SOPHIA ZOUMBAKI

Sophia Zoumbaki

Research Director, Institute of Historical Studies (IHR), Section of Greek and Roman Antiquity (KERA), of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (NHRF).

Sophia Zoumbaki studied at the Department of History and Archaeology of the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Athens (1983-1988) and at the Institut für Alte Geschichte und Epigraphik of the University of Vienna, where she obtained her M.Phil. and Ph.D. (1995).

She worked at the Sculpture Collection of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens (1989) and as collaborator in various research projects of KERA/NHRF (1988-1993). She has taken part in several Greek and international campaigns of field archaeology, both excavations and archaeological surface surveys (e.g. Ceos, Bouthrotos, Oiniadai).

She has carried out several research programs financed by National and European funds, both as a coordinator and as a participant. Her scholarly activities include university teaching of Ancient History (at a post-graduate level and under-graduate level at Greek universities) and supervision of doctoral theses and habilitations at universities of Greece and Europe.

Her main ongoing projects are: 1. Social and economic integration of Romans and Italians in Greek poleis from the 3rd c. BC, 2. Inscription of Sulla’s trophy at Orchomenos (Boeotia) and Sulla’s activity in the East on the basis of literary and epigraphic sources, 3. In the context of an interdisciplinary program (funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan), examination of the impact of the ongoing climate change on monuments of cultural heritage and of the diachronic interaction between environment and the organization of ancient societies and their constructions.

Main scholarly interests

Hellenistic and Roman History, epigraphy, prosopography and onomastics, social and economic evolutions in the ancient Greek poleis, environmental history.

MAIN PUBLICATIONS

Monographs

-Elis und Olympia in der Kaiserzeit. Das Leben einer Gesellschaft zwischen Stadt und Heiligtum auf prosopographischer Grundlage (Athen 2001).

- Prosopographie der Eleer bis zum 1. Jh. v. Chr. (Athen 2005).

-Roman Peloponnese I. Roman personal names in their social context (Athens 2001) [with A.D. Rizakis, collaboration M. Kantirea].

-Roman Peloponnese II. Roman personal names in their social context (Athens 2004) [with A.D. Rizakis and Cl. Lepeniotis].

-Roman names in the Cyclades I (Athens 2008) [with L. Mendoni].

- Roman names in the Cyclades ΙI (Athens 2023) [with l. Mensoni].

Editing of congress volume

Social Dynamics under Roman Rule. Mobility and Status Change in the Provinces of Achaia and Macedonia, Proceedings of a conference held at the French School of Athens, 30-31 May 2014, ΜΕΛΕΤΗΜΑΤΑ 74 (Athens 2017) [with A.D. Rizakis and F. Camia]

Articles (a selection from articles published in the five last years)

- “Nero and the province of Achaia beyond crown games and ‘the praise of the flatterers’”, in: M. De Souza (ed.), Autour de Néron. Mélanges en homage à Yves Perrin (Bordeaux 2023) 229-240.

-“The participation of Romans in the life of the gymnasium in Greek poleis of the East and their integration into the culture and society of the host communities”, in:  M. Barbanera, Ada Caruso, R. Nicolai (eds.), Diaspora. Migrazioni, incontri e trasformazioni nel Mediterraneo antico (Roma 2023) 223-252.

-“New Epigraphic Evidence from Melos and New Insights in the Economic Affairs of Two Melian Ladies in Puteoli on the basis of the Sulpicii Archive”, ZPE 222, 2022, 259-271.

-“From Pegasus to the Golden Ass: Corinth’s Roles, Relations and Conflicts in the Province of Achaia”, in: M. Ratcheva, M. Steskal (eds), Roman Provincial Capitals under Transition, Proceedings of the International Conference Held in Plovdiv 04.– 07. November 2019 (Vienna 2021) 353-372.

- “Sulla’s relations with the poleis of central and southern Greece in a period of transitions”, in: Al. Eckert, Al. Thein (eds), Sulla. Politics and reception (Berlin-Boston 2019) 33-53.

- “Monetization of Piety and Personalization of Religious Experience: The Role of Thesauroi in the Greek Mainland and the Cyclades”, in: St. Krmnicek, J. Chameroy (eds), Money matters. Coinfindsandancientcoinuse (Bonn 2019) 189-208.

- “«Ποιος σαλπάρει από ένα ιταλικό λιμάνι για να μιλήσει για χοίρους;»: Διασχίζοντας την Αδριατική προς αναζήτηση ευκαιριών στη Θεσπρωτία”, in: Ι. Χουλιαράς, Γ. Πλιάκου (εκδ.), Θεσπρωτία Ι (Ιωάννινα 2019) 373-388.

- “Thiasos artokreonikos in Kenchreai”, in: Fr. Camia et al. (eds), Munus Laetitiae. Studi miscellanei offerti a Maria Letizia Lazzarini, vol. II (Roma 2018) 109-120.

- “Sulla, the Army, the Officers and the poleis of Greece: A Reassessment of Warlordism in the First Phase of the Mithridatic Wars“, in: T. Ñaco del Hoyo, F. Lόpez Sánchez (eds), Wars, Warlords, and Interstate Relations in the Ancient Mediterranean (Leiden-Boston 2018) 351-379.

- “Where East meets West: Island societies of the Ionian Sea under Roman rule”, in: A. Kouremenos (ed.), Insularity and identity in Roman Mediterranean (Oxford-Philadelphia 2018) 77-107.