Emanuele Cresca

Before coming to Stanford, I studied Classics in Pisa, at the University of Pisa and jointly at the Scuola Normale Superiore. During my training, I also spent two semesters as an exchange student in Leiden and Princeton. 

My main research interest lies in the dynamics and performance of the institutions of the Roman empire and their interactions with socio-economic developments. Specific topics of investigation within this broader area of research include the degree of economic integration under the empire, the exercise and impact of Roman jurisdiction in the provinces, the development and restructuring of the empire’s administrative apparatus during the 4th century CE, the economic profile of late antique elites. In addressing these questions, I try to adopt an approach that combines careful analysis of primary evidence with social-scientific methods. I also aim to bring a comparative perspective to my work as far as possible. 

Beyond the Roman world, my interests extend across the whole arc of Greek history, the economic history of pre-modern empires, and modern economics. I am also very interested in the history of classical scholarship and its relationship to modern ideologies.