontinent from a base in Rome during the 2019–2020 academic year. His project investigates the consumption of Indian Ocean commodities in new environments—Indian spices and gems in the Mediterranean and Roman coins and wine in India—as well as the agents involved in the transport and distribution of these goods throughout the Eurasian world. Through a blend of economic and anthropological approaches, his research seeks to demonstrate how Indian Ocean products adapt to or create new webs of social meaning, induce the formation of imitative industries to meet consumer demand, and articulate the urban environments in which they are consumed. While in Rome, Jeremy will focus his attention to museum holdings in Rome and Naples, particularly collections of epigraphic sources, ceramics, and gems at the Museo Nazionale Romano, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, and at the Academy itself. He also plans to visit several archaeological sites in Central Italy and participate in scholarly collaborations at the AAR and Italian universities.
This will be Jeremy’s second consecutive year of international research thanks to the support of external fellowships. During the 2018–2019 academic year, Jeremy conducted research in India, the United Kingdom, and the United States thanks to funding from the American Institute of Indian Studies and Social Science Research Council. For more information and updates regarding Jeremy's fellowship research, you can visit his companion website here. See more about Jeremy Simmons.