William Freeman

William Freeman is a W H D Rouse Junior Research Fellow in the Department of Classics at the University of Cambridge, specializing in the intersection of Latin literature and environmental humanities.

His educational background includes:

• PhD in Classics from the University of Cambridge, titled 'Environmental Change in Ovid’s Poetry', jointly funded by the Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership and Trinity College, Cambridge.

Freeman's research explores how nonhuman elements—plants, animals, land, and refuse—reshape interpretations of ancient texts. His current project, 'The Roman Rubbish Heap', investigates waste and recycling practices in Roman society through literary analysis, advancing eco-critical approaches in classical scholarship. This work bridges material culture studies with environmental philosophy to reveal ecological dimensions of Latin literature.

His notable awards include:

• AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership Studentship
• W H D Rouse Junior Research Fellowship

Freeman teaches diverse Latin literature courses while developing research that connects classical antiquity to contemporary environmental discourse, with potential implications for sustainability studies and cultural heritage preservation.