The John and Penelope Biggs Department of Classics is proud to announce that Assistant Professor Chris Erdman has received an Arts & Sciences Summer Faculty Research Grant to continue his groundbreaking work on Roman voting practices next summer.

Erdman’s research explores the political culture of the late Roman Republic, focusing on how legislative assemblies operated and how ordinary citizens engaged in lawmaking. Last summer, supported by a Penelope Biggs Travel Award, Erdman conducted fieldwork across Italy and studied at the American Academy in Rome. His investigations included archaeological sites such as Fregellae, a Latin colony founded in 328 BCE, and Venusia, where he examined inscriptions and a fragment of the Tabula Bantina, a bilingual bronze tablet in Latin and Oscan. These findings shed light on how Italian communities developed their own traditions of participatory lawmaking, rather than simply imitating Roman models. 

Erdman’s work contributes to a richer understanding of the diverse political cultures of Republican Italy and their interaction with Roman institutions. His upcoming research will build on these discoveries, advancing his book project on voting culture in Roman legislative assemblies.

Congratulations to Professor Erdman on this well-deserved recognition!