James Macksoud

James is a PhD Candidate (on the Ancient History track) whose research broadly concerns the political and economic institutions and hierarchies which structured state and society in the Roman Principate. His ongoing dissertation project focus on the interplay between the fiscal regimes of local authorities and that of the imperial government in the high Roman Empire as well as the impact that these interactions had on the long-term development of the administrative structures and capacity of the Roman state. James also has a longstanding thematic interest in pre-modern demography, including migration regimes, population size, and settlement patterns. In his own work, James often employs both comparative and quantitative approaches to the study of Roman history. He therefore has a keen interest in the discussion of these and the many other methodological tools and approaches available to historians. Prior to attending Stanford, James earned a BA in History from Columbia University, an MPhil in Classics from the University of Cambridge, and a Post-Baccalaureate certificate in Greek and Latin from Rutgers University.