Regina Loehr’s research focuses on the role of emotion in ancient historical accounts, especially in the Histories of Polybius (200-118 BCE), which records the intersection of Greece and Rome. She is particularly interested in how emotions in ancient historical texts connect with morality and influence political transitions.
In her 2024 book, Emotion and Historiography in Polybius’ Histories, Loehr analyzed Polybius’ historiographical narrative and theory using critical terminology and frameworks from modern philosophy, psychology, and political science to question assumptions that emotions were purely irrational and detrimental in ancient history, politics, and historiography. Rather, for Polybius emotions played an effective role in history, explained the causes of actions, connected events, and helped make sense of human behavior.
Prior to Fall 2024, Loehr taught at Cornell College, Grinnell College, Furman University, and the University of California at Santa Barbara. She also served as Research Associate at the University of California at Irvine collaboratively editing over 1,200 Greek texts published to the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae® Digital Library in 2018-2022. This work inspired her current pedagogical project compiling and editing a selection of Byzantine saints’ lives for students transitioning between beginning ancient Greek to an intermediate reading level.