Dr. Walter Scheidel

Biography

Walter Scheidel is the Dickason Professor of Humanities and a Professor of Classics and History at Stanford University. His research focuses on ancient social and economic history, premodern historical demography, and comparative and transdisciplinary world history. Noted as one of the world's most cited historians of Rome, he has authored or co-edited 22 books and published approximately 270 articles, chapters, and reviews, delivering invited lectures across 35 countries. His recent works include 'Ancient History?' (2025), the two-volume 'Oxford World History Empire' (2021), and 'Escape Rome: Failure of an Empire' (2019). He serves as the editor for a monograph series on Oxford Studies in Early Empires and for the journal Historia. Scheidel initiated a collaborative research project examining comparative studies of ancient Mediterranean and Chinese empires and is also known for creating 'Orbis', an interactive digital project. He has received prestigious accolades such as the New Directions Fellowship from the Mellon Foundation and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Research Interests