Paul’s research interests include Egyptian archaeology, environmental history, and archaeological science. His dissertation work focuses on how the ancient inhabitants of Abydos, Egypt, used lakes and canals to modify the Nile floodplain for different, but often complementary, reasons during the 2nd millennium BCE. This involves mapping the location of these waterways and visualizing them within a close approximation of their original setting by reconstructing phases of the Abydos floodplain based on analyzing historical maps and satellite imagery in a GIS program. Through this research, Paul hopes to evaluate long held ideas of ancient floodplain use and how this relates to the history of irrigation in Egypt.
Paul’s interest in archaeological science has led him to study and analyze ancient Egyptian faience and glass through the Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials (CAAM) at the Penn Museum. This included recreating faience in a lab setting as part of an activity for students in the Food and Fire: Archaeology in the Laboratory course. He also regularly volunteers at the Penn Museum through the Public Engagement department and received the museum’s “We Dig You!” Volunteer of Distinction Award in 2019.
This graduate student is available to deliver lectures to your K-12 classroom at no charge. All requests MUST be booked through the Middle East Center Speaker's Bureau.