Paul Erdkamp

Paul Erdkamp is a Professor of Ancient History at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). His research focuses on economic, demographic, and military aspects of the Roman world, with recent emphasis on climate change impacts on ancient societies. He holds a doctorate (cum laude) from Radboud University Nijmegen (1998) and has been a Research Fellow at Leiden University. Erdkamp leads the Roman Society Research Center (RSRC) and has authored/co-authored over 70 research outputs, including influential works on Roman military logistics, food supply, and paleoclimatology. His current projects explore societal resilience to climate change in ancient Eurasia and dietary studies in Greco-Roman Egypt. Erdkamp is an active collaborator in international research networks and has supervised 30 academic works.

Education: PhD in History (cum laude), Radboud University Nijmegen (1998); MA/BA in History, same institution.

Research Interests: Roman military structures, economic systems, food supply networks, climate history, and interdisciplinary historical food studies. Erdkamp’s work bridges archaeology, history, and environmental science, particularly in analyzing how climate influenced ancient societal dynamics.

Notable Projects: 'Societal Resilience and Climate Change in Ancient Eurasia' (2024–2025), 'Agriculture, Diet, and Nutrition in Greco-Roman Egypt' (2022–2025), and the long-term Roman Society Research Center (2009–2027).

Activities: Erdkamp frequently presents at international conferences (e.g., recent talks on climate and society in Eurasia) and hosts academic visitors. He served on the Research Foundation - Flanders expert panel for History & Archaeology (2016–2018).