Paul Kosmin

Paul Kosmin is the Philip J. King Professor of Ancient History and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of the Classics at Harvard University. His research focuses on Greek history (especially the Hellenistic period), ancient historiography (e.g., Herodotus, Polybius), and the intersection of kingship, imperialism, and cultural interaction in the ancient Mediterranean. He has authored and edited multiple influential works on the Seleucid Empire, Hellenistic historiography, and Second Temple Judaism. His interdisciplinary approach bridges archaeology, epigraphy, and textual analysis.

Key publications include The Ancient Shore (2024), Cultures of Resistance in the Hellenistic East (2022), and Time and Its Adversaries in the Seleucid Empire (2018). His work often explores themes of space, time, and identity in ancient empires. He is actively involved in Harvard’s Classics program, advising undergraduate studies and contributing to the Harvard Studies in Classical Philology.