He researches the ancient Near East, focusing on the history of Mesopotamia in the first millennium BC.
He is particularly interested in how cuneiform administrative texts attempt both to create and capture the reality of agricultural operations over time. This has led him also to study the history of accounting and administration. His other research interests are in the infrastructure of empire, the deification of things and technique in ancient history, and understanding the ways by which legal and administrative actions became authoritative in ancient Mesopotamia.
Research Interests
- ancient Near Eastern and Mediterranean history
