Jordan Christopher
Lecturer of Classics and Archaeology | Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA, UNITED STATES
Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts
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Biography
Jordan Christopher is a specialist in comparative historiography, working with equal familiarity in the histories of Greece, Rome, and Early China. His work explores the intersections of cultural beliefs and political practices in state and societal structures. His research interests include ancient identity and ethnicity, infrastructure studies, and the cultural and structural underpinnings of citizenship. At LMU, He teaches courses on Ancient Historians, Ancient Warfare, theories of the Axial Age, and Ancient China. He also leads the LMU Roman Re-Enactment group.
Education (5)
University of Münster: PhD, Alte Geschichte 2022
McGill University: PhD (Partial - completed PhD examinations then transferred), History 2019
I began my PhD at McGill, but when my supervisor Hans Beck took an academic position in Germany I followed him in his shift over to Muenster, Germany.
East China Normal University (华东师范大学): Master of Arts, Chinese Philosophy 2017
Durham University: Master of Arts, Classics 2015
Loyola Marymount University: Bachelor of Arts, Classics / Asia Pacific Studies (Double Major) 2013
Areas of Expertise (12)
Comparative History
Macedon
Ancient Warfare
Citizenship
Ancient Infrastructure
Roman Republican History
Ancient Greek History
Ancient East Asia
Diaspora Studies
Chinese Philosophy
Ancient Colonialism
Qin
Accomplishments (4)
Conference Organizer: Kin and Clan in Roman Antiquity (professional)
2025-02-28
Organizer of international research conference gathering scholars to examine new and understudied perspectives on issues relating to kinship and family in the Roman world.
Conference Organizer: Postcolonial Perspectives on Global Antiquities (professional)
Organizer of an international research conference applying postcolonial frameworks to a study of the ancient world. Held at the University of Münster in May 2022.
Panel Organizer (Double Panel) - Association for Asian Studies 2025 (professional)
2025-03-14
Organized the Double Panel "Kin, Clan, and Family in Early China," held at the Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.
Panel Organizer - Society for Classical Studies 2024 (professional)
2024-01-05
Organized SCS 2024 panel: "Personal and Political: New Approaches to Sino-Roman Comparison"
Affiliations (2)
- Association for Asian Studies
- Society for Classical Studies
Languages (5)
- Mandarin
- Ancient Greek
- Latin
- Classical Chinese
- German
Media Appearances (1)
Creating a Warrior
Citizen Jones LLC tv
2023-04-15
Interviewed as an expert in Ancient Warfare for documentary pilot for The History Channel.
Event Appearances (10)
Great Clans in Rome and Zhou China
Association for Asian Studies 2025 Columbus, Ohio
2025-03-14
Clans Compared: Roman Gens and Zhou Zongfa
Kin and Clan in Roman Antiquity Los Angeles, California
2025-02-28
Losers: Dealing with Defeated Generals in Rome and China
Society for Classical Studies Conference 2024 Chicago, IL
2023-01-06
End of Worlds and Rebirth of Rule: On Mycenean and Shang Legacies on Ancient Greece and Early China
Association for Asian Studies Conference 2023 Boston, MA
2023-03-18
Establishing the Arteries of Empire: A Comparison of the Development of Roadbuilding Traditions in Ancient Rome and Early China
Antiquities to Compare? Discussions on Pre-Imperial Trajectories from the Mediterranean to China Fudan U. of Shanghai / Paris École Normale Supérieure (Zoom)
2022-06-21
Dispossession and Trauma in Spring and Autumn Zhou Cultural Expressions
Postcolonial Perspectives on Global Antiquity University of Münster
2022-05-21
Conceiving the Land: On the Development of Territoriality in Ancient Greece and Early China
Territoriality in Early China University of Heidelberg
2022-05-10
Diadochi of the Qin: Early Hellenistic and Chu-Han Rulership Dynamics Examined
The Same, but Different? Monarchical Representation in the Hellenistic World Between Assimilation and Differentiation University of Münster, NRW Germany
2022-03-14
Hydraulic Politics: Water Distribution in Republican Rome and Han Chang'an
3rd Global Antiquities Network Conference McGill University
2020-10-20
To Guarantee Your Good Behavior: Diplomatic Hostages in Ancient Greece and Early China
Ancient China in its Eurasian Context UC Santa Barbara
2018-04-15
Fees
Research Grants (5)
Seminar für Alte Geschichte Grant for Academic Event
University of Münster €4,000
2022-05-21
Grant allotted to organize a conference on postcolonial frameworks as a method to study the ancient world. Academics from the US, China, Germany, Australia, and Canada presented. Proceedings currently being worked into a conference volume for publication.
