Biography
I'm originally from Cincinnati, Ohio. I am an alumna of the Interdepartmental Program in Classical Art and Archaeology at the University of Michigan. In 2017, I completed my dissertation, Rome at Its Core: Reconstructing the Environment and Topography of the Forum Boarium, and earned my PhD. In the course of my doctoral studies, I was also awarded MAs in Latin and Classical Archaeology from the University of Michigan. I earned my BA in Classical Archaeology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2009.
Teaching
I'm on a Leverhulme Research Fellowship until 2022 and therefore only teaching in a limited capacity, mostly in AA3020. I've also designed and taught an Honours module on environmental history and archaeology, entitled ‘Floods, famines, plagues and volcanoes: Roman adaptation to the environment.’
Research areas
Research Interests:
- Environmental Archaeology
- Human-Environment Interactions
- Environmental History of the Ancient Mediterranean
- Water History
- Geoarchaeology and Coring Survey
- Palaeolandscape Reconstruction
- The City of Rome
- Urbanization, particularly in Archaic Italy
- City-River Interactions
- Historiography of Early Rome
- Sustainability, Adaptation, and Resilience
I am an environmental archaeologist with particular expertise in historical ecology and palaeolandscape reconstruction. My current work integrates the literary record on early Rome with new geoarchaeological evidence, in order to produce an environmental and topographical reconstruction of Rome’s river valley. I have been involved in several archaeological excavations and surveys, most recently in Rome. As director of the Forum Boarium Project, I have conducted a coring survey of the city’s original river harbour and harbour sanctuary. Among other findings, my research is revealing new insights on the role of environmental stress—in particular frequent flooding and rapid sedimentation in the river valley—on Rome’s urbanization process, as well as the scale of landscape change that occurred alongside urban development.
I also serve as Director of the Centre for Ancient Environmental Studies:Ìý
PhD supervision
- SallyÌýMubarak
- AmandaÌýWoods
Selected publications
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Open access
Brock, A. L., Motta, L. & Terrenato, N., 2 Mar 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Roman Studies. FirstView, p. 1-27
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Marra, F., Brock, A. L., Florindo, F., Macrì, P., Motta, L., Nicosia, C. & Terrenato, N., 1 Feb 2022, In: International Journal of Earth Sciences. 111, p. 359-378 20 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Brock, A. L., Jun 2022, In: World Development Perspectives. 26, 9 p., 100426.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Brock, A. L., Motta, L. & Terrenato, N., 21 May 2021, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Roman Studies. First View, 30 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Redman, A., Rowe, D., Brundiers, K. & Brock, A., 12 Oct 2021, In: Sustainability and Climate Change. 14, 5, p. 313-322 10 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Brock, A. L., Jul 2019, In: American Journal of Archaeology. 123, 3
Research output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article review
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Brock, A. L., 2018, Ricerche nell’area dei templi di Fortuna e Mater Matuta (Roma). Brocato, P., Ceci, M. & Terrenato, N. (eds.). Arcavacata di Rende: Università della Calabria, Vol. 2. p. 9-24 16 p. (Ricerche - collana del dipartimento di studi Umanistici, sezione archeologia; vol. 14).
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
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Open access
Marra, F., Motta, L., Brock, A. L., Macri, P., Florindo, F., Sadori, L. & Terrenato, N., 28 Mar 2018, In: PLoS ONE. 13, 3, 24 p., e0194838.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Brock, A. L., 1 Dec 2017, In: Quaternary International. 460, p. 167-174
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Brock, A. L., 17 May 2016, In: Etruscan Studies. 19, 1, p. 1-22
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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