Rodney D. Fitzsimons

Rodney D. Fitzsimons is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Trent University, where he has been teaching since 2004 (previously in the Department of Ancient History & Classics from 2004-2015). He holds a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology from the University of Cincinnati (2006). Before joining Trent, he taught at Miami University of Ohio and Iowa State University, and was a Jacob Hirsch Fellow at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.

Professor Fitzsimons is a prehistoric archaeologist specializing in the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Aegean, with research focusing on monumental architecture, funerary practices, socio-political organization, cultural identity, and early state formation. His work examines how architecture relates to power structures and social organization in ancient Aegean societies. He has participated in numerous archaeological projects in Albania and Greece, including excavations at Kommos, Mallia, and Midea.

His current research involves three major archaeological projects: as co-director of the Khavania Hinterland Archaeological Project (Crete), co-director of the Ayia Irini Northern Sector Archaeological Project (Kea), and site architect for the Azoria Project (Crete). These projects investigate urbanization, state formation, cultural exchange, and socio-political organization in the Bronze Age and Archaic Aegean.

Professor Fitzsimons has received numerous research grants including from SSHRC, the Bagnani Trust, and the Institute for Aegean Prehistory. His publication record is robust, with recent articles examining architectural energetics, urbanization processes, and cultural identity in the Aegean Bronze Age and Archaic periods.

His teaching at Trent includes courses on Aegean Bronze Age Archaeology, Archaeology of Ancient Athens, The Trojan War, and field schools in Greece. He has supervised multiple MA theses and serves as a reader for several graduate students working on topics related to Aegean archaeology and ancient Mediterranean studies.