Sophy Downes

Dr. Sophy Downes is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz (Max Planck Institute for Art History). She specializes in the architecture and architectural reliefs of fifth-century BCE Greece and Achaemenid Persia. Her research focuses on comparative studies of the Achaemenid capital Parsa (Persepolis) and the Athenian Akropolis, exploring how architectural design and sculpture shaped cultural narratives and political ideologies.

• Education: BA Literae Humaniores (Oxford), MPhil Classical Archaeology (Cambridge), PhD Archaeology (UCL Institute of Archaeology).
• Professional Experience: Lecturer in Art History at John Cabot University, Rome (8 years); fellowships at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and British Institute of Persian Studies in Tehran.

Research Projects: Currently publishing her PhD thesis, How They Move, analyzing architectural reliefs’ role in defining spatial experiences and political identity. Explores cultural interaction models versus comparative frameworks in understanding ancient empires.

Publications: In preparation: comparative study of Parsa and Athenian Akropolis. Engages with topics such as object agency, site planning, and time-construction through architecture.