Kim Bowes

Kim Bowes is the BFC Presidential Professor of Classical Studies and Undergraduate Chair at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts & Sciences. She directs the Benjamin Franklin Scholars Program and previously led the American Academy in Rome (2014–2017). Her work integrates archaeology, economics, and anthropology to study non-elite populations in antiquity.

Education:

• PhD Princeton University, 2002
• MA Courtauld Institute of Art, 1993
• BA Williams College, 1992

Research Focus: Bowes pioneers studies on poverty and economic systems in the Roman world. Central themes include peasant lifeways, historical economies, and subaltern perspectives. Her award-winning Roman Peasant Project (2009–2015) redefined research on rural poverty through interdisciplinary methods.

Publications & Themes: Recent works emphasize worker-driven economic narratives, such as Surviving Rome (2025), which reinterprets Roman economic history through the lens of laborers. Articles in Journal of Roman Archaeology and Capitalism explore consumption patterns, coin hoards, and theoretical frameworks for ancient economies.

Awards:

• Mellon Professor, American Academy in Rome (2012–2014)
• Guggenheim Fellowship
• National Science Foundation Grant

Teaching & Collaboration: Teaches courses on ancient economies, archaeology, and subalternity, often co-teaching with economists and historians. Current courses include INTG002: Poverty (with Petra Todd) and graduate seminars on late antiquity.

Labs/Projects: Co-directed the NSF-funded Roman Peasant Project, producing transformative insights into rural poverty through excavations and data synthesis.