Ted Kaizer

Professor Ted Kaizer is a leading scholar in Roman culture and history, specializing in the social and religious history of the Near East during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. He holds a Professorship at Durham University's Department of Classics and Ancient History and is affiliated with the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies and the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Educated at Leiden University (MA, 1995) and Oxford University (DPhil, 2000), he has held prestigious fellowships including a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship and a Leverhulme Trust Major Research Fellowship.

His research focuses on local religious identities in the Classical Levant, particularly in cities like Palmyra and Dura-Europos. He has authored The Religious Life of Palmyra and edited volumes such as Religion, Society and Culture at Dura-Europos. Current research explores worship patterns at Dura-Europos and historiographical analyses of Franz Cumont's work.

Professor Kaizer supervises PhD students in Roman social and religious history, with notable past students including Polly Weddle (PhD 2010) and Chiara Grigolin (PhD 2018). His awards include Fellowships in Münster, Cincinnati, and Aarhus. He actively collaborates on international projects and has published widely on topics ranging from Palmyrene trade to Euhemerist theories in the Roman Near East.

Key contributions include analyzing religious syncretism, funerary practices, and cultural dynamics in frontier regions. His work bridges archaeological evidence with textual analysis, offering nuanced insights into ancient Near Eastern societies.