Kate Birney
Associate Professor of Classical Studies
Downey House, 294 High Street, 212860-685-2067
Chair, Archaeology
Associate Professor, Archaeology
Associate Professor, Art History
BA Yale UniversityMT Harvard University
PHD Harvard University
Kate Birney
I am a Mediterranean field and environmental archaeologist studying ecology and commercial exchange. My current research focuses on the cultivation, production and exchange of botanical commodities (ancient plant medicines, perfumes, and crops) throughout the Mediterranean, with a particular focus on connections between the ancient Near East and the Greek world. Birney Lab is home to the Ancient Ecophysiology Initiative, an interdisciplinary research project that lies at the intersection between archaeology, plant chemistry, philology, and environmental science. We draw upon ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian and Classical texts together with environmental archaeology to reconstruct the environments in which key plants and crops were grown, and experimentally model the impact of microclimate on their growth patterns and bioactive compounds. This research helps us to understand how climate and cultivation strategies impacted the potency and use of ancient plants, and to rediscover traditional species and resilient agricultural practices that may offer productive pathways in a changing climate.
Academic Affiliations
Office Hours
Fall 2023: W 12:30-2pm and by appointment
Courses
Fall 2023
CLST 283 - 01
Greek Vases as Art & Artifact
GRK 102 - 01
Introduction to Ancient Greek
Spring 2024
CLST 244 - 01
Greece & Egypt
GRK 101 - 01
Introduction to Ancient Greek