Colin Elliott

Professor, Department of History

Adjunct Professor, Department of Classical Studies

Department of History

  • cpe@iu.edu
  • 812-855-3929
  • Ballantine Hall 858
    1020 E Kirkwood Ave
    Bloomington, IN47405
  • Office Hours
    M
    by appointment
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    by appointment
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    by appointment
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Campus
IU; IU Bloomington

Full Biography

I am an economic and social historian with an interest in money, disease and ecology in the ancient Roman world.

I am currently writing Gladiator & Tyrant: Commodus, Last Emperor of the Pax Romana--a biography of the Roman emperor Commodus, whose life offers a cautionary tale of failed leadership, squandered prosperity and the darkness within the human soul. It examines why ancient Rome, prosperous and peaceful for almost two centuries, reached a crisis point under Commodus’ rule. It grapples with larger methodological questions about the relationship between powerful individuals and larger structural forces: economics, environment, society and politics.

My most recently published book, Pox Romana: The Plague that Shook the Roman World (2024, Princeton) offers a comprehensive, wide-ranging account of the world's first pandemic: the Antonine plague (AD 165-170s). My first book, Economic Theory and the Roman Monetary Economy (2020, Cambridge University Press) considers questions of applying economic theory to ancient societies which bear little resemblance to those under modern capitalism.

I teach courses on all aspects of Roman History, but I tend to focus on economic, social and environmental history. I am honored to have received the David and Cheryl Morley Early Career Award for Outstanding Teaching (2021) and a Trustees Teaching Award (2016). I especially enjoy sharing my research with the wider public (see below for latest media appearances and public talks).

I host a weekly Roman history podcast on Spotify: The Pax Romana Podcast.

Before coming to Indiana University in 2015, I was Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Classics and Ancient History at Washington and Lee University.

 

Research Interests

  • The Roman Empire under Marcus Aurelius, Commodus and the Severan Dynasty.
  • Money, connectivity and economic integration in the Roman world.
  • The Antonine plague and ancient pandemics.
  • The environmental history of the Roman Empire.
  • Social-scientific approaches to history, especially pre-modern history.

Publications

Books

Book Book

Recent Articles & Book Chapters

  • 'Profile: Roman Economic and Monetary History'. Classical Review (2023).
  • ‘The Antonine Plague, the Grain Trade and the State’ In R. Arnott & R. Breitwieser (eds.), Disease and the Ancient World. Oxbow (2023).
  • ‘Money, Capital and Inequality in the Age of Augustus’. In Neville Morley (ed.), Capital in Classical Antiquity. Palgrave Studies in Ancient Economies (2022).
  • 'The Ecology of Exchange: The Monetization of Roman Egypt'. American Historical Review (2021).
  • ‘Disease Proxies and the Diagnosis of the Late Antonine Economy’. In K. Verboven (ed.), Complexity Economics: Building a New Approach to Ancient Economic History. Palgrave Studies in Ancient Economies (2020).
  • ‘Coin Debasement, Climate and Contagion in Second-Century Egypt’. In Kevin Butcher (ed.), Debasement: Manipulation of Coin Standards in Pre-Modern Monetary Systems. Oxbow (2020).

Education

PhD in Ancient History. University of Bristol. 2012.
BA in History. University of Oregon. 2005.

News Articles

Listen to my podcast: The Pax Romana Podcast.

Lecture: York Festival of Ideas. Watch here.

Interview: The Daily Stoic. Listen here.

Interview: New Books Network. Listen here.

Discussion with Donald Robertson on his Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life podcast. Listen here.

Interview: NPR's 'The Indicator' from Planet Money. Listen here.

(All media, interviews, podcasts and other public comments represent my own views, and not those of Indiana University or any affiliates or employees.)