About
I am a cultural and environmental historian of the late antique Mediterranean world. While my academic research focuses primarily on the period of Late Antiquity (roughly, 250 to 650 CE) my reading and teaching interests extend deep into ancient and medieval territory and encompass a variety of topics in and parts of the premodern globe.
Originally from a small sustainable farm in Ottawa County, Michigan, I spent my younger years working in fields, greenhouses, and farmer’s markets. I attended Calvin College and earned a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in History in December of 2017.
After a semester-long stint working with students on academic probation in the Office of Student Success at Calvin College, I began an MA and PhD track in Ancient History at The Ohio State University. I received my MA in History in 2020, and thereafter began working on a PhD with emphases in Late Antiquity, Environmental History, and Ancient Christianity. I have now successfully defended my dissertation, and my doctorate degree will be conferred in December 2025.
My Research
I am interested in how people’s beliefs, ideas, and practices play out in and take shape through the material, physical world in the late antique Mediterranean – that is, the late Roman, east Roman (i.e., early Byzantine) and early Medieval world.
My dissertation and first book project a cultural and environmental history of late antique Mediterranean islands, c. 300–600 CE. Drawing on literary, documentary, archaeological, scientific and paleoscientific evidence, it tells a new story of Mediterranean islands’ importance within the late Roman world, both as places and as ideas. It demonstrates that looking carefully at specific islands and their material characteristics helps us see how environmental, social, and cultural dynamics were entangled. Christian hagiography and biblical exegesis played important roles alongside administrative reorganizations, military conflicts, trade networks, and educational techniques. Finally, it argues that the conceptual category of ‘islands’ as we generally think of them today was formed during Late Antiquity.
My Teaching
I’ve taught, lectured for, graded, and assisted in a wide variety of courses. My main areas of teaching expertise are in Ancient Christianity, Ancient and Medieval Mediterranean History, and Environmental History.
Editorial Work
Since 2023, I have worked in the editorial office of Studies in Late Antiquity, a quarterly double-blind peer reviewed journal published by the University of California Press. First as editorial assistant (2023–25) and now as managing editor (2025–), I have handled all aspects of the production process and assisted in the developmental editing of articles.
Alyssa VanHaitsma Kotva 