Society of Jesus Conference Grant
Jesuit Community of LMU $1000
2025-01-01
Funds granted to support the organization of my conference on the Roman family.
Experiential Learning Grant
Loyola Marymount University $300
2024-02-10
Grant awarded to facilitate the Roman Re-enactment program at LMU, allowing students to craft accurate replications of Roman tunics, belts, and sandals, and participate in drills in Latin.
Delphi Grant
LMU Center for Faculty Development $750
2025-02-28
Funds granted to enable me to travel to and present at the double-panel session I had organized at the Association for Asian Studies Annual Conference 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.
SCS Contingent Faculty Grant
Society for Classical Studies $200
2025-03-07
Funds granted to support the Roman Re-enactment project I develop and lead at LMU.
Courses (5)
Early China / Ancient Greece
A study of Early China (Shang to Han Dynasties), with comparison made to the parallel evolution of society occurring in contemporary Greece.
Axial Age
A study of the varying theories surrounding the concept of the "Axial Age," the supposed 500 year span in the 1st millennium when Greece, India, Israel, Persia, and China experienced a tandem philosophical awakening.
Ancient Historians
A study of the major historians of Greek, Roman, and Chinese antiquity. This class focuses on texts and the individuals who wrote them, examining them for motifs, styles, and their receptions throughout history.
War and Society in the Ancient World
A study of the ways in which political and societal orderings intersect with military practices in Greece, Rome, and China. Each society saw its own unique social structure, and in each case, this is attended by highly distinct, even idiosyncratic cultures of violence.
Ancient Mythology of Greece and the Near East
Course examines the narratives, interpretations, and receptions of ancient mythology, beginning with the Enuma Elish and carrying through to Roman and ultimately modern reception of Greek mythology.
Articles (7)
Hydraulic Politics in Rome and Chang’an
Place and Performance in Ancient Greece, Rome, and ChinaJordan Christopher
2024-12-01
Examines the social and political factors underlaying the water infrastructure systems of Han Chang'an and Republican Rome.
Diadochi of the Qin: Chu-Han and Early Hellenistic Rulership Dynamics in Comparison
The Same, but Different: Monarchical Representation in the Hellenistic PeriodJordan Christopher
2024-11-02
Examines elite behavior in the confused collapses of Qin and Argead Macedon following the deaths of the First Emperor and Alexander III ("The Great")
The Pioneer Kingdoms of Macedon and Qin: Triumph of the Periphery
Monograph - Cambridge University PressJordan Christopher
Coming out May 2025
Roads to Empire: On the Development of Roadbuilding Traditions in Republican Rome and Early China
Journal of Ancient HistoryJordan Christopher
Forthcoming (2nd half 2025)
Colonialism and Diaspora in Early China
Early ChinaJordan Christopher
Forthcoming (Accepted)
Landscapes Fixed and Fluid: On Territoriality in Ancient Greece and Early China
Bochum Yearbook of East Asian StudiesJordan Christopher
Forthcoming (Accepted)
Postcolonial Perspectives on Global Antiquities
RoutledgeJordan Christopher - Editor
Contracted
