Kathryn Marklein, PhD

Assistant Professor

About

My research interest stems from both a passion for and training in biological anthropology and Classics. As an anthropologist, I use a bioarchaeological approach to investigate the impacts of Roman imperialism on provincial populations throughout the Empire. My most recent work focused on examining peripheral communities in rural Turkey. I am particularly interested in how annexed and conquered peoples arguably transform themselves bioculturally and socioculturally, and are directly or indirectly transformed, under imperial rule. To qualify these impacts, I look to the skeleton (and broader population sample) for evidence of and patterns in physiological stress, disease, specific and non-specific infection, and dietary consumption.

Throughout my graduate career, I have worked predominantly as an anthropologist on excavations in Greece, Turkey, and Israel, although I have recently been involved with projects in Georgia and Indiana as a consultant bioarchaeologist or bioarchaeological team member. Due to the diversity of sites—temporally, geographically, ecologically, and culturally—I’ve gained considerable hands-on and curatorial experience working with discrete, commingled, and cremated human remains.

I am so happy to be joining the Department of Anthropology at Louisville as a tenure-track Assistant Professor! I will be teaching fundamental and advanced courses in forensic osteology and introductory biological anthropology. I am also excited to include any interested students in my current research or work with them developing their own research trajectory.