Professional Summary
Ryan is a philologist and historian who specializes in Greek and Latin literature and focuses on the intersections between epic poetry, philosophy, and history. His dissertation and current book project analyzes the violence of Lucan's Civil War through the lens of Epicureanism: Lucan, he claims, uses the atomic language of Epicureanism to vividly describe the dissolution of the human body, Roman state, cosmos, and memory to create his own history that highlights the futility of civil war and the inevitable disintegration of the Roman world. Ryan spent the 2024-25 academic year finishing his dissertation at the American Academy in Rome as the Berthe M. Marti fellow. Ryan's upcoming publications cover a wide range of authors in the Greek and Roman world including Aeschylus, Herodotus, Lucretius, Ovid, Seneca, and Justin Martyr. Other research interests include intertextuality, ancient athletics, ethnography, Christian passion narratives, and centos.
Beyond the academy, Ryan enjoys spending time with his spouse and two children, playing and watching sports (go Boise State!), and playing post-hardcore music on his guitar.
Education
PhD, Classics (Historical Emphasis): University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 2025
Publications
Other Publications
with Robert G. Babcock et al. (2023. ) “The Gembloux Manuscript of Cicero’s Pro Archia” .Codices manuscripti & impressi, 146 ,1-13
(2018. ) "Natalia and Gender-Bending in Passio Sanctorum Adriani et Nataliae" .Philomathes, 2.1 ,78–95
"Nomoi and Cannibalism in Herodotus’ Histories" .Histos,
with Young Richard Kim "Racial Triangulation in Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho" .Taking Stock: Stereotypes from Asian America to the Ancient Mediterranean, University of Michigan Press
"pro volnere corpus: Atomic Dissolution in Lucan’s Snake Episode" .
Honors and Awards
-2024 Erich S. Gruen Prize for “Nomoi and Cannibalism in Herodotus’ Histories” Society for Classical Studies