David Romney Smith

David Romney Smith is a Research Fellow in the School of History at the Australian National University, specializing in the Medieval Mediterranean with emphasis on cross-cultural exchange, trade networks, and slavery between Islamicate and Christian regions during the 9th-12th centuries.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Medieval Studies, University of Toronto (awarded prize for best dissertation)

Research Focus: His work examines Italian maritime cities (Pisa, Amalfi, Venice), Sicily under Kalbids/Normans, and material culture including Romanesque architecture, urban cartography, and hagiography. Complementary interests span Fatimid/Byzantine artifacts, pilgrimage narratives, and medieval perfume/fashion systems.

Publication Trends: Recent scholarship analyzes 11th-century Mediterranean economic transitions, revealing how human trafficking networks operated between Western Italy and Islamic territories prior to the Crusades, with particular attention to monetary systems and cross-cultural commercial violence.

Scientific Recognition:

• University of Toronto Best Dissertation Prize

Research Support & Creative Practice: Secured over $$100,000 in research funding while maintaining dual expertise as a visual artist. Creates academic maps and scientific renderings informed by traditional training in etching, relief printing, and fresco painting—exhibited internationally in Canada and Chile.