DR. ELIZABETH M. GREENE

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Dr. Greene is a Canada Research Chair and Associate Professor of Classical Studies at Western University. Her research focuses on Roman Provincial material culture and history, with a specialty in the Roman military and the role of women, children and families in frontier military communities. Beth has been the Principal Investigator of the Vindolanda Archaeological Leather Project at the Roman fort of Vindolanda since 2017.

SHEREEN FAYED

RESEARCH ASSISTANT
As an MA student at Western University, Shereen started with the VALP project at its inception and has been working on various aspects of the research ever since. Shereen's expertise is with the recording and organization of the thousands of leather objects currently in the Vindolanda dataset. Shereen has excavated at sites around the Roman world and her research specialties focus on numismatics and the role of women in Roman society. 

DR. CRAIG HARVEY

POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE
Craig received his PhD from the Interdepartmental Program in Classical Art and Archaeology at the University of Michigan in 2020. He is a Roman provincial archaeologist focusing on the interplay between imperialism and the environment, particularly as it is manifested though building materials and techniques. His research also extends to the formation of identity along the Roman frontiers, with particular interest in the economic and cultural relations between the Roman military and indigenous communities. Craig’s previous research and archaeological field work has largely centred on the Roman East and especially in Jordan, where he is associate director of the Humayma Excavation Project. 

JAYMIE ORCHARD

GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Jaymie completed their BA (Hons) in Classics at the University of British Columbia in 2019, they are currently a second year master’s student in the Classical Studies Department at Western University. Their work with VALP primarily includes the design of the website that you are on now! Their research interests include accessible and inclusive pedagogy practices, peer-teaching, numismatics, and gender and sexuality in the Ancient Mediterranean.

ASHLEY FRANKER-SHUH

GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Ashley is a master's student in the department of Classics and focuses her research on Roman Archaeology. She has been involved with the Vindolanda project since attending the Field School with Western in 2019 and working with the VALP project since 2020. Her participation with the project has been versatile and varied, working with the database creation, data curation and the photographic record of the Vindolanda shoes and leather assemblage. 

MARIA GLANFIELD

GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Maria Glanfield is a graduate research assistant starting her master's degree in classical archaeology in the fall of 2021 at Western University under the supervision of Dr. Elizabeth Greene. She previously participated in the Vindolanda archaeological field school in 2019, where she fell in love with the atmosphere of Vindolanda and its incredible collection of archaeological finds. Her research interests include Roman provincial archaeology, particularly the expression of plural identities of provincial citizens as seen through the forms, styles and iconography of their art and architecture. Through her research she hopes to illuminate the diverse and multicultural indigenous identities in an increasingly globalized provincial context. Recently, she has developed a particular fascination for 3D imaging techniques and its potential for the future of digital archaeology.

CASEY BOETTINGER

GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Casey Boettinger is a current graduate research assistant at Western University, where she is enrolled in a Classical Studies MA program. Having participated in two Roman excavations (one in Italy, and the other in England), she has developed a deep love for archaeology. Her double major in biological anthropology & archaeology, and classics has led to her keen interest in studying the social dimensions of age related to children in provincial settings. She hopes to work extensively with the shoe remains to glean information about the sex, age, and lifestyle of the wearers.

PREM SAI RAMANI

STUDENT RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Prem Sai completed his Bachelor of Science at the Western University in Chemistry and the School for Advanced Studies in Arts and Humanities. Prem Sai first discovered his passion for archaeology as a student of the Vindolanda Field School in 2015. Uncovering the incredible artifacts preserved at Vindolanda (while also discovering the incredible biscuits available in the UK), Prem Sai was particularly fascinated by Vindolanda’s unique chemical conditions that allowed for the amazing preservation of organic material and in particular, leather shoes. Returning every summer for the next three years as a Teaching Assistant for the Field School, he explored this interest through various research projects including an analysis of leather samples at Teesside University with Dr. Gillian Taylor and a leather conservation course at the University of Northampton. As part of the VALP team, Prem Sai helped to coordinate the technical and archaeological parts of the project. Dabbling in some coding, databasing, and shoe measurement, he can confidently say that it was one of the best times of his life!

VIKTORIA BODO

UNDERGRADUATE RESEACH INTERN
Viktoria is currently an undergraduate student at Western University pursuing a degree in Biological Anthropology. She has experience as a Scientific Illustrator and Research Assistant gained through her time at University of Toronto. Her broad interests range from Art History, Roman archaeology and culture, Bioarcheology, Eastern and Central European History. She began work on the VALP website and has created the incredible archaeological drawings of leather shoes, as well as the animations found on this site. To see all of her work in one place follow the link below.