Rate My Professor Peter Edwell

Peter Edwell is an Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in the Department of History and Archaeology in the School of Humanities at Macquarie University, part of the Faculty of Arts. He was awarded a PhD in Ancient History from Macquarie University in 2006, focusing on the Romans in the Middle East. Edwell's research specializations include the Roman eastern provinces in Late Antiquity, Rome's relationship with the Sasanian Persian Empire, and aspects of Australian art history. He has conducted research in the Middle East, particularly Syria and Jordan. Currently, he serves as Deputy Director (Research) of the Australian Centre for Ancient Numismatic Studies and as a committee member of the Centre for Applied History. Edwell teaches courses on Rome's relationship with ancient Iran, Late Antiquity, and Byzantium.

Edwell has authored three monographs: Between Rome and Persia: The Middle Euphrates, Mesopotamia and Palmyra under Roman Control (2008), Rome and Persia at War: Imperial Competition and Contact, 193–363 CE (2020), and The Case that Stopped a Nation: The Archibald Prize Controversy of 1944 (2021), which was short-listed for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards 2022. His key publications also feature chapters and articles such as 'The Euphrates as a Boundary between Rome and Parthia in the Late Republic and Early Empire' (2013), 'Definitions of Roman Imperialism' (2013), 'Oshroene and Mesopotamia between Rome and Arsacid Parthia' (2017), 'Sasanian Interactions with Rome and Byzantium' (2013), 'The Parthians: An Empire on the Rise' (2025) in The Oxford Handbook of the Hellenistic and Roman Near East, and 'The Accessions of Philip I and Jovian: Crises in Imperial Succession and the War with Sasanian Persia' (2025). Edwell has been primary chief investigator on projects including 'Crises of Leadership in the Eastern Roman Empire (250-1000 CE)' (2020–2023), 'Ancient Rome and Iran: Imperial Rivals and Neighbours' (2014), and 'Roman Mesopotamia: Image, Perception and Reality on the Edge of Empire' (2011–2013). His work has appeared in media outlets like The Conversation, BBC World Service, and ABC Radio National, addressing topics such as ancient Roman tariffs and comparisons between Roman emperors and contemporary leaders. In 2024, he co-organized the Fourth Annual Mediterranean Archaeology Australasian Research Community Conference.