Jonathan Prag

Professor Jonathan Prag is a leading scholar of ancient Sicily and Roman Republican history, holding dual roles as Tutor in Ancient History at Merton College and Professor of Ancient History at the University of Oxford. His research integrates classical epigraphy with digital humanities, focusing on the cultural and political dynamics of ancient Sicily under Roman rule.

Education:

• MA (Oxon), PhD (London)

Research Interests:

His work explores Roman imperialism, epigraphic culture, and the application of computational methods to ancient texts. Key projects include the ERC-funded CROSSREADS initiative, the I.Sicily digital epigraphic corpus, and excavations at Halaesa (Sicily). He advocates for open-access scholarship and FAIR data practices in epigraphy.

Articles Trends:

Recent publications emphasize digital methodologies (e.g., AI-driven text restoration in Nature), epigraphic analysis of Roman provincial governance, and re-evaluations of Hellenistic-Western Mediterranean cultural interactions. His work bridges archaeology, linguistics, and political history.

Awards/Grants:

• ERC Advanced Grant (CROSSREADS, 2020–2026)
• AHRC-DFG FAIR Epigraphy co-directorship
• Leadership in international archaeological and epigraphic projects

Grants & Labs:

Manages the I.Sicily project and collaborates on the Halaesa excavations. His work involves interdisciplinary teams and digital infrastructure for epigraphic research.

Labs/Teams:

Collaborates with institutions like the University of Messina and CNRS on epigraphy, archaeology, and computational history.