Natalie Abell

Natalie Abell is an Associate Professor of Mediterranean Archaeology in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Michigan. Her work focuses on the Aegean Bronze Age, prehistoric Mediterranean societies, and the socioeconomic dynamics of ancient trade networks.

• Education: BA in Classics, Anthropology, and French (Indiana University, 2003); MA (University of Cincinnati, 2008); PhD (University of Cincinnati, 2014).

Abell specializes in island archaeology, ceramic analysis, craft production, and mobility patterns in the ancient Mediterranean. Her research examines shifting mechanisms of exchange and their impacts on social, religious, and cultural institutions during the 3rd-2nd millennia BCE in the Cyclades. She also conducts diachronic studies of metal artifacts and charcoal from northern Kea.

Scientific Awards:

• Fulbright Fellow at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens
• Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley

Abell leads the Kea Archaeological Research Survey, analyzing Bronze Age evidence from Ayia Irini, Kea. She teaches courses such as Ancient Cities, Ceramics Analysis, and graduate seminars on the Aegean Bronze Age, economy, and exchange systems.