• Melanie is a Mediterranean archaeologist specializing in material approaches to social and economic history, identity studies, household archaeology, and ancient pottery. Her research examines interactions among culturally and ethnically diverse communities and their environments. Her interest in ancient ceramics informs her exploration of daily life in multicultural communities, particularly at garrisons and harbors.

    She co-directs the Pyla-Koutsopetria Archaeological Project excavations at Pyla-Vigla in Cyprus and is a staff archaeologist on the Bays of East Attica Regional Survey (BEARS) and Western Argolid Regional Project (WARP) in Greece.  She has also participated in archaeological survey, excavation, and finds analysis for other projects in Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, and Italy.

    • Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
    • M.A., University of Colorado, Boulder
    • B.A., Florida State University

    • (2026), "Riches, Routes, and Rations: New Evidence from Amphoras at Koroni,” From East to West and Back Again: Societies, Economies, and Ceramics in the Hellenistic World, Proceedings of the 5th Conference of IARPotHP, Seville, Spain June 21-25th, 2021, 2022. Phoibos Verlag, 119-133.
    • (2024), “Ptolemaic Garrisons in the Chremonidean War: Connecting Maritime and Terrestrial Networks,” Journal of Hellenistic and Roman Material Culture (HEROM), 161-185.
    • (2023), co-authors J. Gates-Foster and B. Redon, “Domestic Activities in Alternate Settings: The Ptolemaic Fort at Bi’r Samut, Egypt,” in C. Barrett and J. Carrington (eds.), Households of Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt in Context, Cornell University Press, 297-320.
    • (2022), co-author J. Gates-Foster, "Ptolemaic Painted Pottery from Ghozza, Eastern Desert,” Le Bulletin de liaison de la céramique égyptienne 31: 329-359.
    • (2022), co-author G. Erny, "Scholarly networks, gender sociology and knowledge production in Aegean survey and Eastern Mediterranean archaeology,” Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies 10.3-4: 343-355.

    • Mediterranean archaeology
    • Ancient Economies and Trade
    • Landscape Archaeology
    • Ancient ceramics

    • Classical Archaeology
    • Daily Life in Ancient Greece
    • History of Ancient Greece
    • Ancient Greek
    • Latin