Matthew C. Harder

• Assistant Professor of Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology
• PhD in Art History & Archaeology (Classical Archaeology), University of Missouri
• Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Matthew Callaway Harder is an Assistant Professor of Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology in the Department of Classics at the University of Florida. He earned his PhD in Art History & Archaeology (Classical Archaeology) from the University of Missouri in 2023. He also holds an MA in Classics (Ancient History) from the University of Arizona and a BA in History from the University of Georgia.

As a digital and computational archaeologist, his research investigates Roman urbanism, landscape archaeology, and transportation networks in Central Italy, with a specific focus on the Middle Tiber Valley. Dr. Harder specializes in digital archaeology, utilizing GIS, LiDAR, 3D modeling, and photogrammetry to analyze spatial data and document complex sites. He currently serves as the Director of Digital Documentation and Assistant Field Director for the excavations at Trebula Mutuesca (Monteleone Sabino, Italy), and as the GIS/Topography Supervisor for the Stelida Naxos Archaeological Project in Greece. His previous fieldwork includes topographical and photogrammetric roles with the Venus Pompeiana Project and the Gabii Project.

Dr. Harder’s research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Archaeological Science and the Journal of Field Archaeology, alongside numerous book chapters and international conference presentations. He is currently preparing a book manuscript titled Urban Networks and Romanization in Central Italy: A Tale of Three Cities. His scholarly work has been supported by several prestigious awards, including a Fulbright Research/Study Award to the Università degli Studi di Perugia, a Research Fellowship from The Etruscan Foundation, and a Predoctoral Fellowship from the Freie Universität Berlin.

Beyond his research and teaching, Dr. Harder serves as a mapping consultant for the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades and acts as a peer reviewer for major academic publications, including Antiquity and the American Journal of Archaeology. He is also actively involved in public outreach, regularly co-organizing open excavation days and public lectures to share archaeological discoveries with the broader community.