PREFACE
The ideas for the present book date back to my graduate years at Columbia University. I am profoundly indebted to Roger Bagnall, director of the Amheida Project and my PhD supervisor. His expert guidance helped me move through each stage of research and has resulted in the present book. Columbia University and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation provided financial support for the excavation of House B2 through a Distinguished Achievement Award to Roger Bagnall.↩#p15
From the start of my doctoral research, I have had the pleasure to work with members of the Dakhleh Oasis Project. Colin Hope’s expertise in local Romano-Egyptian housing traditions and ceramics significantly impacted interpretations in this volume. His critiques of a draft of this book were insightful and supportive. Gillian Bowen likewise contributed her expertise in woven goods to help me understand this category of material.↩#p16
Each and every member of the Amheida Project missions, including both past and present members, contributed enormously to this volume. Olaf Kaper, Associate Director for Egyptology at Amheida, was an inspirational guide to all things Dakhleh. The individuals who helped with the day-to-day excavations, recording, photographing, and data management for House B2 include Andrea Myers Achi, Eugene Ball, Bruno Bazzani, Roberta Casagrande-Kim, Angela Cervi, Karen Green, Francesco Meo, Susanna McFadden, Gillian Pyke, and Elizabeth Warkentin. Our Egyptian colleagues were an invaluable component of this project. Reis Sauleh helped me to organize the work in and around House B2. Ashraf Barakat, Assistant to the Director, kept the project running smoothly at all times. The house staff at the Ain el Gindi excavation house, under the management of Gaber Murad, made the difficulties of fieldwork feel like a luxurious experience.↩#p17
A portion of this volume was written while I was a Junior Research Fellow at the Topoi Excellence Cluster (Freie Universität Berlin and the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany). Marianne Bergmann provided inspiration and insightful discussions both in Berlin and during the course of writing this volume.↩#p18
It would be difficult to list all of the people in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Reading who provided assistance to me during the period in which I completed this volume. Michael Fulford, Roger Matthews, and Hella Eckardt read and commented upon section drafts, significantly improving my interpretations. Other staff members provided motivation and good humor during trying times.↩#p19
The final writing stage took place while I was an associate research fellow at the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy (ISERP) at Columbia University in New York City. William V. Harris served as a faculty advisor for my research while I was at ISERP. He was an irreplaceable resource for helping me to view Romano-Egyptian archeology from the broader perspective of Roman History.↩#p20
Conversations with Ari Bryen, Sabina Huebner, Gabor Thomas, and particularly Giovanni Ruffini, helped me to consider Roman Egypt from an exciting range of perspectives. Angela Cervi contributed numerous illustrations used throughout this work and carefully edited all of the existing photographs and plans used in this volume. Her friendship, support, and attention to detail are always appreciated. Sebastian Heath prepared the volume for publication. And, finally, I had the constant support of friends, family, librarians, and technologically gifted colleagues who helped me through various stages. My parents, to whom this volume is dedicated, helped me to navigate through the turbulence of publication and I am enormously grateful.↩#p21
