Dr. Noel Lenski

Biography

Noel Lenski is the Dunham Professor of Classics at Yale University, where he also serves as the Chair of the Department of Classics. He studied Classics at Colorado College, earning his BA in 1989, and obtained both his MA and PhD in Classics and Ancient History from Princeton in 1995. His research primarily focuses on Roman history, particularly the history of the Roman Empire, with a keen interest in the power relations that existed at various societal levels, including between emperors and slaves. Lenski’s work encompasses a broad range of topics in Late Antiquity and includes studies in political, military, social, economic, religious, and cultural art history. He has authored monographs on emperors Valens and Constantine, exploring the limits of imperial power through the lens of reader response theory and life-worlds theory. His extensive publications cover the history of slavery in antiquity, and he is currently working on monographs concerning slavery in Late Antiquity and global history of slavery in premodernity. Additionally, Lenski has co-authored a translation and commentary on the Liber Iudiciorum, the Laws of the Visigoths, which is set to be published by Liverpool University Press. His scholarly output includes contributions to various publications and edited volumes on topics related to law, culture, and society in the Late Roman Empire.

Research Interests

Experience