Simon Barker

Dr. Simon Barker is a Roman archaeologist specializing in architectural practices and material culture dynamics of antiquity. Affiliated with the University of Warsaw's Faculty of History, Department of Ancient History as a Research Fellow, his work explores Roman construction economies, marble aesthetics, and late-antique urban transformations through fieldwork in Turkey, Jordan, Italy, and the UK.

• BA in Archaeology, University of Nottingham
• MA in Archaeology, University of York
• DPhil in Roman Archaeology, University of Oxford (2012)

Research spans two major domains: architectural energetics (quantifying construction costs through labor and material analysis) and decorative material studies (marble usage in Pompeii/Herculaneum, painted marble imitations, and late-antique recycling practices). His publications reveal how Roman building industries balanced technological innovation with resource optimization, including the reuse of spolia and economic implications of stone carving.

Key publications include articles in Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome, Ædificare, and MARMORA, plus co-edited volumes like From Concept to Monument and City Walls in Late Antiquity. Current projects involve multidisciplinary studies of Roman domestic spaces through the Casa della Regina Carolina Project at Pompeii.