Sarah Morris

Sarah Morris is the Steinmetz Professor of Classical Archaeology and Material Culture at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), specializing in the interaction between Greece and its Eastern neighbors during the Bronze Age through classical periods. Her work spans art, literature, religion, and material culture, with a focus on field archaeology projects in Greece, Albania, Turkey, and Israel.

• Co-director of the Ancient Methone Archaeological Project (2014–2017)
• Director of the Lofkënd Archaeological Project in Albania
• Recipient of the James Wiseman Book Award (1993) for Daidalos and the Origins of Greek Art

Her research explores prehistoric Greek archaeology, Near Eastern influences on Greek culture, Aegean agricultural systems, and the political and social dynamics of early Greek literature and art. She has contributed to debates on material culture's role in challenging text-centric historical narratives, particularly in understanding slavery, urbanization, and cross-cultural interactions.

Recent publications analyze:

• Iron Age Aegean agriculture via stable isotope analysis (2025)
• Achaemenid expansion in the North Aegean (2023)
• Prehistoric burial practices in Methone and Albania (2023, 2007)

Her teaching covers early Greek literature (Homer, Hesiod, Herodotus), Greek religion, and Bronze Age archaeology. She advocates for integrating material culture into history education to address gaps in textual records, particularly for marginalized populations like slaves.