A Career Path Forged in Ancient History

History alumnus Andrew M. Smith II (B.A. ’90, M.A. ’95) has published Roman Palmyra: Identity, Community, and State Formation (Oxford University Press, 2013).

The Salisbury, NC, native was the first in his family to attend college. He was also Professor of History S. Thomas Parker‘s first master’s level student. “Andrew is like a poster child for our M.A. in ancient history,” Parker says. “His career path perfectly  illustrates how our master’s program in ancient history serves as a bridge between the bachelor’s degree and a strong doctoral program.”

Smith wrote his master’s thesis on the historical geography of the region between the Dead Sea and Red Sea on the modern Jordanian-Israeli border, based on research conducted as part of NC State’s Roman Aqaba Project. His work was later published as a monograph by Archaeopress in Oxford.

Smith earned his Ph.D. in history at the University of Maryland and is now an assistant professor of classical and near eastern languages and civilizations at George Washington University. He also currently directs an archaeological project in southern Jordan.