Simon James is an

archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts ...

of the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

period and an author. He is Professor of Archaeology at the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

in England. His research interests are the Roman world and its interactions with the Celts and Middle Eastern peoples.

Education and academic career

James obtained his PhD from

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

, and then moved to the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

, where he was an archaeological illustrator before becoming a museum educator. After several years as a Research Fellow at

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

he joined the School of Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester in 2000. His research has focused on ancient warfare and especially the Roman military. He has studied the remarkably well-preserved Roman and Partho-Sasanian military remains from

Dura-Europos Dura-Europos, ; la, Dūra Eurōpus, ( el, Δούρα Ευρωπός, Doúra Evropós, ) was a Hellenistic, Parthian, and Roman border city built on an escarpment above the southwestern bank of the Euphrates river. It is located near the vill ...

, Syria. In reinterpreting the evidence for

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

s and counter-mines dug beneath the city's walls during the Sasanian Persian siege which finally destroyed Dura about AD 256, he concluded that the Sasanian attackers had used a Greek strategem on the Roman defenders: they asphyxiated about 20 of them with toxic smoke from burning bitumen and sulphur. This appears to be the earliest archaeologically-known instance of what we would now call 'chemical warfare'.

Influence on current cultural debates

It is his publications on the Ancient Celts that have drawn most public and media attention.

Books and monographs

* "Two Shield-bosses from Roman London" (1980), ''

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

'' ''XI'', 320-3. * ''Archaeology in Britain'' (1986),

British Museum Publications British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. * * ''Exploring the World of the Celts'' (1993),

Thames and Hudson Thames & Hudson (sometimes T&H for brevity) is a publisher of illustrated books in all visually creative categories: art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and the performing arts. It also publishes books on archaeology, history, ...

. * ''Britain and the Celtic Iron Age'' (1997), British Museum Press (with Valery Rigby) * ''The Atlantic Celts: Ancient People or Modern Invention?'', British Museum Press, 1999 (Published in the USA by

The University of Wisconsin Press The University of Wisconsin Press (sometimes abbreviated as UW Press) is a non-profit university press publishing peer-reviewed books and journals. It publishes work by scholars from the global academic community; works of fiction, memoir and po ...

, 1999). * "Britons and Romans" (2001), ''CBA Research Report 125'', (with M Millett) * "Writing the Legions: The Past, Present and Future of Roman Military Studies in Britain" (2002), ''

Archaeological Journal ''The Archaeological Journal'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal for archaeological and architectural reports and articles. It was established in 1844 by the British Archaeological Association as a quarterly journal, but was taken over by the B ...

'' 159; 1-58. * ''Excavations at Dura-Europos Final Report VII, the Arms and Armour and Other Military Equipment'' (2004), British Museum Press. * "A Bloodless Past: The Pacification of Early Iron Age Britain" (2007); In Haselgrove and Pope, ''The Earlier Iron Age in Britain and the Near Continent'', Oxbow Press. * ''Rome and the Sword: How Warriors and Weapons Shaped Roman History'' (2011),

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Simon Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Alumni of University College London Academics of the University of Leicester British archaeologists Museum educators